Released: September 20, 2005

From Farm Field to Kitchen Pantry, K-State Researchers Work to Curb Pests--USDA Awards $1.8 million grant

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Tiny pests can spell big quality and financial problems for everyone from the farmer who harvests grain, to the mill where it’s processed, to the consumer who stores flour in the pantry, but Kansas State University scientists and other researchers have been working to prevent such problems. And now, thanks to a $1.8 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, that work will continue, said Sonny Ramaswamy, head of K-State’s Department of Entomology.

Spurred by industry and government efforts to reduce the incidence of pesticides in the United States, the funding allows the continuation of a project that began in 2000, which studies insects in corn, wheat and rice. The first phase of the research was funded by a USDA grant of just over $2.0 million.

“In round one, from 2000 to 2005, we studied the individual components of the supply chain, including the trucks transporting grain out of farm fields, local elevators, rail cars, grain processing facilities, distribution centers, retail outlets and consumers’ homes,” Ramaswamy said. “In round two, we want to put it all together as packages.”

“Every step of the way through the transportation, processing and distribution process you have the opportunity to bring (pests) into the grain or the grain-based product,” said Ramaswamy, who is the lead researcher on the project. Others involved include Bhadriraju (Subi) Subramanyam of K-State’s Department of Grain Science, Frank Arthur in the USDA Grain Marketing Lab, Tom Phillips at Oklahoma State University and Dirk Maier at Purdue University, as well as a number of other researchers and students.

“In the end, this will benefit consumers,” Ramaswamy said.

Part of the team’s mission is to determine “thresholds” or levels of acceptable versus non-acceptable numbers of insects in a particular amount of grain and how grain or grain products should be treated if the thresholds are crossed, he said.

“If we have one insect in one million tons of grain, what does that mean? Is that acceptable or unacceptable?” Ramaswamy said. “We’re trying to establish thresholds. Obviously there are thresholds above which you must take action. If indeed, it’s (infestation) above the action threshold, what sort of action do you take?”

Researchers studied that issue in the first round of research by comparing such control methods as new insecticide chemistries, fumigation, controlled atmosphere and temperature modification, use of natural enemies, other non-insecticidal methods, and various integrated pest management (IPM) methods.

The new funding will take the researchers through four more years of study. In the first year, they expect to identify insect control methods in systems from farms to consumers’ tables, and to identify chemical, biological and physical hazards along the farm-to-table marketing chain.

In year two, the scientists will implement plans laid out in the first year, particularly the integrated systems approaches. In addition, they will continue to discover effective approaches to IPM, particularly at field scales.

In the third year, Ramaswamy said, the researchers will develop training procedures for end users, including grain producers, elevator managers, grain processors, retailers and extension agents and specialists, using the prevention, monitoring, sampling and suppression (PMSS) approach to managing pest problems. Also during this time, the team will continue the testing of insect management methods and will assess the economic costs and benefits of the management methods being developed. At this point they will also update extension bulletins and web sites, and give presentations on findings discovered during the first two years of the study.

In the fourth year, the researchers will assess training procedures, refine the approaches used and develop modules and bulletins through which training will occur. They also intend to integrate components into insect management packages and to assess and validate the effective PMSS strategies from years one through three. The team will also assess the economic costs and benefits of the management strategies created during the research project.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Mary Lou Peter-Blecha
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News