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EPA Awards Over $49,000 to the LSU AgCenter to Document Expansion of the Invasive Mexican Rice Borer

Release Date: 08/13/2012
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Jennah Durant at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

DALLAS – August 13, 2012) The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, known as the LSU AgCenter, $49,956 to develop an electronic reporting and mapping system to document the expansion of the invasive Mexican rice borer. The project will advance the adoption of integrated pest management tactics for the Mexican rice borer in Louisiana by tracking the movement of the pest into new regions and avoid unnecessary use of insecticides in non-infested regions. In addition, the impact on public health and the environment will be measured by tracking the use of insecticides in rice and sugarcane crops. The Mexican rice borer was first discovered in Louisiana in 2008 and is a devastating pest of sugarcane and a serious pest of rice.

Integrated pest management is a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks.

IPMLouisiana is the integrated pest management program of the LSU AgCenter. It is a comprehensive pest management program involving elements of plant pathology, entomology and weed science. The LSU AgCenter is one of 11 institutions within the Louisiana State University System, and its mission is to provide the people of Louisiana with research-based educational information that will improve their lives and economic well-being.

Additional Information on EPA grants is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/gandf/index.htm

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html