Subtropical Pest Management Laboratory
Integrated pest management solutions for key crops in South Texas and beyond
Mission
The Subtropical Pest Management Laboratory collaborates with fruit and vegetable industries to develop and disseminate ecological solutions for integrated pest management, IPM.
Our research works to understand behavioral and ecological factors that affect pest management in key fruits and vegetables.
Vision
Reduced grower reliance on pesticides, and protected environments and natural resources.
Lab capabilities and collaboration
Collaborations with the laboratory are available to researchers across The Texas A&M University System as well as fruit and vegetable industry leaders who wish to participate in our mission to improve integrated pest management. Lab capabilities include:
- Efficacy evaluations of insecticide, herbicide, fertilizer, and fungicide
- Precision active ingredient applications
- Wind tunnel bioassays
- Choice/no-choice testing
- Active ingredient plant toxicity and phytotoxicity evaluation
Research projects
The Subtropical Pest Management Laboratory currently focuses on two major areas of IPM — zebra chip disease monitoring and mitigation in potatoes, and chemical efficacy evaluations on insecticide, herbicide, fertilizer and fungicide ingredients.
Zebra chip monitoring program
Our research team has been involved in the Zebra Chip Monitoring Program with the aim of providing real-time potato psyllid population dynamics to regional growers and farmers for Zebra Chip control.
The program is a multi-state, multi-disciplinary team of scientists, economists, and extension specialists, and a 12-member advisory board of producers, processors and industry representatives that were assembled to address all aspects of Zebra Chip using an integrated, whole system approach.
The program was funded by a federal grant from USDA-NIFA-Specialty Crops Research Initiative. This program consisted of
Chemical trials
Our laboratory conducts efficacy evaluation experiments of current, improved and experimental active ingredients of insecticides sponsored by agrochemical companies. The experiments are conducted in the laboratory, greenhouse and field, in vegetables and row crops.
Contact us to work with the Subtropical Pest Management Laboratory in Weslaco.
