Pecan ipmPIPE: A new IPM pest information platform for extension, education (ipmPIPE) and research for pecan stakeholders

Pecan IPM has been fostered for several decades by the CSREES “Southern Regional Program for Pecan Insects”, currently identified as S-1017, whose members and associates encompass CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, MO, AR, LA, MS, IL, AL, SC, GA and FL. Information technologies (IT) developed by S-1017 that reduce risk are deliverable area-wide using the USDA ipmPIPE concept via the internet. Pecan ipmPIPE platform development involves communications among producers, scientists and industry to organize IT to provide both real-time and background information needed to effectively conduct and evaluate IPM. Initially, the real-time target pest is pecan nut casebearer, which relies on a sentinel Producer Network (200+) for raw data input via S-1017 Peer Cooperators that will be synthesized, enhanced and redistributed area-wide. Real-time IT will be backstopped with an IPM Toolbox platform component relevant to local/regional needs. Additional pests are expected to be added later as IT matures. Formal launch of the Pecan ipmPIPE platform is planned for 2009 and will interactively link pecan stakeholders in near real time to improve pecan IPM education, Extension and research that benefit the industry. This program combines IPM expertise and the real-time experience of producers with the power of web-based IT to harness knowledge needed in risk management assessment for use in near real-time on an area-wide scale.