US: Pest management project gives boost to onion production
Funding is provided by the USDA and other sources, such as onion check off and promotion programs.
The Onion IPM PIPE website includes information on such things as pests and diseases; with a gallery containing pictures of associated symptoms, the project itself and a range of resources for stakeholders.
Details of plans to release a smart-phone app in the near future are also covered.
During its first year the project has evolved in its scope and interactivity with stakeholders, as well as marketing of alium crops.
Examples of the projects impact include, amongst other things, savings made in the reduction of pests and diseases. PIPE says reduced pests and disease incidence in onion related to 170,000 acres of cultivation, worth $860million, on which a $5 million has been generated. For garlic, cultivation covers over 30,000 acres, with a value of $172 million. Returns of $5.9 million have been generated by the project.
Additional savings have been made via the reduction of pesticide usage.
Also, information on pests and diseases in onion crops has also been more widely disseminated. For example, a series of cards covering details of pests and diseases have been distributed to 8,000 industry stakeholders.
Interested parties have also been able to access on the spot price information, which has enabled monitoring of market trends.
Weather summaries and forecasts have also been made available to prepare growers for any eventuality.
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