Tuesday, December 11, 2007
D0423

Assessing IPM adoption levels of North Central region pumpkin growers

Jim Jasinski, jasinski.4@osu.edu1, Carol Pilcher, csimmons@iastate.edu2, Richard Weinzierl, weinzier@uiuc.edu3, Mohammad Babadoost, babadoos@uiuc.edu3, Elizabeth Maynard, emaynard@purdue.edu4, Chris Gunter, gunterc@purdue.edu4, Celeste Welty, welty.1@osu.edu5, Jim Breinling, breinlin@msu.edu6, Norm Myers, myersn@msu.edu6, Janice Leboeuf, janice.leboeuf@ontario.ca7, and Elaine Roddy, elaine.roddy@ontario.ca7. (1) Ohio State University Extension, IPM Program, 1512 S. US Highway 68, Suite B100, Urbana, OH, (2) Iowa State University, IPM Program, 32 Oak Lane, Wentzville, MO, (3) University of Illinois, Department of Crop Sciences, 1102 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, (4) Purdue University, 1401 S. US Highway 421, Westville, IN, (5) Ohio State University, Entomology, 1960 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH, (6) Michigan State University Extension, Entomology, 102 South Main Street, Scottville, OH, (7) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Box 400, 120 Main St. E, Ridgetown, ON, Canada

The Great Lakes Vegetable Working Group project committee developed nine surveys to assess the level of IPM adoption by vegetable growers in certain key crops in the Great Lakes growing region. Survey questions addressed educational, preplant, at-plant, in-season, harvest and postharvest activities related to pest management. The surveys were available to growers electronically online and in hard copy format at certain vegetable educational meetings from January, 2006 to May, 2007. At this time only responses to the regional pumpkin survey have been fully analyzed using SPSS; the other surveys are currently being summarized. The area covered by the pumpkin survey includes IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, Ontario, Canada, and WI. Of the 194 respondents to the regional survey, 31 growers were classified as low IPM adopters, 104 growers were classified as moderate IPM adopters, and 59 growers were classified as high IPM adopters based on the number of practices and tactics used in their production operation. Profiles for typical low, moderate, and high level IPM adopters are being developed. Any clear practice deficiencies found within the grower population will be used to guide future research projects and Extension programs.