Applied science in action: Partnership with stakeholders to manage pests in ornamentals

Applied research projects have benefited from the partnership with stakeholders and community members. Buy-in from stakeholders will result in targeted projects with a direct impact on addressing a current issue. In the green industry, stakeholders such as nursery growers and homeowners have actively participated in research projects, by providing access to their facilities, or by sharing additional observations related to the issue at hand. The Applied Insect Ecology Lab at Virginia Tech has partnered with stakeholders to conduct and execute multiple applied research projects related to pest management. During this presentation, two stakeholder engagement efforts will be highlighted. The first one showcases our ‘Nursery IPM Schools,’ where we visit growers at their facilities and present the results of research trials conducted at their own farms, followed by a group discussion. And the second one is related to a mating disruption effort conducted in three neighborhoods in Niagara County NY for two years, where over 100 homeowners were enlisted to deploy solid sex pheromone dispensers at their backyards. These two efforts are examples of how stakeholder engagement and collaboration can directly benefit the success of research projects to manage key pests in the green industry.