Project Number: 6602-22000-036-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 01, 2005
End Date: Aug 31, 2010

Objective:
Develop vegetational designs and therapeutic interventions that foster desirable pest/natural enemy balances. Increase the foraging efficacy of parasitoids and other natural enemies of key pests of row crops. Develop spin-off benefits emerging from an understanding of natural systems, such as use of trained wasps for chemical biosensors in precision agriculture and food safety.

Approach:
Research will focus on better landscape ecology practices for total habitat management, improved knowledge of inherent strengths in crop attributes, and development of biorational, therapeutic products/procedures which complement inherent strengths in the cropping systems and the development of decision-making tools that better utilize natural enemies in agronomic crops in the Southern Coastal Plain. Emphasis will be placed on development of control strategies for insect pests utilizing biological control, conservation tillage practices, cropping sequences, and cultural practices. Efforts will be directed toward conserving and enhancing natural enemies for managing primary pests of agronomic crops.