Resources for Farmer-to-Farmer Workshop
Bodles Research Station, Old Harbour, St. Catherine, Jamaica
March 19-25, 2023
Introduction
The Plant Protection Diagnostic Laboratories operates under the Plant Protection Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MOAF), with research and diagnostic activities being done at Bodles Research Station in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, Jamaica. The Unit comprises three main diagnostic laboratories, namely Entomology, Nematology, and Plant Pathology.
The mandate is to mitigate against crop pests that threaten agricultural production and help to safeguard the nation’s food security. Accurate and timely diagnosis is critical to achieving this mandate. The Laboratories not only work with endemic pests but also collaborates with other divisions within MOAF such as Plant Quarantine/Produce Inspection (PQ/PI) and Rural Agricultural Division Authority (RADA) among other institutions to mitigate the risk of invasive pest species to Jamaica’s agricultural and ornamental subsectors.
Three major programs of the Plant Protection Diagnostic Laboratories are:
a. Diagnostic and Advisory Services: Identification of plant pests and making recommendations based on good agricultural practices for management.
b. Pest Surveillance: Collection and recording of data on pests of concern.
c. Pest Research: Investigation into pest biology and management strategies
Main Crops: Pumpkin, Breadfruit, Sorrel, Pepper (Scotch bonnet, WI Red), Yam (Sweet, R/L, Yellow), Sweet potato, Soursop, Sweet sop, Mango, Dasheen, Scallion, Onion, Thyme, Cocoa, Banana, Sugarcane, Guinep, Ginger, Tumeric, Avocado.
Main Pests:
- Hemiptera (Heteroptera, Homoptera): Mealybugs, aphids, stink bugs, whitefly, scale insects, leafhoppers;
- Lepidoptera (larvae): Fall armyworm, beet armyworm, corn earworm, melon worm etc.;
- Coleoptera: Families like; Curculionidae, Bostricidae,, Cerambycidae, Scolytidae, Chrysomelidae, Scarabaeidae, Buprestidae, Staphylinidae;
- Thysanoptera: Thrips palmi, Frankliniella spp. Other thrips of economic importance:
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Diptera: Fruit fly, leaf miner, fungus gnat.
Workshop Resources
Pre-Workshop Materials
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Syllabus and Schedule (PDF)
Entomology Handouts and Videos
- Biology, Taxonomy and Identification
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Collecting and Preserving
- Collecting Insects and Related Arthropods (OSU)
- Essential Materials for storing and displaying insects (OSU)
- Preserving Insects and Related Arthropods (OSU)
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Collecting Insects: tools and supplies (Video, OSU)
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Collecting insects with traps and lights (Video, OSU)
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Using a beat sheet (Video, OSU)
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Sweep net technique (Video, OSU)
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Pinning small insects (Video, OSU)
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Pinning large insects (Video, OSU)
- Pest Management
Invasive Species Handouts
- Impacts on Agricultural Production, Natural Resources, and the Environment (Council of Ag Science and Tech 2022)
- Learn about Invasive Species (Invasive Species Centre, Canada)
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What are Invasive Species? (USDA Nat. Invasive Species Information Center)
Plant Pathology Handouts
- Basics (Cornell)
- Basic Concepts of Plant diseases and How to Collect a Sample for Disease Diagnosis (FDACS)
- Diagnosing a Plant Problem (Penn State Extension)
- Disease Progress (APS)
- Disease Scouting (Govt of Saskatchewan)
- Introduction to Plant Pathology (Iowa State)
- Management of Plant Pathogen Collections (Australian Gov. Dept. of Agriculture)
- Mathematical Modeling (APS)
- Modelling Disease Progress (APS)
- Monitoring diseases in the field (Video, OSU)
- Plant Disease Epidemiology: Temporal Aspects (APS)
- Plant Disease Management Strategies (APS)
- Webidemics Epidemic Simulator (Univ. of Cambridge)
- Optimising and Communicating Options for the Control of Invasive Plant Disease When There Is Epidemiological Uncertainty (PLoS)
Molecular Techniques
- Instagene Matrix Sample Preperation (.docx)
- Agarose Gel Electrophresis (.docx)
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ITS and 16S PCR Protocols (.xlsx)
Data Analysis
- Methods for Collecting Plant Disease Data (Plant Health Exchange)
- Statistics for On-farm Research (Plant Health Exchange)
Outreach and Engagement
Post-On-Site Visit
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Creating IPM Programs: Slideshow (PDF)
Presenters
Silvia Rondon, PhD (she/her)
Silvia Rondon is the Oregon IPM Center Director, and a Professor and Extension Entomology Specialist at Oregon State University affiliated to the Department of Crop & Soil Sciences. She received her BA and MS in Entomology from the Agraria University in Lima, Perú, and PhD in Crop Sciences with a major in Entomology and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2002, she worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Florida Horticulture Department. In Sept-2005, she joined Oregon State University. Her area of expertise is IPM with an emphasis in insect ecology, insect distribution, population dynamics, insect-plant interactions, biological control, insect-plant pathogens interactions, and chemical control. Her academic record can be found here.
Dr. Surendra Dara
Dr. Surendra Dara is an entomologist with more than 25 years of experience in IPM and microbial control. He worked on numerous invasive and endemic species of arthropods and plant pathogens. Dr. Dara has a strong research and extension background working on irrigation, nutrient, and pest management issues, biostimulants, and biological soil amendments to develop sustainable agricultural solutions. His research and extension covered commodities such as alfalfa, cassava, cotton, small fruits, and vegetables serving agricultural communities locally, regionally, and internationally.
Dr. Jeremiah Dung
Dr. Jeremiah Dung is an Associate Professor at Oregon State University (OSU) in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Interim Director at the Central Oregon Agricultural Research and Extension Center (COAREC) in Madras, OR. Before arriving at COAREC, Dr. Dung earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology at Washington State University and was a postdoctoral scholar at the OSU Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Dr. Dung’s current research focuses on the epidemiology, population biology, and integrated disease management of plant diseases affecting seed and specialty crops in central Oregon.
