The Nansen lab at UC Davis (Website: http://chrnansen.wix.com/nansen2) is collaborating closely with IR4 and a wide range of industry partners on “performance evaluations” of pesticides applied to ornamental plants. Pesticide performance often focuses on ability to suppress a given arthropod pest but may also involve other performance aspects, such as, phytotoxicity and/or effects on plant vigor. Traditionally, such performance evaluations may be viewed as ”simple industry trials” which are associated with few to no academic and experimental challenges. The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate ways that innovative optical sensing technology, a robotic rail imaging system, can be integrated and used successfully in such performance evaluations. And there are ample opportunities to add experimental aspects to such industry trials and thereby address fundamental behavioral, ecological or evolutionary questions or paradigms. That is, an otherwise “simple industry trial” can be enriched and used as foundation for both advanced experimental research and to develop and test innovative technologies. We will also highlight and discuss how involvement with IR4 and industry partners provides valuable career training of students, and how performance evaluations can be integrated into the teaching curriculum of a course on arthropod pest management.
