Friends of IPM Awards
The mission of the Southern IPM Center is to champion the development and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM), the science of managing pests while protecting people, the environment and economy. Each Regional Center engages broadly with stakeholders to identify and address regional pest priorities in agriculture, communities and natural areas.
Since 2003, the Southern IPM Center (SIPMC) has worked with USDA, Land Grant universities, Extension, and many other partners in promoting and facilitating the development and implementation of IPM in many settings across the region.
Many of these partners have contributed to the region’s well-being for years or even decades.
Hall of Fame
The Southern IPM Hall of Fame award recognizes individuals who have contributed to any important aspect of Southern IPM over many years with documented history of career achievements in IPM.
Along with authorship of educational materials, research papers, manuals, books, and presentations of IPM material, Hall of Fame award candidates have greatly impacted IPM in the Southern region over the lifetime of their career.
At the time Dr. Timothy Brenneman received this honor, it was known as the Southern IPM Lifetime Achievement Award. The award has since been renamed the Southern IPM Hall of Fame Award and continues to recognize individuals whose careers have had a lasting impact on integrated pest management.
Timothy Brenneman, University of Georgia
Written by Abbey Stewart
Dr. Timothy Brennan is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia, Tifton Campus. He specializes in plant disease management and applied epidemiology. Although his research program is relatively broad, it is mission-oriented and focused on real issues that growers encounter while producing peanuts in the southeast. Specifically, Dr. Brenneman uses an integrated approach to improve disease management for peanut and pecan growers.
One major emphasis of his research program is cooperation with peanut breeders to develop cultivars with genetic resistance to economically important pathogens. He has characterized resistance levels to Sclerotium rolfsii (white mold), Rhizoctonia solani (limb rot), and Cylindrocladium parasiticum (Cylindrocladium black rot or CBR) in numerous cultivars and breeding lines from several breeding programs, and has worked on utilizing the resistance to S. rolfsii in cultivars such as Georgia-12Y to minimize direct losses and cost of control. In addition, Dr. Brenneman discovered pecan truffles (Tuber lyonii), an edible species of subterranean fungus, in Georgia, and has been a leader in developing truffles as a new agricultural product.
Much of Dr. Brenneman’s research focuses on better understanding the effects of cultural practices on disease development and on how best to utilize disease-suppressive practices. Early in his career, he initiated long-term studies documenting the benefits of rotating peanuts with a grass crop to reduce foliar and soilborne diseases. This was foundational to further studies in Florida, developing an integrated cropping system around bahia grass to improve soil health and farm profitability. When the Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) threatened to end peanut production in Georgia, he was involved in efforts leading to wholesale changes in production practices, including the adoption of twin-row planting.
Dr. Brenneman’s insights and research findings played a critical role in developing the Fungal Disease Risk Index for peanuts. He also helped merge that index with the Tomato Spotted Wilt Risk Index into “Peanut Rx.” The “Peanut Rx” index is a tool that helps growers optimize fungicide inputs based on risk to multiple diseases. Dr. Brenneman continually provides information and insight that allows the index to be improved or expanded. Using the “Peanut Rx” index can reduce fungicide applications by 30% or more in some fields.
Through a prolific publication record, Dr. Brenneman has contributed extensively to the advancement of integrated pest management research. He has authored more than 140 refereed journal articles and book chapters, and over 270 abstracts or proceedings. In addition, Dr. Brenneman has significantly influenced graduate student training, mentoring 18 students and postdocs throughout his career. His past students continue to impact IPM, and many hold important positions as research scientists and administrators in academia and industry.
Dr. Brenneman’s research program has earned widespread recognition, as evidenced by numerous awards and honors from professional societies, grower groups, and industry organizations. Dr. Brenneman was awarded the Fellow award and the Wallace K. Bailey Award for best presentation by the American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES). He has also received the DowAgrosciences Award for Excellence in Research, the Southeastern Pecan Growers Excellence in Research Award, and the Georgia Peanut Commission Excellence in Research Award.
Through decades of impactful research, mentorship, and service, Dr. Brenneman has advanced the science and practice of IPM while improving outcomes for growers, making him a highly deserving recipient of this honor.