California Ag Department Makes Big Investment in Sustainable Pest Management

By California Department of Food and Agriculture|November 4, 2024

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has announced $3 million in funding for three projects under the Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) grant program. The BIFS program supports the development, demonstration, and adoption of effective and economically viable alternative management practices to address critical pest challenges across California agriculture.

Each four-year grant is a collaborative effort between growers, pest control advisors, commodity groups, scientists, and other stakeholders. This year’s projects focus on a range of practices aimed at reducing reliance on pesticides, including the use of steam injection and disease-resistant varieties as an alternative to pre-plant soil fumigants; promoting ecosystem services by supporting natural enemies; and implementing pheromone mating disruption to provide areawide management of pest populations. These projects focus on area-wide management and community engagement.

“Increasing pest pressures due to climate change and invasive species, changes in regulations and consumer demands, and reduced efficacy and increased resistance to available management options are all significant challenges in our industry,” says Jeana Cadby, Environment and Climate Director for Western Growers. “Developing innovative, biologically integrated farming systems to address existing gaps in pest management is critical.”

Funded Projects

Diamondback Moth Management in Cole Crops

Leads: Ian Grettenberger, UC Davis; Ricky Lara, CDFA; Oleg Daugovish, UCCE; Hamutahl Cohen, UCCE; Daniel Hasegawa, USDA; Matt Grieshop, California Polytechnic State University
Objective: To develop and promote a biologically integrated pest management program for the diamondback moth, a major threat to California’s $1.4 billion cole crop industry, which includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale. Current chemical management programs are proving ineffective due to the pest’s resistance to a wide range of insecticides.
Approach: This project focuses on sustainable practices, such as pheromone mating disruption and the use of natural enemies, to manage the pest at the landscape level. Outreach will be conducted in collaboration with the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, the California Leafy Greens Research Board, and pest control advisors.

Steam Injection and Alternatives to Soil Fumigation in Strawberries

Leads: Dr. Darryl Wong and Janet Broome, UC Santa Cruz; Steve Fennimore, Smart Steam Applications for Agriculture LLC; Peter Henry, USDA ARS; Mark Bolda, UCCE; Nicholas LeBlanc, USDA ARS; Oleg Daugovish, UCCE; Rachael Goodhue, UC Davis
Objective: To demonstrate non-chemical alternatives to pre-plant fumigants in strawberry fields, especially in areas near schools, daycare centers, and other sensitive sites.
Approach: The project will establish demonstration plots on the Central Coast to replace soil fumigation with steam injection, disease-resistant varieties, and other methods. Soil fumigants, used to control pathogens, nematodes, and weeds, are facing increased regulatory restrictions.
Key partners: California Strawberry Commission, local growers, the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner, California Certified Organic Farmers, and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

Watershed-Wide Mating Disruption in Nut Orchards

Lead: Parry Klassen, Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship
Collaborators: Jhalendra Rijal, UC Cooperative Extension, East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, the California Almond Board, and pest control advisors
Objective: To reduce pyrethroid insecticide use in almond and walnut orchards through pheromone mating disruption of navel orangeworm and codling moth populations.
Approach: This project will implement mating disruption across orchards bordering agricultural waterways where pyrethroids have been detected. Outreach will encourage growers to adopt orchard sanitation practices, such as removing “mummy nuts,” which harbor pests.