Overwintering, Oviposition, and Larval Survival of Hunting Billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Implications for Adult Damage in North Carolina Turfgrass.

The hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus Chittenden, is one of the most widely recognized billbug turfgrass pests. Since 2000, damage to warm-season turfgrass caused by hunting bill bugs has increased and a need for information on hunting billbug biology is necessary for the development of management plans. Field and laboratory studies were conducted to collect data on overwintering, oviposition behavior, larval survival at various levels of soil moisture, and adult damage. Turfgrass samples from 'Tifway 419' bermudagrass(Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers x Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt Davy) on golf courses were collected to determine overwintering behavior, and 10 female adult billbugs were collected weekly to determine oviposition behavior.Survival of medium-sized larvae (head capsule width: 1.0 and 1.7 mm) was evaluated in containers with 20, 40,60, or 80% of the total pore space occupied by water. Zero, two, four, or six adult billbugs were placed in bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, or tall fescue containers and images were collected for 4 weeks to determine adult damage. We observed that hunting billbugs overwinter as adults and all larval sizes. Adults became active in March and began to oviposit, which continued through October. Larval mortality was lowest with 20% of the total pores pace occupied by water, while increases in moisture caused significant mortality. Adults caused a greater reduction in warm-season turfgrass cover than cool-season turfgrass cover. This research builds on the existing biological information for the hunting billbug biology in transition zones and will be pivotal in developing practical and sustainable management plans.

St. Augustine grass germplasm resistant to Blissus insularis (Hemiptera: Blissidae).

St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze) is an economically important turfgrass in the southeastern United States. However, this turf species is prone to southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber (Heteroptera: Blissidae) outbreaks. This insect is the most destructive pest of St. Augustine grass wherever this turf grass is grown. Host plant resistance has historically been an effective management tool for southern chinch bug. Since 1973, the 'Floratam' St. Augustine grass cultivar effectively controlled southern chinch bug in the southeast. However, southern chinch bug populations from Florida and Texas have now circumvented this resistance, through mechanisms still unknown. Therefore, identifying and deploying new cultivars with resistance to the southern chinch bug is imperative to combat this pest in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. Currently, the number of cultivars with resistance against southern chinch bug is limited, and their efficacy, climatic adaptability, and aesthetic characters are variable. Hence, the main focus of this study is the identification of alternative sources of resistance to southern chinch bugs in previously uncharacterized St. Augustine grass plant introductions (PIs) and its closely related, crossbreeding species, Pembagrass (Stenotaphrum dimidiatum (L.) Brongniart). The PIs exhibited a wide range of responses to southern chinch bug feeding, as indicated by damage ratings. Damage ratings for seven PIs grouped with our resistant reference cultivars. Moreover, nine PIs exhibited antibiosis, based on poor development of southern chinch bug neonates, when compared with our susceptible reference cultivars. Altogether our study has produced strong support to indicate these materials are good candidates for future southern chinch bug resistance breeding in St. Augustine grass.

Farmer preference for macadamia varieties and constraints to production in Malawi.

Macadamia nuts constitute a vital component of both nutrition and livelihoods for smallholder producers in Malawi. We conducted a comprehensive mixed-methods study, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses, to explore varietal preferences and production challenges among these farmers. Leveraging cross-sectional data from 144 members of the Highlands Macadamia Cooperative Union Limited, our study underscores several significant findings. Our findings reveal that the majority of smallholder macadamia farmers (62%) are aged over 50, with farming as their primary occupation. Varied preferences are driven by yield-related traits, including high yield potential (38%), nut quality (29%), and extended flowering patterns (15%). Among the macadamia varieties, the top five choices, grown by over half of the farmers, include HAES 660 (18%), 800 (10%), 791 (9%), 816 (8%), and 246 (7%). Additionally, our study identifies five primary constraints faced by smallholder macadamia farmers: insect pests (81%), diseases (34%), limited market access (33%), wind damage (25%), and inadequate agricultural advisory services (17%). Based on these findings, we propose two policy recommendations to enhance smallholder macadamia production and productivity in Malawi and other regions. Specifically, we advocate for informed breeding programs that align with farmer preferences to promote greater adoption of macadamia varieties. Additionally, we emphasize the crucial role of the Malawian government in the macadamia value chain, suggesting active participation in providing extension services and marketing support, akin to its support for other cash crops.

Entomopathogenic fungi detection and avoidance by mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae).

A chamber to monitor mole cricket behavior was designed using two different soil-filled containers and photosensors constructed from infrared emitters and detectors. Mole crickets (Scapteriscus spp.) were introduced into a center tube that allowed them to choose whether to enter and tunnel in untreated soil or soil treated with Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin. Each time the cricket passed through the photosensor located near the entrance of soil-filled containers, the infrared light was blocked and the exact moment that this occurred was logged onto a computer using custom-written software. Data examined included the first photosensor trigger, total number of sensor triggers, presence of tunneling, and final location of the cricket after 18 h. These behaviors were analyzed to discern differences in mole cricket behavior in the presence of different treatments and to elucidate the mechanism that mole crickets use to detect fungal pathogens. The first study examined substrate selection and tunneling behavior of the southern mole cricket, Scapteriscus borellii Giglio-Tos, to the presence of five strains of B. bassiana relative to a control. There were no differences between the first sensor trigger and total number of triggers, indicating the mole crickets are not capable of detecting B. bassiana at a distance of 8 cm. Changes in mole cricket tunneling and residence time in treated soil occurred for some strains of B. bassiana but not others. One of the strains associated with behavioral changes in the southern mole cricket was used in a second experiment testing behavioral responses of the tawny mole cricket, S. vicinus Scudder. In addition to the formulated product of this strain, the two separate components of that product (conidia and carrier) and bifenthrin, an insecticide commonly used to control mole crickets, were tested. There were no differences in mole cricket behavior between treatments in this study. The differences in behavioral responses between the two species could suggest a more sensitive chemosensory recognition system for southern mole crickets.

Effect of combining imidacloprid and diatomaceous earth with Beauveria bassiana on mole cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) mortality.

Sublethal doses of three orthopteran-derived strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin were topically applied to adult southern mole crickets, Scapteriscus borellii Giglio-Tos (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae), and tested in combination with substrate treatments of diatomaceous earth (DE) and imidacloprid. Crickets treated only with the high doses (10(8) conidia per cricket) of each of the three B. bassiana strains exhibited the shortest survival times as well as the highest percentage mortality at 28 d after treatment. However, these treatments did.not differ significantly from any of the diatomaceous earth combination treatments. Two of the strains tested, 5977 and 3622, exhibited synergistic interactions with DE, whereas the third strain, GHA, was not significant for synergy. Mortality caused by the combination treatment was still greater than the expected additive effect. DE abrades the insect cuticle and absorbs cuticular lipids, aiding the entry of germinating conidia into the mole cricket hemocoel. None of the three strains exhibited synergy when combined with imidacloprid, and mortality of all combination treatments was less than additive. For strain 5977, there was an antagonistic interaction with imidacloprid. It was difficult to obtain <30% mortality for imidacloprid only treatments, which was considered the upper limit for sublethal doses. The mean percentage mortality caused by imidacloprid was 37.5%, and this high percentage made it difficult for any combination treatment to cause significantly more mortality than the expected additive effect. These results clarify the interactions of other control products with B. bassiana and provide a basis for a reduced pesticide approach to mole cricket control.

New restriction fragment length polymorphisms in the cytochrome oxidase I gene facilitate host strain identification of fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations in the southeastern United States.

Several restriction sites in the cytochrome oxidase I gene of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), were identified by sequence analysis as potentially being specific to one of the two host strains. Strain specificity was demonstrated for populations in Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and North Carolina, with an AciI and SacI site specific to the rice (Oryjza spp.)-strain and a BsmI and HinfI site joining an already characterized MspI site as diagnostic of the corn (Zea mays L.)-strain. All four of these sites can be detected by digestion of a single 568-bp polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragment, but the use of two enzymes in separate digests was found to provide accurate and rapid determination of strain identity. The effectiveness of this method was demonstrated by the analysis of almost 200 adult and larval specimens from the Mississippi delta region. The results indicated that the corn-strain is likely to be the primary strain infesting cotton (Gossypium spp.) and that an unexpected outbreak of fall armyworm on the ornamental tree Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Sieb. & Zucc. ex Steud. was due almost entirely to the rice-strain.

Trapping Phyllophaga spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) in the United States and Canada using sex attractants.

The sex pheromone of the scarab beetle, Phyllophaga anxia, is a blend of the methyl esters of two amino acids, L-valine and L-isoleucine. A field trapping study was conducted, deploying different blends of the two compounds at 59 locations in the United States and Canada. More than 57,000 males of 61 Phyllophaga species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) were captured and identified. Three major findings included: (1) widespread use of the two compounds [of the 147 Phyllophaga (sensu stricto) species found in the United States and Canada, males of nearly 40% were captured]; (2) in most species intraspecific male response to the pheromone blends was stable between years and over geography; and (3) an unusual pheromone polymorphism was described from P. anxia. Populations at some locations were captured with L-valine methyl ester alone, whereas populations at other locations were captured with L-isoleucine methyl ester alone. At additional locations, the L-valine methyl ester-responding populations and the L-isoleucine methyl ester-responding populations were both present, producing a bimodal capture curve. In southeastern Massachusetts and in Rhode Island, in the United States, P. anxia males were captured with blends of L-valine methyl ester and L-isoleucine methyl ester.

Impact of Location, Cropping History, Tillage, and Chlorpyrifos on Soil Arthropods in Peanut.

Demand for agricultural production systems that are both economically viable and environmentally conscious continues to increase. In recent years, reduced tillage systems, and grass and pasture rotations have been investigated to help maintain or improve soil quality, increase crop yield, and decrease labor requirements for production. However, documentation of the effects of reduced tillage, fescue rotation systems as well as other management practices, including pesticides, on pest damage and soil arthropod activity in peanut production for the Mid-Atlantic US region is still limited. Therefore, this project was implemented to assess impacts of fescue-based rotation systems on pests and other soil organisms when compared with cash crop rotation systems over four locations in eastern North Carolina. In addition, the effects of tillage (strip vs. conventional) and soil chlorpyrifos application on pod damage and soil-dwelling organisms were also evaluated. Soil arthropod populations were assessed by deploying pitfall traps containing 50% ethanol in each of the sampled plots. Results from the present study provide evidence that location significantly impacts pest damage and soil arthropod diversity in peanut fields. Cropping history also influenced arthropod diversity, with higher diversity in fescue compared with cash crop fields. Corn rootworm damage to pods was higher at one of our locations (Rocky Mount) compared with all others. Cropping history (fescue vs. cash crop) did not have an effect on rootworm damage, but increased numbers of hymenopterans, acarina, heteropterans, and collembolans in fescue compared with cash crop fields. Interestingly, there was an overall tendency for higher number of soil arthropods in traps placed in chlorpyrifos-treated plots compared with nontreated controls.

Potential of Leguminous Cover Crops in Management of a Mixed Population of Root-knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.).

Root-knot nematode is an important pest in agricultural production worldwide. Crop rotation is the only management strategy in some production systems, especially for resource poor farmers in developing countries. A series of experiments was conducted in the laboratory with several leguminous cover crops to investigate their potential for managing a mixture of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, M. javanica). The root-knot nematode mixture failed to multiply on Mucuna pruriens and Crotalaria spectabilis but on Dolichos lablab the population increased more than 2- fold when inoculated with 500 and 1,000 nematodes per plant. There was no root-galling on M. pruriens and C. spectabilis but the gall rating was noted on D. lablab. Greater mortality of juvenile root-knot nematodes occurred when exposed to eluants of roots and leaves of leguminous crops than those of tomato; 48.7% of juveniles died after 72 h exposure to root eluant of C. spectabilis. The leaf eluant of D. lablab was toxic to nematodes but the root eluant was not. Thus, different parts of a botanical contain different active ingredients or different concentrations of the same active ingredient. The numbers of root-knot nematode eggs that hatched in root exudates of M. pruriens and C. spectabilis were significantly lower (20% and 26%) than in distilled water, tomato and P. vulgaris root exudates (83%, 72% and 89%) respectively. Tomato lacks nematotoxic compounds found in M. pruriens and C. spectabilis. Three months after inoculating plants with 1,000 root-knot nematode juveniles the populations in pots with M. pruriens, C. spectabilis and C. retusa had been reduced by approximately 79%, 85% and 86% respectively; compared with an increase of 262% nematodes in pots with Phaseolus vulgaris. There was significant reduction of 90% nematodes in fallow pots with no growing plant. The results from this study demonstrate that some leguminous species contain compounds that either kill root-knot nematodes or interfere with hatching and affect their capacity to invade and develop within their roots. M. pruriens, C. spectabilis and C. retusa could be used with effect to decrease a mixed field populations of root-knot nematodes.