The moth's larvae are among the worst pests for the $9.5 billion U.S. floriculture and nursery crop industry.
Research is underway to combat one of the most damaging pest insects for the multi-billion-dollar U.S. floriculture and nursery crop industry – the European pepper moth. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is leading the work.
Mengmeng Gu, AgriLife Extension specialist and professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, and co-principal investigator Steven Frank, entomologist and plant pathologist at North Carolina State University, will conduct the study at locations in both states.
The three-year study is funded by a $325,000 grant from the Crop Protection and Pest Management program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The study’s purpose is to improve integrated pest management strategies and provide data that can be used to decrease economic losses from the pest in commercial nursery and greenhouse settings.
Continue reading at Texas A&M University
Image via Texas A&M University
