色虎视频

Suman Veeramasu, Ph.D., talks with urban growers about how biostimulants can support plant health.

This September, 色虎视频’s (LU) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program held a hands-on workshop for urban growers in the Saint Louis area. Led by Anitha Chitturi, Ph.D., state Extension specialist and assistant professor at LU, participants learned how to protect their crops while reducing their reliance on synthetic insecticides.

The IPM program helps growers produce healthy crops using sustainable, science-based pest management techniques designed to protect people and the environment. September’s workshop gave growers real experience identifying pests such as flea beetles, tomato fruitworms and harlequin bugs, along with beneficial insects helping to control pests naturally. Participants were particularly interested in managing pests without the use of insecticides.

The workshop was organized at the community’s request. , an organization providing urban farming and gardening resources in the Saint Louis area, reached out regarding a need for pest management education in their community, and LU’s Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program (ISFOP) specialists connected them with IPM. The workshop was a direct result of that collaboration, bringing practical training to a historically underserved area.

“Our IPM program is committed to responding to growers' requests and meeting them where they are, both in the topics we cover and in when and where we offer training,” Chitturi said.

The workshop was held from 4:30-6:30 p.m., allowing urban growers to work the event into their busy schedules. However, time is only one challenge facing small urban farmers and gardeners.

“These are urban growers with very limited space who are passionate about growing healthy vegetables and providing food for their community,” Chitturi said. “Urban growers have limited space, but they still want to grow their own food and support their communities, especially underserved communities with limited access to fresh vegetables.”

IPM field research assistant Sahil Redhu shows growers a hornworm covered in the white cocoons of a parasitic wasp, an example of beneficial insects controlling pests naturally.

The workshop covered plants like tomatoes, peppers, collard greens, watermelons, squash, cucumbers and onions. For soft-bodied pests such as thrips, aphids and whiteflies, participants learned how organic products, like insecticidal soaps, work best when applied early. Suman Veeramasu, Ph.D., assistant professor of plant biotechnology at LU, explained how biostimulants like humic acid and seaweed extracts, along with microbial fertilizers, can support stronger plants and higher-quality produce.

Participants also learned about helpful insects like spiders, lacewings and lady beetles. These insects prey on harmful pests and are likely to stay in a garden as long as growers spray only when the need arises, rather than on a routine schedule. IPM field research assistant Sahil Redhu assisted growers with pest identification.

“I hope they learned that pest management isn't only spraying,” Chitturi said. “IPM gives them a toolbox of options for managing pests and growing healthy crops.”

Anitha Chitturi, Ph.D., demonstrates how to set up a yellow sticky trap, a key monitoring tool helping growers spot pests such as whiteflies and thrips before populations build up.

Growers learned from each other as well, sharing what they had seen in their own gardens. That’s the kind of grassroots collaboration Chitturi hopes IPM workshops will continue to inspire.

“We want to keep building partnerships with rural farmers and with urban growers who are turning small plots into fresh, nutritious food for their local communities,” Chitturi said. “When a grower learns to protect their crops, the benefit doesn't stop at their garden. It reaches every family they feed. That is what inspires our work.”

Two upcoming IPM workshops on October 23 and 26 will help fruit and vegetable growers in Missouri’s bootheel incorporate sustainable pest management solutions. Contact Anitha Chitturi at chitturia@lincolnu.edu to learn about the IPM program’s ongoing work with Missouri small farmers.