IPM Award Nomination 1 James Cuda Cover Page 2017 James P. Cuda, Ph.D. Professor and Fulbright Scholar Charles Steinmetz Hall UF/IFAS Entomology & Nematology Dept. Bldg. 970, Natural Area Drive PO Box 110620 Gainesville, FL 32611-0620 (352) 273-3921 [email protected] IPM Award Nomination 2 James Cuda College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Steinmetz Hall, Bldg. 970 Entomology and Nematology Department 1881 Natural Area Drive P.O Box 110620 Gainesville, FL 32611-0620 352-273-3901 352-392-0190 Fax January 24, 2017 Southeastern Branch of the ESA Awards Committee Dear Committee: Although I have only recently joined the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida, I have quickly come to learn of Dr. Jim Cuda’s accomplishments and passion for research and education in in biocontrol and integrated pest management. As a consequence, I have decided to nominate him for the ESA SEB Recognition Award in IPM and believe he is deserving of your strongest consideration. Jim has developed an internationally recognized program in biocontrol of invasive weeds and has become a globally recognized authority in identifying and evaluating potential biocontrol agents of invasive weeds. He has made significant contributions to the successful management of important invasive weed species in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. He also has made important discoveries in understanding the attributes of successful introduction of exotic biocontrol agents in a manner that successfully mitigates the invasion without disruption of native species. Information from this work has been critical to the management of important invasive plant species such as the tropical soda apple. He has recently identified an integrated approach to management of the important aquatic weed, Hydrilla verticllata that combines integrating different low risk control tactics including insect herbivory, a native pathogen and newly developed herbicide, effective control of hydrilla can be achieved. More importantly, combinations of a diversity of tactics in an IPM approach will lengthen the useful life of our valuable yet limited number of aquatic herbicides. More recently, he has taken a leadership role in revision of the interagency management plan for Brazilian Peppertree in which an IPM section was included for the first time. In this plan, the interaction of natural ecological processes such as selective herbivory and plant parasitism as well as allelopathy and plant competition could be used in conjunction with conventional control practices to effectively restore sensitive natural areas. Importantly, he has recently been recognized as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled multiple times to Brazil to continue his research on biocontrol of this important weed species. Dr. Cuda has published over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has received nearly $2 million in external research funding from state and federal funding agencies since 2004. I have also become aware of Jim’s contributions to our teaching and extension missions. In the annual offering of his course, “Consequences of Biological Invasions,” Jim has developed novel teaching methods for distance delivery of course materials and in contributing to one of the first on- line majors developed at the University of Florida. He actively mentors graduate students and sets IPM Award Nomination 3 James Cuda high standards for both his students and for himself, and I believe that the students respond positively to his mentoring style. His students and post-docs have gone on to important positions in our profession and it is clear that he is a talented and dedicated mentor. He has also shown an enduring commitment to undergraduate education and mentoring by employing students in his laboratory and instilling in them the excitement and joy of discovery that comes with learning to do research. Additional details of his accomplishments can be found in the supporting materials and letters that accompany this nomination. I believe strongly that Dr. Cuda deserves your strongest consideration for this important and prestigious award. Sincerely, Blair D. Siegfried Professor and Chairman The Foundation for The Gator Nation An Equal Opportunity Institution IPM Award Nomination 4 James Cuda Academic Record and Professional IPM Experience Dr. James P. Cuda is a Professor and Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Entomology & Nematology at the University of Florida. He grew up in Chicago Heights, IL and attended Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he obtained his BS (1973) and MS (1976) degrees in Zoology. He earned his Ph.D. in entomology at Texas A&M University in 1983, was a postdoc/research entomologist with the USDA in Texas and Montana from 1984-1993, and joined the University of Florida in 1994. He currently has a split appointment- 65 percent research, 25 percent extension, and 10 percent teaching. At UF, he is an affiliate faculty member for the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. His research involves the sustainable management of invasive weeds with a focus on biological control. Dr. Cuda has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has received nearly $2.5 million in external research funding from state and federal funding agencies over past 10 years. He has chaired 12 graduate student committees, served as a member or co-chair on an additional 7 committees, and has mentored 14 undergraduate honors students. He also developed/teaches an online course on biological invasions. RESEARCH • Classical biological control of invasive aquatic and terrestrial weeds. • Development of bio-based IPM practices for the aquatic weed hydrilla. EXTENSION • Demonstration and implementation of bio-based weed management strategies. • Develop IPM training materials for county faculty, Master Naturalists, general public. TEACHING • ENY 4162/6935, Consequences of Biological Invasions • ENY 6934, Biological Weed Control • Guest lecturer, IFAS graduate/undergraduate courses • Advising and mentoring graduate students IPM Award Nomination 5 James Cuda Statement of IPM Accomplishments Since its inception, numerous definitions have been proposed for the concept of Integrated Pest Management, or simply IPM. However, they all have a common theme: IPM is “. an ecologically based, environmentally conscious method that combines, or integrates, biological and nonbiological control techniques to suppress weeds, insects and diseases.” (Frisbee and Luna 1989)*. Biological control by natural enemies (predators, herbivores, parasitoids, and pathogens) should be the foundation of any IPM program because of its broad applicability to virtually all groups of pest organisms (Rosen et al. 1996)*. Throughout my professional career, I have worked tirelessly to promote biological control as the basis for IPM in my extension, teaching and research programs. In 2001, I was awarded a $93,949 grant from the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program titled, “Delivery of Biological Control Information and Technology in Florida”. This grant facilitated practical training in biological control and IPM as the preferred pest management strategy for conventional and organic growers, Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, and other pest consultants. It also provided critical resources to improve the knowledge base of Florida’s extension professionals through the development and implementation of in-service training programs/educational tools in biological control techniques and IPM protocols. For example, we developed two image galleries of Beneficial Arthropods (vol. 1-Predators, vol. 2-Parasitoids) to assist UF/IFAS county and state faculty in identifying natural enemies of Florida’s key pests. The grant also provided first year funding for IPM Florida (http://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu/index.shtml), which today serves as clearinghouse for a wealth of up-to-date information on biological control and IPM technologies. These technologies are needed to reduce the risk of environmental contamination, food poisoning, and human and animal illness resulting from the misuse of pesticides in Florida. ________ *Frisbee, R.E. and J.M. Luna. 1989. Integrated pest management systems: protecting profits and the environment. Farm Management: the 1989 Yearbook of Agriculture, p. 226. NAL Call No. 1Ag84y. Rosen, D., F.D. Bennett, and J.L. Capinera (eds.). 1996. Pest management in the subtropics integrated pest management- a Florida perspective. Andover, UK. IPM Award Nomination 6 James Cuda Earlier in my career at the University of Florida, I facilitated the screening of the leaf beetle Gratiana boliviana that eventually led to its release for classical biological control of tropical soda apple, Solanum viarum in Polk County, Florida, in August 2003. To date, more than 220,000 beetles have been released in 39 counties in Florida, three counties in Georgia, two counties in Alabama, and one county in Texas. The beetles, which established at all sites in central and south Florida, cause extensive defoliation (20-100%), and have spread from ~2 to 16 km/year from the initial release sites. High populations of G. boliviana provided effective control of tropical soda apple in 1-2 years post-release. Furthermore, non-target plants growing in close proximity to tropical soda apple have not been attacked by the beetle post-release. The leaf beetle was incorporated into a successful IPM program for tropical soda apple. Although the economic impact