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INVESTIGATOR: Zebelo, S.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
11868 College Backborne Road
Princess Anne, MARYLAND 21853

DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING OF INTEGRATED INSECT PEST MANAGEMENT AND FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES FOR CUCURBIT PRODUCTION IN THE US-DELMARVA PENINSULA

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This multi-institutional project integrates research, education, and extension to develop and implement organic pest management and food safety practices for cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, pumpkins etc.). Demand for organic fruits and vegetables in the Delmarva region is increasing, however the lack of effective organically-based insect pest management (IPM) is a key challenge limiting production. Moreover, manure-based soil amendments used in organic systems present a risk from fecal pathogens. Vectoring of fecal microbes by insect pests onto cucurbits currently is not quantified or estimable in the region, therefore this project's long-term goal is to expand the safe organic cucurbit production in the Delmarva region by providing science-based organic IPM practices. Briefly, the specific objectives includes: 1) Development of effective attractants and trap crops for the management of cucumber beetles; 2) Evaluate the mechanical transmission of fecal microbes from manure-amended soil to cucurbit fruits; and 3) Provide IPM and food safety training in classes, e-learning, internships for students and workshops for farmers and educators. Laboratory, greenhouse and field experiments will be conducted using analytical, electrophysiological, molecular and behavioral techniques to achieve the research objectives. Watermelon and cantaloupe will serve as model cucurbits, with results transferable to other cucurbits. Graduate (n=2), undergraduate (n=9) and intern (n=6) students will be trained in pest management, food safety, data and eXtension communications. Plus thirty farmers and Ag-Extension agents are expected to participate in workshops/webinars/eOrganics,. The major expected outcome of the project includes an increase in the acreage of certified organic produce in the Delmarva.

OBJECTIVES: The long-term goal of this project is to expand organic cucurbit production in the Delmarva region. Specifically, this proposal will develop UMES' capacity to develop and apply effective IPM strategies using watermelon and/or cantaloupe as a model. To achieve this, the project will address the following specific objectives:Development of effective tactics for the management of cucumber beetles in organic watermelon and cantaloupe production including attractants and trap crops (Research).Evaluate organically-approved remedial tools for managing insect pests that occur on watermelon (Research).Evaluate the mechanical transmission ofDevelop and deliver IPM and food safety e-learning and internship opportunities for students (Education).Develop a course on the ecology of organic pest management (Education).Train farmers and educators in IPM and food safety (Extension and Outreach)

APPROACH: General Experimental Procedures: This project will involve laboratory, greenhouse, and field studies. Watermelons and/or cantaloupe will be grown in the organic section of the UMES Plant Growth Center Greenhouse. Field trials will be conducted on certified organic land at MD and DE.Objective 1: Development of effective tactics for the management of cucumber beetles in organic watermelon and cantaloupe production including attractants and trap crops. Laboratory bioassay (four-choice olfactometer): Behavioral bioassay of cucumber beetles will be done as described by (Balusu and Fadamiro, 2011). The following cultivars of summer squash plants will serve as hosts: Sunbar, Seneca Prolifi, Goldbar and slender gold. A four-choice olfactometer, consisting of a square-shaped stage (2 x 12 x 12") on four 6" legs, with orifices connected through Teflon-glass tubes to a multi-pump-equipped air delivery system (Fig 2). Purified and humidified air will pass through the jar where the cucurbit hosts of key insect pests will be placed. The air will be drawn at a constant rate of 100 ml/min through the extending orifices (arms) and removed by suction via a vacuum pump through the central orifice of the olfactometer at the rate of 500 mL/min. Equal age of cucurbits insects will be used for the test and prior to the test the insects will be starved for 24 hours. Data obtained will be analyzed using ANOVA followed by Tukey Kramer's HSD. Methods used in volatile collections from host plants, electroantennogram (EAG) bioassays and behavioral bioassays to confirm activity of extracted headspace volatiles were discussed in the main proposal narrative.Objective 2 (Research): Evaluate organically-approved remedial tools for managing insect pests that occur on watermelon.Evaluation of OMRI approved pesticides: OMRI approved pesticide will be used as treatment such as 1) Entrust (2 oz/acre) season long; 2) PyGanic (2 pints/acre) season long; 3) Neem products, season long; 4) Entrust® alternated with PyGanic; 5) Entrust® alternated with Neem products; and 6) Control (untreated). Plots will be provided as describe in objective 1 above. Each treatment will be replicated four times and arranged in a RCBD. Treatments will be applied with a hand sprayer calibrated to deliver about 25 gpa at 40 psi. Treatments will be reapplied bi-weekly or earlier if/when sampling data indicate that the nominal threshold of 1 adult main insect pests per plant has been attained. Plots will be evaluated weekly and at harvest by sampling ten randomly selected plants from each plot for cucumber beetles densities and feeding holes (damage ratings). Damage ratings will be based on a scale of 1 to 4 (1: no damage; 2: low damage; 3: medium damage and 4: high damage). The most effective treatments will be selected for further evaluation in larger plots in year 2 and 3.Objective 3 (Research): Evaluate the mechanical transmission of pathogens from manure-amended soil to watermelon and cantaloupe fruits. Laboratory study: Composted and stored/stacked (not composted) manure from poultry litter, sheep/goat and dairy will be mixed with sandy loam soil at the rate of 2 ton/acre; 30cm diam. plastic containers will be filled with the soil-manure mixture. Stacked, stored manure composts will be conducted at UMES and BARC. The experiment will be designed in randomized complete design (CRD) with three manure sources (litter, sheep/goat and dairy), with two manure types (composted and non-composted manure), three treatments (sterilized manure (control), unsterilized manure and sterilized manure treated with non-pathogenic E. coli) and these will be replicated at least three times (n=54). Prior the start of the experiment soil mixed with composted and non-composted manure will be analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, water soluble phosphorus, soluble carbon, volatile solids, moisture content, according to standard methods (Thompson et al., 2000) to characterize their stability to support the activity of pathogenic and non-pathogenic inoculums. For microbial and chemical analysis referee the main text.Objective 4 (Education): Develop and deliver IPM and food safety e-learning and internship opportunities for students.Provide summer internships for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in IPM and food safety related researches. In year 3 of this project, 8-week summer intern scholarships will be offered competitively to upper level undergraduates students with GPA>3.0. Evaluation of applicants will be conducted according to fair, open, non-discriminatory rules used by USDA and all participating institutions on the project, and be based on the applicant's response to a request for essay on a topic of importance in agriculture and food safety, their GPA, and faculty recommendation. Summer intern scholarships will provide stipends, travel expenses, and subsistence for 8-wks for a total of six upper level undergraduates and graduate students in year 3 of the project. These student interns will be mentored and learn a variety of new microbiological investigative techniques and approaches used in evaluating the safety of water, soil amendments, and produce in one of several laboratories including: UMES, UMCP and USDA-ARS.Objective 5 (Education): Develop a hybrid course on the ecology of organic pest management.Develop and establish a hybrid course on the ecology of organic pest management for agriculture and food sciences undergraduate and graduate students at UMCP and UMES. A hybrid course is a course that comprises traditional face-to-face "seat time" and online learning activities. We will develop a hybrid course: "Ecology of Organic Pest Management" Upon completion of the course the students will: 1) Cultivate critical and analytical thinking skills that may be applied in a real life context for solving pest problems that are amiable with organic farming; 2) know the link between ecological pest management and agriculture sustainability, and 3) be able to develop ecofriendly pest management strategies that target multiple pest complexes. This course will be available to students from at UMES and UMCP in the fall of 2018, and will be offered by faculties from the UMES and UMCP (See the abbreviated course syllabus in attached in the additional documents).Objective 6 (Extension and Outreach): Train farmers and educators in IPM and food safetyThis objective will implement IPM and food safety programs for limited-resource growers. The growers will be trained on IPM and food safety and receive technical assistance on implementing the environmental friendly tactics of pest management, through interactive hands-on workshops. This will reduce the risks of pesticide and microbial contamination of fresh produce and prepare small- to mid-scale organic and conventional produce growers for GAPs compliance. To address this objective we will employ the following methods.

PROGRESS: 2019/04 TO 2020/03
Target Audience:Vegetable and field crop producers, extention agents and students Changes/Problems:Difficult to perform the experiments as planned due to COVID19. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three undergraduate and three graduate students had the opportunity to get trained in organic pest management of cucurbits pests -- moreover, the students trained in experimental design, data collection, and analysis. The experimental trial conducted in the field owned by the new, underserved farmer. The farmer participated in field preparations and other agronomic practices.See the following link for more information https://www.lancasterfarming.com/news/southern edition/trap-crops-help-deter-pe sts/article 00935669-e68c-56f6-ab79-56a48814cc42.html How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results disseminated: by performing on-farm demonstrations, some farmers were direct participants in the development of new IPM tools and by presenting at UMES small farm conference. During the field visit, the visitors educated on cucumber beetle management using summer squash as a trap crop in watermelon fields. Farmers, extension agents, faculty, and students attended the small farm conference symposium on integrated pest management of fruit and vegetable sessions in November 2019.? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Conduct more field experiments and present updates and findings at professional conference and extension events ?

IMPACT: 2019/04 TO 2020/03
What was accomplished under these goals? Yellowfin attracted the most cucumber beetles. Followed by Tempest, Dunja, and Desert. High number of beetles recorded on watermelon plots without border (trap crop), and this indicates that Dunja, Tempest, Desert, or Yellowfin squash crops have the potential to be an effective trap crop for watermelon. Further studies underway to determine what chemical signals are being released from squash crops that attract cucumber beetles. Alongside the above experiment, our collaborators from UMD College Park run one replicated field trial that was completed successfully during one growing season (2019) in MD and two additional field trials were initiated during the current growing season (2020) and are ongoing. The purpose of these field investigations is to determine the impact of using two perennial living mulches on communities of insect pests and natural enemies in cantaloupe plantings and determine if living mulches can serve as overwintering habitats for beneficial arthropods. Emphasis is placed on beneficial arthropods that would use spotted cucumber beetles as prey or host. The experiment consists of three treatments: 1) cantaloupe interplanted into alsike clover living mulch, 2) cantaloupe interplanted into Virginia wild rye living mulch, and 3) monoculture cantaloupe (grown in bare-ground). The initial field trial was used as part of a field day event and the project was shared with a wide-ranging audience that consisted of farmers, ag-chemical industry, extension, and state and federal agency personnel, graduate students, Postdocs and researchers This objective might be postponed to 2021 due to COVID19 ?

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2019/04 TO 2020/03
1. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gilbert L., Zebelo S., et al. 2020 Developing and Implementing of Integrated Insect Pest Management and Food Safety Practices for Cucurbit Production in Central Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula. Emerging Researcher National (ERN) conference held in January 2020 in Washington DC
2. Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Yoder M, Zebelo S. 2020. Trap Crops Help Deter Pests. Lancaster Farming at https://www.lancasterfarming.com/news/southern edition/trap-crops-help-deter-pe sts/article 00935669-e68c-56f6-ab79-56a48814cc42.html