Suitability of Selected Broad-Leaved Weeds for Survival and Growth of Two Stalk-Boring \u3ci\u3eHydraecia\u3c/i\u3e Species (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Third instar hop vine borer (Hydraecia immanis) and potato stem borer (H. micacea) are new pest species on corn in the Midwest. Early instar larvae feed on small-stemmed grasses, and later instar larvae switch to broad- stemmed hosts to complete development. In order to assess potential suitability of various weeds of corn fields, larvae were reared on seven selected broad- leaved plants for 16-18 days under greenhouse conditions to determine their feeding behavior and performance. Domestic plants included hop (Humulus lupulus) and potato (Solanum tuberosum); weed species included curly dock (Rumex crisp us), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and giant ragweed (A. trifida). Larvae of both species survived best on corn, hop, and curly dock. While potato was an excellent host for the potato stem borer H. micacea, survival was poor for the hop vine borer, H. immanis. Red root pigweed, common ragweed, giant ragweed and lambsquarters were poor hosts for both moth species. While the potato stem borer, H. micacea, larvae were able to grow well and gain weight rapidly on several hosts, the hop stem borer, H. immanis, grew well only on hops. Larval feeding behavior and size, as well as plant phenology, stem thickness, and growth form, are all critical determinants as to whether or not a particular plant species can serve as a final host on which H. immanis and H. micacea can complete development

Survival and Growth of Two \u3ci\u3eHydraecia\u3c/i\u3e Species (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) on Eight Midwest Grass Species

Grasses play a critical role in the life cycles of both the hop vine borer (Hydraecia immanis) and potato stem borer (H. micacea), two potentially se­rious agriculture pests. Neonate larvae of both species (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) were reared on eight selected grasses and corn for 14-18 days under greenhouse conditions to determine their survival and growth. These were quackgrass (Agropyron repens), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crusgalli), giant foxtail (Seteria faberii), wild prosso millet (Panicum millaceum), Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), and corn (Zea mays). In a separate, concurrent experiment, H. immanis and H. micacea larvae were reared on quackgrass, smooth bromegrass and orchardgrass (narrow-stemmed grasses) and sampled after 7, 10 and 14 days. H. immanis larvae generally grew more slowly and dispersed less quickly than H. micacea larvae. The fewest H. immanis and H. micacea larvae were recovered from giant foxtail. H. immanis larvae reared on quackgrass, smooth bromegrass and orchardgrass (thin-stemmed grasses) outgrew their hosts by the third instar and rapidly dispersed, particularly from quackgrass. Due to the unique internal stem-feeding behavior of these larvae the stem thickness becomes a constraining factor regarding duration of suitability to serve as a larval host. Grass feeding has tremendous significance regarding the geographic spread, local population densities, phenological damage periods, and cultural control methods such as crop rotation for these two noctuid species

Preliminary Survey of the Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda), Millipedes (Diplopoda), Harvestmen (Opiliones), and Spiders (Araneae) of Toft Point Natural Area, Door County, Wisconsin

Toft Point Natural Area is a National Natural Landmark owned and managed by the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and located on the Lake Michigan shore of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. With twelve biotic communities on 700 acres, Toft Point contains considerable biological diversity. We conducted a preliminary survey of the arachnids (spiders and harvestmen, excluding mites and pseudoscorpions), millipedes (diplopods), and terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscoidea). Sampling occurred on three dates in 2001 using leaf litter collection with Berlese extraction and a timed collection by hand that incorporated a variety of techniques. Specimens from a 1992 survey and assorted collecting events were also used to compile a species list. The list includes five isopods, four millipedes, six harvestmen, and 113 spiders, including 16 new state records (two millipedes and 14 spiders) and 90 new Door County records. Litter collection and sampling in wetland habitats were both especially productive

FSA Direct Farm Loan Program Graduation Rates and Reasons for Exiting

Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct loans are intended to provide transitory credit to creditworthy borrowers unable to obtain conventional credit at reasonable terms. Farm loan program (FLP) effectiveness is measured in part by how readily direct loan borrowers graduate to conventional credit. A survey of FSA borrowers originating direct loans during fiscal years 1994-1996 is utilized to estimate graduation rates. A majority of 1994-1996 loan originators did exit the direct FLP by November 2004. A multinomial logit model indicates financial strength at origination resulted in greater likelihood of farming without direct loans approximately nine years after loan origination.Agricultural Finance,

China\u27s Developing Labor Law

This Article will examine China\u27s labor laws and policies generally as well as those specifically applicable to joint ventures

New York Times v. Sullivan at 50: Despite Criticism, the Actual Malice Standard Still Provides Breathing Space for Communications in the Public Interest

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in New York Times v. Sullivan. With the benefit of a 50-year perspective, this article focuses on three related aspects of the Sullivan decision. First, it arose from and provided protection for the emerging civil rights movement in the south. Second, the defamation-based attack on the civil rights movement caused the Court to depart from the common law and adopt the “actual malice” standard for recovery in defamation actions brought by public officials. In this article, we also explore the legal origins of that standard. Finally, the article considers both the criticism and the overall benefit of the actual malice standard as it has been applied through the years. We explore the application of the standard in a variety of contexts, including to blog articles, to overcome state law conditional privileges, in labor disputes, and in federal legislation to protect reports of suspicious air-transportation activity. We conclude that the actual malice standard has succeeded in providing “breathing space” for communications made in the public interest

Analysis of Farm Service Agency Direct Loan Loss Likelihoods and Loss Rates

The USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) serves as the nation's lender of last resort by providing direct loans to farmers unable to obtain credit at reasonable rates and terms. Annual loan losses have been substantial, averaging $576 million for fiscal 1994-2004. An econometric model using survey data from a sample of FSA loans originated in fiscal 1994-1996 is estimated to identify factors associated with loan losses. The results indicate previous debt settlement experience, loan type, farm type, farm size, and farm financial characteristics are important factors. This information may be used by FSA to adjust its underwriting standards in an effort to reduce loan losses and provide additional loans to farmers given its current funding.Agricultural Finance,

Electricity deregulation and the valuation of visibility loss in wilderness areas: A research note.

Visibility in most wilderness areas in the northeastern United States has declined substantially since the 1970s. As noted by Hill et al. (2000), despite the 1977 Clean Air Act and subsequent amendments, human induced smog conditions are becoming increasingly worse. Average visibility in class I airsheds, such as the Great Gulf Wilderness in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, is now about one-third of natural conditions. A particular concern is that deregulation of electricity production could result in further degradation because consumers may switch to lower cost fossil fuel generation (Harper 2000). To the extent that this system reduces electricity costs, it may also affect firm location decisions (Halstead and Deller 1997). Yet, little is known about the extent to which consumers are likely to make tradeoffs between electric bills and reduced visibility in nearby wilderness areas. This applied research uses a contingent valuation approach in an empirical case study of consumers’ tradeoffs between cheaper electric bills and reduced visibility in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. We also examine some of the problems associated with uncertainty with this type of analysis; that is, how confident respondents are in their answers to the valuation questions. Finally, policy implications of decreased visibility due to electricity deregulation are discussed