The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is granting $2.6 million for eight projects intended to further sustainable pest management efforts. A total of $1.72 million in research grants will be used to boost knowledge and practices in integrated pest management (IPM). Another $942,000 in Alliance Grants will go towards helping expand and adopt effective and affordable IPM systems.
Some of the research projects include developing pest-resistant tomato plants with a $460,663 grant, which should reduce the need for soil fumigation. There is also $252,771 going towards creating drone software to release beneficial organisms in crop tunnels, and $256,093 to address pesticide-resistant Botrytis and explore safer alternatives. Another project, with $353,491 in funding, will use agricultural waste like grape pomace and almond hulls to control soil pests. A project awarded $401,090 in funding is set to explore using walnut compounds to manage soil nematodes in orchards.
On the Alliance Grants side, $283,183 is going to integrate IPM into Medi-Cal, $491,549 will help reduce rodenticide use through monitoring, and $167,203 is aimed at developing an IPM program in Vista. Over the past 20 years, DPR has already funded over 100 IPM projects with more than $26 million, continuing the push towards more sustainable pest management.
Listen to the report below.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West