Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research
Project Number: 3020-30400-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jan 5, 2026
End Date: Jan 4, 2031
Objective:
Objective 1: Understand how environmental stresses impact insect physiology and effectiveness of common pest management strategies.
Sub-objective 1.A: Assess microbial vectoring capacity of stored product insects and identify factors influencing vectoring capacity.
Sub-objective 1.B: Determine mechanisms that enable stored product insects to tolerate stresses such as exposures to insecticides.
Objective 2: Develop environmental resilient methods for preventing and managing infestations and responding to outbreaks of stored product insects in the post-harvest supply chain.
Sub-objective 2.A: Impacts of temperature extremes on fitness and insecticide resistance. Sub-objective 2.B: Assessing how temperature modulates behavioral responses to inter- and intraspecific cues and behaviorally-based management tactics.
Sub-objective 2.C: Effective use of treatments in bulk grain storage and reduced risk tactics for integrated pest management.
Objective 3: Enhance stored product insect monitoring programs by improving detection, identification, and risk forecasting at local, regional, and national scales.
Sub-objective 3.A: Forecasting insect emergence and insect migration using population genetics.
Sub-objective 3.B: Develop new molecular diagnostic assays for increased accuracy in monitoring phosphine resistance in stored product insects.
Sub-objective 3.C: Development of new detection systems for stored product insect pest monitoring using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Approach:
Post-harvest losses of grain and grain-based products due to stored product insects and costs associated with preventing infestations can be in the billions of dollars. Protecting post-harvest commodities in sustainable ways will help to feed the growing world population, especially in the face of increasing environmental pressures. To address these challenges, we must continue to develop innovative and resilient technologies to detect insects prior to infestation and to remediate insect infestations in early stages to mitigate post-harvest losses. We must also optimize the efficacy of management strategies under the full range of environmental conditions that are encountered in the post-harvest supply chain. Our project goal is to protect agricultural investments post-harvest and ensure safe and nutritious food for animals and humans. Our proposed research balances basic, applied, and innovative research for a holistic approach to pest management by harnessing the biology and ecology of the insects themselves as well as the storage ecosystems. We propose using advanced technologies to better protect grains from destruction and invasion by dangerous microbes, minimize insecticide resistance, better understand how insects exploit grain and grain-based products, and provide real-time monitoring tactics for targeted and timely treatments. The proposed research will provide decision-support tools and resources to protect stored grain throughout the post-harvest supply chain, aiding in saving life sustaining food resources both locally and around the world.