Tech Talk: Toxic Slugs Chart a Path Back to Integrated Pest Management with Dr. John Tooker

The Agriculture and Food Technologies Research Cluster at the University of Memphis welcomed researcher & noted subject matter expert, Dr. John Tooker, professor of Entomology at Penn State University to speak to industry leaders and UofM faculty on his research into Integrated Pest Management.

Conservation-based agriculture is being heavily adopted in certain regions of the United States to help reduce erosion and provide other benefits. No-till farming and diverse rotations that include cover crops are the primary ingredients in current interests in conservation agriculture. Unfortunately, many farmers are inadvertently handicapping their production systems by overusing pesticides, particularly insecticides. The work in Pennsylvania by Dr. Tooker's team (with some of the most challenging pests of no-till fields) revealed that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a key component to maximizing the production of these conservation-based systems. Unexpectedly, slugs have provided a key insight that is encouraging wider spread adoption of IPM and improving the conservation capacity of no-till farming.

Join the FedEx Institute of Technology as we take a fascinating deep dive into Dr. Tooker's research expertise.