Improving the image and educational support system for integrated pest management

USDA CSREES

This project addresses the current needs of existing Extension IPM programs for production agriculture in the High Plains (CO, Western NE, WY, MT and Western SD) and Great Plains (MT, ND, SD, WY, NE, CO, KS, OK, and TX) regions since it fosters a new collaboration to combine and share existing databased information resources used in educating pest managers on implementing IPM while controlling insects and diseases across the region and across the U.S. This project builds upon and leverages the outcomes of CSREES IPM projects that led to the development and availability of the Bugwood Image and Database System(IDS) through “migration� of images and information now resident in the CSU AgImages system that is in need of upgrading and restricting into BugwoodIDS. It provides better access to as well as new tools to maximize the wide-spread impact and benefit of the combined resources in delivering training to extension personnel and government employees on the identification and management of all pests and diseases through online educational materials. Increased emphasis is placed on critical pest and disease management issues such as new, exotic/invasive and high consequence pests.

In this project, we will:

1. Incorporate the images and information from aging Colorado State University AgImage Database into the Bugwood Image Database System at the University of Georgia
2. Establish Colorado State University to act as a permanent “remote image and information entry node� to better address the needs of the Great Plains and High Plains regions
3. Integrate images and information contained in the Bugwood Image Database System with resources available through the High Plains Integrated Pest Management Guide and Great Plains Diagnostic Network at Montana State University to enhance the internet resources used for pest management