By Alisa Boswell-Gore STILLWATER, Okla. – Sorghum producers discovered a new pest in their crops on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the summer of 2013. Less than a year later, the sorghum aphid (known at the time as the sugarcane aphid) decimated Oklahoma sorghum, causing more than a 40% reduction in grain yields and thousands of dollars in economic losses for farmers.Having no familiarity with the sorghum aphid, most producers didn’t realize how quickly the pests would multiply or what that multiplication would cost them. By the time many Oklahoma growers realized they had a problem, sugarcane aphid populations had reached numbers nearly impossible to control. All sorghum fields suffered that year. Some were lost altogether.Enter the Oklahoma State University Integrated Pest Management Team.The IPM OKLAHOMA! legacyFrom 2016 to 2021, the IPM OKLAHOMA! team addressed the aphid problem by screening for effective insecticides and host plant resistance while also developing economic thresholds and a rapid scouting tool. These research efforts have saved Oklahoma growers $6.2 to $14.4 million annually in lost grain yield.The applied in-field insecticide screening research resulted in the registration of three new insecticide active ingredients for controlling sugarcane aphids. Other research in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified several hybrids and numerous germplasm lines resistant to sorghum aphids.Researchers also learned that the adoption of resistant hybrids in combination with insecticides reduced yield losses. In-field research on aphid distribution led to the development of the Glance-N-Go sampling smartphone app, which to this day, reduces sampling time and saves growers from unnecessary insecticide applications.Through it all, Tom Royer was the highly respected captain of the IPM OKLAHOMA! ship. He joined OSU Extension in 1997, starting as the IPM program coordinator in 2006.“Dr. Royer opened up the IPM program to researchers in other areas, and it broadened the impact of the IPM program and brought it up to the level it’s at now,” said Justin Talley, head of the OSU Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. “His impact on IPM programming and how he leveraged IPM funds allowed other scientists to garner over $10 million in IPM funding. That means $4.17 from every $1 invested in the IPM program came back to the program.”Royer’s approach involved working with OSU Extension specialists in the OSU College of Education and Human Sciences to develop several programs related to IPM for homes and schools.“Royer has had a big impact on ...
