Two researchers at Oklahoma State University will be helping develop more effective pest management approaches with a nearly $100,000 grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). 

Dr. Kristen Baum, associate professor of zoology, and Dr. Kris Giles, professor of entomology and plant pathology, were awarded the grant for a project titled “The Interaction of Pollinators and Pest Management Strategies in Increasing Production in a Field Generation Biofuel Crop.” The project was one of three to receive funding out a field of 29 applications that were independently peer reviewed and ranked.

“We are honored and excited to receive an OCAST grant and conduct research that will contribute to the sustainability of agricultural production and conservation of pollinators in the region,” Baum said.

The project will evaluate the effect of insecticide applications in winter canola fields on native bees, winter canola seed set and field-level production. The results are expected to help develop approaches to pest management that consider both the conservation of pollinators and control of insect pests.

The researchers were awarded the grant through OCAST’s Oklahoma Plant Science Research, which is a basic research program designed to:

• Improve the competitiveness of Oklahoma’s plant researchers in securing federal grants and contracts
• Help researchers gain the expertise and gather research data to support funding opportunities for larger research projects
• Encourage collaborative efforts to support applied plant research projects
• Support R&D necessary to move plant science research to commercialization