Annual Reports

2001—Competitive Grants Programs

Contents
UC IPM Competitive Grants Program
Exotic Pests and Diseases Research Program
SAREP-UC IPM Education Grants

Summaries of research projects are online at UC IPM Web site.

UC IPM Competitive Grants Program

The UC IPM Project research grants program funded 28 research projects by UC faculty and Cooperative Extension scientists throughout California for the 2001-2002 year. Funded projects were in the areas of applied field ecology, biological control, biorational use of pesticides and biotic agents, cultural controls, and decision support in more than a dozen commodities, rangeland, and urban landscapes. Twelve additional projects ended in 2001. Listed funded projects and detailed summaries are on the UC IPM Web site. Also view the Web site for a copy of the Call for Proposals and additional information about the research program. Three ongoing UC IPM research projects are highlighted here:

Management programs combining fertility and water depth to suppress watergrass, Echinochloa spp., in its early growth in rice fields look promising, according to preliminary research results reported by UC Davis agronomists Ted Foin and Kevin Gibson and weed scientist Albert Fischer.

Management programs combining fertility and water depth to suppress watergrass, Echinochloa spp., in its early growth in rice fields look promising according to preliminary research results reported by UC Davis agronomists Ted Foin and Kevin Gibson and weed scientist Albert Fischer. Research by UC Davis entomologist Larry Godfrey and agronomist Robert Hutmacher shows that cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii, are exacerbated by high nitrogen rates and applications of pyrethroid insecticides. The UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for cotton have been adjusted to reflect these findings. The type of plastic used in a greenhouse structure may affect population levels of insect pests such as aphids, thrips, and whiteflies. Research by UC Riverside entomologist Heather Costa is looking into applications for UV-blocking plastics in IPM programs.

For more information about the program and the projects that are being funded, see Funded Projects on the UC IPM Web site.

Exotic Pests and Diseases Research Program

Fifteen new projects addressing exotic pests and diseases that threaten agricultural, urban, and natural systems in California are being funded under a new competitive grants program jointly sponsored by UC IPM and the Center for Invasive Species Research at UC Riverside. Projects of up to three years duration are being sponsored through a Special Program Grant obtained from USDA-CSREES. Projects were selected from 34 proposals submitted and reviewed by subject area scientific review panels, a technical committee, and a policy advisory committee. Species targeted by investigators include a broad range of pathogens, insects, vertebrates, and weeds.

Total funds requested by investigators submitting proposals in response to the Request for Proposals was about $3.3 million, so many excellent projects could not be approved. Additional funds are being sought which would allow the solicitation of new proposals to study exotic and invasive species.

SAREP - UC IPM Education Grants

In summer 2001, UC IPM and the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) jointly sponsored a mini-grants program to support workshops, field days, seminars, and other educational outreach events held between August 2001 and June 2002. Supported projects must advance goals common to both programs. Three projects, addressing rodent control in urban areas, noxious weeds, and schools, were funded.

For more information about the program and the projects that are being funded, see Funded Projects on the UC IPM Web site.