NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES ARE BEING SCRUTINIZED FOR THEIR ADVERSE EFFECTS ON NON-TARGET ORGANISMSSUCH AS POLLINATORS AND FOR THEIR IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY, AS THESE COMPOUNDS, OFTEN COATED ONSEEDS, CAN LEACH THROUGH SOILS AND ENTER FRESHWATERS. IN THIS PROJECT, A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM WILLCONDUCT GREENHOUSE AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS TO DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, USING COVER CROPSAND VEGETATED BUFFERS, TO REDUCE NEONICOTINOID MIGRATION INTO SURROUNDING ECOSYSTEMS ANDIMPROVE POLLINATOR HABITAT. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT VEGETATED BUFFER STRIPS AND COVER CROPSWILL REDUCE NEONICOTINOID MOBILITY IN SURFACE RUNOFF AND SUBSURFACE SOIL WATER, BUT USING CERTAINFLOWERING PLANTS MAY CREATE A POTENTIAL NEONICOTINOID EXPOSURE PATHWAY FOR POLLINATORS (I.E., ANECOLOGICAL TRAP). THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE: NUMERICAL MODELS OF NEONICOTINOID TRANSPORT,ENHANCED STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING NEONICOTINOID LEACHING, AND INFORMED MANAGEMENTRECOMMENDATIONS, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES, POLICY MAKERS,PRODUCERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.THIS RESEARCH FULFILLS THE MISSION OF THE BNRE PROGRAM TO "PROMOTE, IMPROVE, AND MAINTAINHEALTHY AGROECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR UNDERLYING NATURAL RESOURCES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE SUSTAINEDLONG-TERM PRODUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL GOODS AND SERVICES." SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT 1) IMPROVESAGROECOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO MANAGE WORKING LANDS FOR INCREASED HEALTH, RESILIENCE ANDPRODUCTIVITY BY EVALUATING THE ABILITY OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO REDUCE PESTICIDE EXPORT ANDIMPROVE POLLINATOR HABITAT, AND 2) REDUCES THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF WORKING LANDS BYREDUCING PESTICIDE MIGRATION INTO SURROUNDING ECOSYSTEMS. GIVEN THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OFNEONICOTINOIDS ON BOTH NON-TARGET ORGANISMS AND WATER QUALITY, THESE IMPROVED MANAGEMENTPRACTICES WILL PROVIDE WIDESPREAD BENEFITS.