U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 2 announced in a press release today a site visit to the Haines Farm, the largest cranberry farm in New Jersey. Rutgers researchers will show the benefits of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This work is being conducted under a grant from USEPA to Rutgers The State University of New Jersey and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for "Impact Assessment of Reduced Risk Pest Management Strategies for Cranberry in New Jersey".
See the EPA press release at www.pestmanagement.rutgers.edu/NJinPAS/postings/EPApresscranHainesfarm.pdf; and the itinerary and agenda for the visit at www.pestmanagement.rutgers.edu/NJinPAS/postings/HainesFarmcran.pdf .
Background:
Cranberries are a high-value crop assessed at roughly $107 million nationally in 2000. That year more than 5.6 million barrels of fruit were produced on 36,600 acres in the United States. Wisconsin was the leading cranberry producer, followed closely by Massachusetts. New Jersey ranked third at 8.7 percent of the total national output. New Jersey harvested 489,000 barrels of fruit at a production value of roughly 9.3 million dollars. (Source: RCRE 'Crop Profile for Cranberries' funded under the Northeastern IPM Center; see www.pestmanagement.rutgers.edu/NJinPAS/CropProfiles/cran2000data.pdf)
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, PhD, Extension Specialist with Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension, is the Principal Investigator (PI) on this project; Dr. Saona is stationed at The Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension in Chatsworth (Burlington County). Co-PI on the grant is Roy Meyer of the NJDEP.
Dr. Saona provides: "The goal of my research program is the development and implementation of cost-effective reduced-risk IPM practices for blueberries and cranberries. This goal is achieved through the integration of chemical, behavioral, and biological methods in insect control and a better understanding on the ecology of pests and their natural enemies. Key research topics include: Integrated Pest Management, Tritrophic Interactions, Biological Control, Insect Chemical Ecology, Insect-Plant Interactions, and Host-Plant Resistance. My extension program delivers IPM information to growers by conducting on-farm demonstration trials, presentations, and extension publications".
For further information on this work, please contact:
Audrey E. Moore; USEPA Region 2 Regional Ag Policy Specialist; 2890 Woodbridge Ave., MS-500; Edison, NJ 08837; phone: 732-906-6809;