Training the Next Generation of IPM Practitioners on the Management of Orthoptera Pests: An Insect Order With Increasing Impacts to Western Farmers

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Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: feed/forage, grazing management, grazing - rotational, pasture renovation, rangeland/pasture management
• Crop Production: continuous cropping, cropping systems
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, technical assistance, workshop
• Pest Management: competition, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, traps, Alternative as food
• Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems

Orthoptera – a diverse insect Order including grasshoppers and crickets – is ecologically important yet can cause substantial harm to farmers and ranchers.  Orthoptera has been identified as a key pest species threatening western agricultural and non-agricultural areas.  Out of the estimated 400 species found within western states, only a handful cause economic damage; regardless, impacts are realized across millions of acres during outbreak years.  To minimize losses and reduce the health and environmental risks associated with their control, chemical applications should only be applied against pest species at their vulnerable live stages, and at appropriate thresholds.  Further education is needed within the agricultural community to best accomplish these goals. 

We propose to hold five train-the-trainers workshops focusing on Orthoptera identification, survey methods, and management throughout Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (see letters of support).  Participants (e.g. Extension faculty, State and Federal government field staff, crop consultants, and certified Master Gardeners) will collectively provide a minimum of 800 additional training hours to their regional communities, using self-collected Orthoptera specimens and online and printed Extension resources developed as part of this program. 

To best understand and respond to Orthoptera threats, both currently and in anticipation of future needs, we will additionally foster collaboration between the Oregon State Arthropod Collection (OSAC) and our agricultural partners.  Dr. McNary, a visiting specialist, will train OSAC personnel in the identification of Orthoptera species, native and non-native.  OSAC will then work to ID participant collections through photo and specimen submissions.  This puts us in the best position to monitor for future changes in Orthoptera diversity and population dynamics.  By combining insect ID and coordination with OSAC with the promotion of IPM principles, we will minimize the impact of Orthoptera outbreaks at reduced risk, while also preserving the biodiversity of this Order and its associated communities.

After the short-course, participants will

1. be able to identify all major Orthoptera pest species found within their target regions, including their adult forms and nymphal stages.
2. be able to differentiate pest species from non-pest species.
3. have learned current IPM techniques used to monitor and manage Orthoptera outbreaks.
4. be able to direct their audiences to appropriate online and mobile app materials when making their own Orthoptera management choices.

Within a year of attending the short-course, participants will have

1. built specimen collections of regionally-recovered Orthoptera species, to be used as an in-house teaching tool when disseminating information to their audience of growers, ranchers, and gardeners. Specimen collections will be verified by an Orthoptera taxonomic specialist.
2. collectively delivered a minimum of 800 hours of trainings about IPM principles as they relate to Orthoptera management in their home communities.

This project will furthermore establish relationships between the trainers and the Oregon State Arthropod Collection, as a means to increase our understanding about the diversity and distribution of Orthoptera species within the region.