About UC IPM

UC IPM Programs

UC IPM supports research and extension programs in integrated pest management (IPM).  UC Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists adapt research for practical application and Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists develop and deliver IPM programs to a variety of clientele, including professional pest managers, growers, residents, and agencies. UC IPM staff work with UC ANR scientists to develop "how-to" materials that help the clientele carry out programs in the field.

UC IPM develops and promotes IPM programs for:

• Agriculture 
• Urban and community audiences
• Natural systems

Our activities include:

• Support of research projects
• Development and delivery of extension programs
• Development of outreach materials

Research projects
The IPM Competitive Grants Program, funded by UC IPM, solicits proposals in six research areas: biological controls, biorational use of chemicals and biotic agents, cultural controls, decision support, applied field ecology, and air and water quality.  Since 1980, the program has supported 451 projects. 

Since 2001, UC IPM has administered the UC Exotic/Invasive Pests and Diseases Research Program, funded by USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.  More than 100 projects have been supported on a wide variety of pests affecting agricultural, natural, and urban environments.

Extension programs
Cooperative Extension IPM advisors and specialists form UC IPM's extension component. They carry out adaptive research, package IPM methods into useful strategies, develop outreach materials, and deliver the information either to end users or to professionals such as county-based farm advisors or master gardeners who deliver to end users. The major focus is to develop, adapt, and implement strategies that are already available or are being developed in cooperation with other UC scientists.

Currently, UC IPM employs one CE specialist and eight full-time IPM advisors, and three farm advisors are affiliated with the program. More than half of the advisors are posted individually in county CE offices throughout the state, and a coordinated, interdisciplinary cluster of four are located at UC's Kearney Agricultural Center near Fresno.  The extension specialist is located on the UC Davis campus.

Outreach materials
To complement the extension programs, UC IPM staff members coordinate a variety of materials that explain how to carry out pest management tactics and strategies.  Working with UC ANR experts, program staff produce and maintain an extensive array of print and Web-based publications, databases, and interactive tools for decision making.

Examples are the Pest Management Guidelines and Pest Notes series, a home and landscape database of pest solutions for residential audiences, IPM manuals for specific crops, books about IPM in landscapes and gardens, a variety of books on pesticide safety, and an extensive weather database that supports interactive pest models.

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