The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee recently released an appropriations bill that included $8 million for the facility in Phoenix, AZ that is currently being used to rear sterile navel orangeworm (NOW) for aerial release in California. The facility is part of an area-wide pilot program that the pistachio and almond industries have been interested in developing. For 2020, Congress appropriated $6 million to keep the facility open and start the pilot program. This year, APG led an effort to continue and increase that funding, which included a delegation trip back to Washington, D.C. right before COVID-19 forced much of the city to shut down. This additional $2 million will allow the pilot program to not only continue to conduct research on sterile moth releases, but also begin to expand the breadth of the research. With positive momentum in the House, APG will now turn to lobbying efforts in the U.S. Senate.
About the Facility
The Phoenix Sterile Fly Facility was originally commissioned by the cotton industry to raise sterile pink bollworm for area-wide releases in an effort to suppress the pest. The program was even more successful than planned and the cotton industry was recently able to declare pink bollworm eradicated. Now that the facility has excess capacity, pistachio industry leaders have begun breeding sterile NOW for aerial release in California. — By American Pistachio Growers
Tag: Navel Orangeworm Sterile Insect
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$8 Million for Navel Orangeworm Sterile Insect Program
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Sterile Insect Facility to Aid Growers with Navel Orangeworm Management
Researchers and growers are tackling the formidable tree nut pest Navel Orangeworm from all fronts. One method underway is in utilizing the same sterile insect technology and facility that eradicated pink bollworm from the cotton industry years ago. There have been some challenges in adapting the system for Navel Orangeworm, as shared by Bob Klein from the Pistachio Research Board; however there is great potential for this program to aid growers in managing this pest. Watch this brief interview with Bob and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.