The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a USD6m grant to a research team headed by professor Zsofia Szendrei of MSU’s Department of Entomology to investigate insect pest management techniques for American potato production systems. Instead of employing neonicotinoids, the group will look into other management strategies.

Joining Szendrei from MSU are Dave Douches, a professor in MSU’s Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, and Steve Whittington, a field crops educator with MSU Extension.

Talks with producers and representatives of the potato sector sparked this award since they pointed out how important it would be to have a project like this in 2020.

As a component of the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), the initiative is financed by the USDA and aims to assess alternate potato pest-control methods through cooperation amongst various institutions and agencies nationwide.

Over time, the problems related to neonicotinoids have gotten worse. A more thorough investigation into pest management is required, even if there is some information available on substitute pest management strategies that do not include the use of neonicotinoids in potatoes. The team’s inclusion of researchers at the forefront of potato study in the United States excites Szendrei.

“Our team includes an outstanding group of experts who’ll together make significant progress compared to some of the existing smaller efforts without substantial funding,” Szendrei said.

The group, which includes extension experts, social scientists, entomologists, and potato breeders, will use a variety of methodologies to study the transition away from neonicotinoids, with short- and long-term objectives.

Entomologists will try insecticides without neonicotinoids shortly. While some are experimental, others have already been registered and given the go-ahead for use. According to Szendrei, the goal is to develop pest-management strategies that benefit the environment and non-target creatures.

“We’ll test different tiers of insecticide programs that rank in how friendly they are to beneficial insects and how effectively they control key pests. It’s like a menu of different pesticides that are put together into a season-long control program,” Szendrei added.

Targeting pest issues unique to specific U.S. potato-growing regions will be made possible by the team’s ability to work in multiple states. Long-term objectives include figuring out what obstacles the industry may face in implementing a system free of neonicotinoids and how the switch from these chemicals will affect the potato sector.

Additionally, scientists will produce an interactive map that farmers can use to predict when crops could be attacked by pests. Washington apples have been mapped similarly. The map will be expanded to include potatoes and made available to states outside of Washington, possibly the entire US, with support from the USDA. According to Szendrei, this kind of technology will increase the efficacy of the insecticide programs she and other researchers will be creating since it will provide growers with more advanced notice of the best times and kinds of insecticides to apply.

Additionally, Douches will develop and test different varieties of potatoes that are resistant to insects.

“If you can breed plants that – to some extent – can withstand or resist attacks by pests, that’s your first level of defense,” Szendrei declared.

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that have been commonly used in agriculture since the 1990s. Neonicotinoid insecticides are commonly applied at planting. Plants absorb the chemicals through their roots and distribute them within themselves as they grow. As a result, insects feeding on the plants encounter the chemicals and die. However, several factors have jeopardized the future use of these chemicals.

Neonicotinoids can cause insect resistance, rendering them ineffective against pests that prey on plants. Their toxicity can also affect other beneficial creatures like pollinators and even harmless fish and amphibians.

To protect pollinators and the ecosystem, certain companies and food stores have discontinued carrying items grown with neonicotinoids.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put forth a proposal for an interim decision in January 2020 that looks into further restrictions and safety precautions for using the chemicals. The EPA is now investigating the best ways to apply neonicotinoid insecticides to avoid unintentionally harming nontarget creatures, even though a decision has not yet been made.

Some states in the U.S. have restricted the use of neonicotinoids for recreational purposes. Globally, the European Union has banned them, and Canada has limited their use.

The grant provides funding for at least three years, with the chance for additional USDA funds to be added at a later date. Szendrei said she’s looking forward to continuing working with growers and providing them with info and strategies that emanate from the team’s research.