Guarding Alabama’s Crops

The greenhouse and nursery industry is one of the fastest-growing segments in Alabama agriculture. Keeping damaging pests away from these precious crops, and other important commodities such as cotton and soybeans, is serious business. That’s where Alabama’s Plant Protection and Pesticide Management division comes in.

“There are many invasive species that could devastate trees and crops that are a huge contributor to Alabama’s economy,” says Tony Cofer, program director of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) Plant Protection and Pesticide Management division. “We work to help prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests, invasive species and plant disease.”

Cofer says that among the many threats to Alabama’s plants, the most severe is Sudden Oak Death, a disease caused by the plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. The damaging disease kills oak trees and other species, and has already wreaked havoc on oaks in some western states. The pest can only be controlled by early detection and disposal of infected plant material.

Another troublesome pest threatening the state is the Emerald Ash Borer. The Asian green beetle spends most of its life cycle within the tree, making it hard to identify. Cofer says Alabama has already established an aggressive surveillance program to destroy this pest before it gets out of hand.

The Plant Protection and Pesticide Management division does its best to keep an eye out for new and developing invasive species, but if farmers find themselves with a pest problem, the ADAI works with them to get chemical pesticides in place to save the crop.

“We can declare an emergency to get the registered pesticides,” Cofer says. “We can address it very quickly.”

For the ADAI, surveillance is key. “There’s always something new to address and resources are limited,” Cofer says. “We keep surveillance on pests that could potentially become a problem.”