Pests in IL High Tunnels
We are finishing up our field work to better understand the impacts of insect pests in high tunnel specialty crops production. We recognize that there is extraordinarily little available in the way of research-backed recommendations regarding what insect pests you can expect to experience on your high tunnel crops, how the environment in which you are growing and the crops that you are producing can impact these pest dynamics and what are the most effective and economically feasible management strategies. Our ultimate goal is to develop management recommendations for insect pests in high tunnel cropping systems that increase the sustainability of our local food supply.
Our team includes researchers and extension professionals from Purdue University, the University of Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire. We are doing on-farm research and are assessing pest populations, measuring the ambient conditions, and releasing natural enemies for pest suppression.
Kacie Athey (217-244-9916; kathey@illinois.edu)