Northwest collaborative receives potato IPM grant

Collaboration among the Washington State Potato Commission, federal research labs and three Northwest universities has resulted in the award of over $2 million in USDA grant funds targeted for research to improve pest management in potato fields.

WSPC Director of Research Andy Jensen, one of the coordinators of the USDA Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program request, was elated at the success, which follows two years of discussion and planning. 
 
“The grant will fund Integrated Pest Management research in potatoes for insects and mites at $2,050,000 over three years,” says Jensen. “It will involve in the neighborhood of 10 entomologists in the Northwest, working on all aspects of pest management.”

The project will involve scientists from the University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University, the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Jensen himself. Jensen says the Potato Commission funds research on pest management every year, but there is still much to learn.

“One of the things that has been lacking is more information on the biology of the pests and when they actually need to be controlled,” Jensen explains. “For example: How many pests are enough to warrant control? Under what circumstances? What role can biological control actually play in the field? We know something about all those topics, but we don’t know enough to really tell growers how to implement some integrated pest management practices.”  
 
“This is very good news!” says WSPC Executive Director Chris Voigt. “We embarked on this road knowing that sustainability and reduced pesticide use are international movements as well as grower goals. Andy and the team took a proactive role on soliciting funds to help us fund research on how growers can be more efficient in use of insecticides.

“Another thing about these dollars is that they are from a grant fund that hasn’t been previously used by the potato industry. So this is over 2 million dollars in new research dollars.”

Bill Snyder with the WSU department of entomology in Pullman was the author and compiler of the proposal. “We have an advisory panel of potato industry members from all three states,” says Jensen. “We also have on board an economist from the University of Idaho and a sociologist from WSU.”

The project will begin in the field next season, with a concerted effort on planning and getting things moving this fall, he said.