Inspirational Story of Agriculture at Living with The Land Attraction at EPCOT.

Since its debut in 1982, The Land has embodied Walt Disney's vision, capturing the attention of millions of EPCOT guests with venues focusing on agriculture and environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Land pavilion spans over eight acres in the World Nature section of EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The pavilion houses three attractions, namely Soarin' Around the World, Awesome Planet, and the Living with The Land boat ride, complemented by a greenhouse walking tour entitled Behind the Seeds and two restaurants. Each attraction derives inspiration from nature and challenges mankind to be responsible stewards of planet earth. This feature article focuses on the Living with The Land boat ride attraction, which traverses greenhouses showcasing agricultural technologies and crops from around the world. The sections below describe both how various show elements are designed to engage guests and how the show is made possible by applying relevant science and technology.

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus manipulates Bemisia tabaci, MEAM1 both directly and indirectly through changes in visual and volatile cues.

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1, is one of the most devastating pests of row-crop vegetables worldwide, damaging crops directly through feeding and indirectly through the transmission of many different viruses, including the geminivirus Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Y-tube olfactometer tests were conducted at different stages of TYLCV infection in tomatoes to understand how TYLCV affects B. tabaci behavior. We also recorded changes in tomato hosts' color and volatile profiles using color spectrophotometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We found that the infection status of B. tabaci and the infection stage of TYLCV influenced host selection, with uninfected whiteflies showing a preference for TYLCV-infected hosts, especially during the late stages of infection. Viruliferous B. tabaci attraction to visual targets significantly differed from non-viruliferous B. tabaci. Late-stage infected hosts had larger surface areas reflecting yellow-green wavelengths and higher emissions of methyl salicylate in their volatile profiles. These findings shed new light on several critical mechanisms involved in the viral manipulation of an insect vector and its economically important host.

Characterization of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella bispinosa (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Injury to Strawberry.

Frankliniella flower thrips are pests of numerous fruit and vegetable crops as they feed and reproduce in the flowers and fruits. The invasive Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) from the Southwestern United States, an economic pest in Florida since 2005, and the native Frankliniella bispinosa Morgan are both found in Florida strawberries. The objective of this research was to characterize injury to strawberry fruit from these species. Densities of 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 adult females of each species were caged on a strawberry plant with one flower. The cages were removed after 2, 5, or 10 d, and the number of surviving adults and the number of larvae determined. Injury was quantified on the mature fruit 21 d after thrips were introduced onto the experimental plant. Initial densities as low as two adult F. occidentalis females per flower decreased fruit set and increased cat-facing on the fruits that developed. There were no significant effects on fruit set and cat-facing by any initial density of F. bispinosa. Feeding by thrips on the small, green fruit affected the size and shape of the mature fruit: the diameters were decreased as a linear function of increased feeding by F. bispinosa, and the weights were decreased as a linear function of increased feeding by F. occidentalis. Overall, results showed that F. occidentalis was more damaging to strawberry than F. bispinosa. The differences in pest status between these common flower thrips species in Florida presents challenges to management programs.

Sampling for Estimating Frankliniella Species Flower Thrips and Orius Species Predators in Field Experiments.

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is a polyphagous pest that has been spread worldwide. The extensive use of insecticides in attempts to control its populations eliminates natural enemies and competitor flower thrips species, thereby increasing its populations. An unsustainable situation develops with concomitant resistant pest populations, secondary pest outbreaks, and environmental degradation. Integrated pest management utilizes knowledge of pest and natural enemy relationships to implement tactics that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Minute pirate bugs are the most important worldwide predators of thrips. They can suppress and ultimately control Frankliniella species flower thrips. Flower samples taken at least weekly are needed to understand predator-prey dynamics. Shown here is the sampling of the flowers of fruiting vegetables and companion plants to estimate the densities of individual thrips and minute pirate bug species. Representative data illustrates how the protocol is used to determine the efficacy of management tactics over time and how to evaluate the benefits of predation by minute pirate bugs. The sampling protocol is similarly adaptable to sampling thrips and minute pirate bugs in other plant species hosts.