For the 2026 funding year, SIPMC received 31 proposals totaling $994,848 in requested funds. Of those, we funded nine projects, including five working groups, totaling $318,117. Disciplines, many interdisciplinary, range from Entomology, Human Health, Plant Pathology, Weed Science, and Wildlife. Contracting states include: AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, and SC, while 12 of the 15 southern states are represented when including cooperating states.
The following projects were funded by the Southern IPM Center’s 2026 Southern IPM grants. Click on each one to expand their summaries.
For more details about a project, visit the Grants Management System.
2026 Working Groups
PD: Dr. Muhammad Ahmed
Clemson University
Amount Funded: $40,000
Co-PDs: Dr. Tom Bilbo, Dr. Jeremy K. Greene, Dr. Francis P.F. Reay-Jones
The Two-Spot Cotton Leafhopper (TSCL), Amrasca biguttula, is an invasive pest recently detected in the southeastern United States. Native to the Indian subcontinent, TSCL feeds on cotton, okra, eggplant, hibiscus, and other crops, causing chlorosis, necrosis, defoliation, and yield loss, while threatening cotton production valued at more than $2 billion annually and posing risks to ornamental and vegetable sectors.
Objective 1 is to convene a one-day meeting of university, federal, and industry collaborators to finalize diagnostic templates, sampling protocols, and best management practices.
Objective 2 is to launch a practitioner-focused website, Stop2SCL.org, as a centralized hub for TSCL identification, sampling, and reporting.
PD: Dr. Rebecca Melanson
Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center
Mississippi State University
Amount Funded: $40,000
Co-PDs: Dr. Eddie Kyle Slusher, Dr. Apurba Barman, Dr. Young-Ki Jo, Dr. Jermaine Derrick Perier
Established and/or new/emerging pathogens (diseases) and arthropods (e.g., insects and mites) are constant pecan production threats throughout the pecan-producing regions of the United States. There is an ongoing need to evaluate and develop effective pecan pest management recommendations, including increasing the use of integrated pest management (IPM).
Problems will be addressed through the development of a Pecan IPM Working Group (PIPMWG, objective 1), the development and/or expansion of new and/or existing pecan pest management resources (objective 2), and increased opportunities for stakeholder education (objective 3).
PD: Dr. Geoffrey Williams
Auburn University
Amount Funded: $39,878
Co-PD: Dr. Stephanie R. Rogers
The primary purpose of this project is to refine a working group of researchers and extension specialists supported by a previous SIPMC Working Group grant. The group aims to develop and promote parasitic mite IPM targeting the leading threats to honey bee health in the Southern US: Varroa destructor, recognized as a priority by the SERA3 IPM group, and Tropilaelaps mercedesae, a pest with a high risk of introduction to the US.
Key objectives of the working group will be to: 1) validate predictions for winter broodless periods and optimal treatment timings in the Southern US, and 2) deliver Varroa and Tropilaelaps-based IPM education to our region’s stakeholders.
PD: Dr. Yoosook Lee
University of Florida – Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
Amount Funded: $40,000
Co-PDs: Dr. Bryan V. Giodano, Dr. Lindsay P. Campbell, Elmer W. Gray, Daniel F. Killingsworth, Dr. Julieanne Miranda-Bermudez, Dr. Claudia Riegel, Michael T. Riles
Since the inception of Mosquito BEACONS: Biodiversity Enhancement and Control of Non-native Species in 2020, the capacity of implementing an integrated pest management (IPM) approach for the monitoring and control of invasive mosquito species in the Southern Region has improved.
For Year 5 of this program, BEACONS will continue providing in-person and online training on invasive mosquito species management for pest management professionals in the southern region, focusing workshops on states that the Gulf South VECTOR does not cover such as Georgia and Puerto Rico. Workshops will be expanded to beginner level training where the knowledge level on mosquito identification among pest management professionals need to be elevated before advanced invasive mosquito surveillance training can take place. BEACONS will also provide mosquito biology education for K-12 students and the public to elicit public participation on mosquito breeding source reduction and new training resources for invasive mosquito identification will be built with a focus on building training resources including physical collections and photographic resources of invasive mosquitoes.
PD: Dr. Kiersten Fullem
University of Florida
Amount Funded: $39,671
Co-PD: Dr. Nicholas S. Dufault
This working group will unite peanut Extension experts, IPM personnel, and researchers from Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama to develop and implement a shared digital workflow for real-time collection, verification, and reporting of disease and pest issues. An Extension agent advisory panel representing multiple states will provide oversight to ensure that the system is practical and tailored to their needs. The group will work with Southern IPM Center Project Support Specialist and Co-Director Joe LaForest to develop and deploy an EDDMapS Pro framework for peanut IPM data collection, storage, and visualization.
2026 Seed Grants
PD: Dr. Apurba Barman
University of Georgia
Amount Funded: $29,465
Among the insect pests that chronically damage pecan crops, Prionus root borers are major root-feeding pests that can destroy older pecan trees by compromising their root systems. There are three species of Prionus root borers (Prionus imbricornis, P. laticollis, and P. pocularis) found in pecan across the southern US. Whereas, another species, P. californicus, is dominant in the western US, and is reported to cause serious damage to cherry, hop, and apple. In addition to pecan, Prionus root borers infest blueberry crops in North Carolina.
Prionus root borer larvae remain in the subsurface and feed on the root system, which compromises the stability and nutrient uptake of pecan trees. Therefore, trees become weak, unproductive and fall over following any wind or hurricane events.
Project objectives:
- To evaluate the effect of trap type and light wavelengths on capture rate of Prionus root borer
- To evaluate the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi on Prionus root borer under laboratory and field conditions
PD: Dr. Kelly Oten
North Carolina State University
Amount Funded: $29,164
The elm zigzag sawfly (EZS) is a rapidly spreading invasive insect that threatens elm trees across the United States and Canada. Since its first North American detection in 2020, EZS has expanded to at least 14 states and four provinces. Its larvae create distinctive “zigzag” feeding damage and through rapid reproduction and multiple generations, can defoliate entire trees within a growing season. This stress weakens trees and can lead to canopy dieback.
Working with a multi-state network of collaborators in the U.S. and Canada, this project tracks spring emergence in 2026 using yellow sticky traps. These observations will be paired with weather and degree-day data to create a model that accurately predicts when EZS adults emerge. Once validated, the model will be incorporated into an easy-to-use online tool that provides localized predictions and recommended pesticide application windows. This tool will be accessible to arborists, municipal foresters, nursery producers, Extension personnel, and landowners.
PD: Dr. Te Ming (Paul) Tseng
Mississippi State University
Amount Funded: $29,989
Co-PD: Dr. Shaun R. Broderick
This project will evaluate the combined use of overwinter tarping, biochar blends, and labeled herbicides as an integrated weed and disease management strategy in tomato production.
Project objectives include:
Evaluate the individual and combined effects of overwinter tarping and five biochar blends on early-season weeds, soil conditions, microbial activity, and tomato growth in field conditions.
Determine the compatibility of labeled herbicides (metribuzin, S-metolachlor, halosulfuron) with tarping and biochar, focusing on weed suppression, crop response, and southern blight development.
Integrate findings across tarping × biochar × herbicide combinations to identify practical IPM strategies and share results with tomato growers through field demonstrations and Extension materials.
2026 Capstone Grants
PD: Dr. Jim Walgenbach
North Carolina University
Amount Funded: $29,950
Western flower thrips (WFT) is a major pest of fruiting vegetable other specialty crops such as strawberry throughout the southeastern United States. Damage is the result of feeding and oviposition that causes scarring and gold fleck, and as a vector of tomato spotted wilt virus. In 2022, several growers in the Piedmont region of NC experienced crop losses of 50-75%, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable management solutions.
Project objectives:
- Assess the prevalence and spatial distribution of spinetoram resistance (G275E mutation) alleles in WFT populations in the southeastern US
- Conduct outreach and Extension activities to disseminate findings and recommendations to stakeholders