NCR193: Plant Health: Managing Insects and Diseases of Landscape Plants
Statement of Issues and Justification
In the next five years, the search for pesticide alternatives will be critical because of anticipated regulatory actions due to EPA registration reviews following passage of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). The loss of key pesticides such as chlorpyrifos and diazinon is likely to have cascading effects on the management of insects and diseases. This particular compound was critical to the control of boring insects that vector fungal pathogens and speed the death of a wide variety of trees including, elm, oak, ash, and pine.Members of NCR-193 address IPM of ornamental plants. Evaluation of cultural, chemical, and biological control strategies, which are significant components of IPM programs, are part of on-going research efforts of many members of these committees. Such studies include the assessment of non-traditional (biorational) fungicides and microbial insecticides, mycoherbicides, factors predisposing plants to disease and insect attack, screening of disease and insect resistant germplasm, and biological control. A forum is needed where pathologists and entomologists can discuss IPM programs for insects and diseases of ornamental plants.
In the past two decades, public interest in landscape plants and the demand for high quality stock has more than tripled. The nursery and greenhouse industry is the fastest growing segment of US agriculture. In 1995, $27 billion was spent at retail and mail order stores for landscape plants and associated products, a 20% increase since 1993. In 1999, over 21 million households spent over $16.8 billion on professional landscape, lawn and tree care services. The livelihood of over 600,000 horticulturists, nurserymen, landscape architects, arborists, garden center operators, pest control specialists, urban foresters, and many others is tied directly to the ornamentals industry.
Landscape plants have a broader value than economics. They are an integral part of the human environment, and are among the most useful tools used to modify our environment. Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants can be used to conserve energy, improve environmental quality, and are important contributors to human comfort and well-being. Landscape plants are integral to our outdoor activities, from relaxing in private yards to golfing and time in the park. Properly placed and maintained plants can reduce energy costs, absorb noise and air pollutants, reduce soil erosion, increase ecological stability, and provide wildlife habitat. Plants in the landscape also increase property values and community pride.
The health, aesthetic and utility value of landscape plants are reduced by many insect pests and diseases. The result is widespread interest and activity in mitigating the negative influences of these problems. Nurseries, homeowners, landscapers, municipal governments, and tree care professionals strive to grow healthy and aesthetically pleasing plants, while reducing the use of conventional pesticides and embracing integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
As the ornamentals industry has expanded, so has the diversity and complexity of disease and insect problems. Many of these problems are national rather than local in scope. Planting stock is shipped in regional, national, and international networks. As a result, insects and diseases are introduced to new locations on nursery stock produced in other regions. NCR-193 is the only committee allowing IPM specialists on insects and diseases of ornamental plants to meet and discuss new research findings, technologies, and problems from a regional and national perspective. As a result of these interchanges, participating scientists have achieved more rapid solutions to problems, and duplication of research effort has been avoided.
In summary, the geographic scale of insect and disease problems has broadened dramatically as the ornamentals industry has grown. While the need for coordinated regional and national research and technology transfer to address these problems is at an all-time high, institutional mechanisms to facilitate such efforts are few. The NCR-193 committee will partially facilitate these needs. This interdisciplinary committee is an invaluable forum for stimulating regional research and, particularly, extension efforts. Indeed, it is the only regional committee dedicated to finding answers to landscape plant disease and insect injury problems.
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