It takes a village

UC Cooperative Extension researchers are discovering that, for the best control of a pest like lygus bugs, growers should not view their individual farms as isolated islands, reported Cary Blake in Western Farm Press.

“It takes a village to manage lygus,” says Pete Goodell, UC IPM Cooperative Extension advisor with the UC Statewide IPM Program. “Effective lygus management involves landowners, producers, pest control advisers, those with an expertise in biological and physiological issues, and others. Working together across the local landscape is an effective way to effectively manage lygus to reduce its impact in cotton.”

Goodell shared this village mantra during his keynote address at the 3^rd International Lygus Symposium held in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late November. More than 80 people attended representing 12 states and five countries.

The article said Goodell and University of Arizona IPM specialist Peter Ellsworth have created a video game that allows producers to collaborate on lygus control. The software predicts lygus outbreaks based on crop placement within a region. Ellsworth and Goodell are seeking funds to get the program into growers' hands.

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