Sean Schoville, professor of entomology, received USDA-NIFA funding for his project Spatiotemporal modeling for precision pest management of insecticide resistance through AFRI’s Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program. It was among 16 projects sharing $10.7 million in funding.

Project summary (from CRIS site): Pesticide resistance remains a major concern for the global food supply, as pests cause considerable damage to crops if they are not managed effectively. Current resistance management models continue to fail to control or delay pesticide resistance. New precision tools are needed to improve predictions about the emergence of pesticide resistance phenotypes across entire growing regions. Specifically, predictive statistical tools are needed to model how pesticide resistance develops within and among pest populations, to predict how resistance can spread geographically, and to leverage ongoing monitoring data to refine management practices. The purpose of this project is to develop statistical tools and predictions of pesticide resistance evolution that can be used to generate a landscape level “risk-map” of resistance trait variation. This would benefit producers by targeting management towards key populations that have a high likelihood of resistance evolution. This project leverages a unique spatiotemporal dataset, comprising abundance, genomic, and environmental data, to make these predictions for the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. The results would directly address USDA program priorities in the area of “Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems”to use molecular genetics to predict and manage insect pest outbreaks, as well as to investigate mechanisms of pest resistance to pesticides. Additionally, the project addresses the 2018 Farm Bill priorities to develop advanced technologies and improve crop health and production globally by reducing insect damage. The impact of this work provides a means to mitigate resistance, ensure food security, and increase agricultural sustainability.