Spider fauna of semiarid eastern colorado agroecosystems: Diversity, abundance, and effects of crop intensification

Spiders are critical predators in agroecosystems. Crop management practices can influence predator density and diversity, which, in turn, can influence pest management strategies. Crop intensification is a sustainable agricultural technique that can enhance crop production although optimizing soil moisture. To date, there is no information on how crop intensification affects natural enemy populations, particularly spiders. This study had two objectives: to characterize the abundance and diversity of spiders in eastern Colorado agroecosystems, and to test the hypothesis that spider diversity and density would be higher in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in crop-intensified rotations compared with wheat in conventional rotations. We collected spiders through pitfall, vacuum, and lookdown sampling from 2002 to 2007 to test these objectives. Over 11,000 spiders in 19 families from 119 species were captured from all sampling techniques. Interestingly, the hunting spider guild represented 89% of the spider fauna captured from all sites with the families Gnaphosidae and Lycosidae representing 75% of these spiders. Compared with European agroecosystems, these agroecosystems had greater diversity, which can be beneficial for the biological control of pests. Overall, spider densities were low in these semiarid cropping systems, and crop intensification effects on spider densities were not evident at this scale. © 2013 Entomological Society of America

The Role of Databases in Areawide Pest Management

The simplest definition of the term \u27database\u27 is given in Webster\u27s dictionary as \u27a comprehensive collection of related data organized for convenient access, generally in a computer\u27 (Random House, 1996). This term appeared in the late 1960s because of the evolution of computer software and the need to distinguish the specialized computer systems for the storage and manipulation of data, called database management systems (DBMS) (Neufeld and Cornog, 1986). Today, the acronym \u27DBMS\u27 is universally understood within Information Technology (IT), just like the acronym \u27Bt\u27 for \u27Bacillus thuringiensis\u27 is in the field of biological pest control. At the present time there are numerous DBMS products available on the market. The most popular are Oracle©, dBase©, DB2©, MS SQL Server© and Access©. Access is a part of the Microsoft Office product and can be considered as a prototype of DBMS with limited functionality. These products vary in price and capacity, and therefore the budgetary constraints and the requirements of a particular database application determine their utility. The evolution of database products has been rapid, reflecting advances in the theory of databases during the last 35-40 years. Beginning with simple data files with direct access, these database products now include very sophisticated file systems with complex interrelationships. More recently, there has been a series of new database applications named Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). Their development was a product of the advancement in IT, which forced DBMS to adapt. One of these advancements was the creation of distributed computer systems using local or wide-area networks (LAN/WAN) at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s (Date, 2003). These networks stimulated development of new methods for remote database connection, and the improvements of client/server technologies when databases are organized on a computer server separated from those remotely accessed and used to enter data. The uses of DBMS can be very diverse, but this chapter focuses on the application of DBMS in the field of biology, more specifically in entomology and integrated pest management (IPM)

The Role of Databases in Areawide Pest Management

The simplest definition of the term \u27database\u27 is given in Webster\u27s dictionary as \u27a comprehensive collection of related data organized for convenient access, generally in a computer\u27 (Random House, 1996). This term appeared in the late 1960s because of the evolution of computer software and the need to distinguish the specialized computer systems for the storage and manipulation of data, called database management systems (DBMS) (Neufeld and Cornog, 1986). Today, the acronym \u27DBMS\u27 is universally understood within Information Technology (IT), just like the acronym \u27Bt\u27 for \u27Bacillus thuringiensis\u27 is in the field of biological pest control. At the present time there are numerous DBMS products available on the market. The most popular are Oracle©, dBase©, DB2©, MS SQL Server© and Access©. Access is a part of the Microsoft Office product and can be considered as a prototype of DBMS with limited functionality. These products vary in price and capacity, and therefore the budgetary constraints and the requirements of a particular database application determine their utility. The evolution of database products has been rapid, reflecting advances in the theory of databases during the last 35-40 years. Beginning with simple data files with direct access, these database products now include very sophisticated file systems with complex interrelationships. More recently, there has been a series of new database applications named Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). Their development was a product of the advancement in IT, which forced DBMS to adapt. One of these advancements was the creation of distributed computer systems using local or wide-area networks (LAN/WAN) at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s (Date, 2003). These networks stimulated development of new methods for remote database connection, and the improvements of client/server technologies when databases are organized on a computer server separated from those remotely accessed and used to enter data. The uses of DBMS can be very diverse, but this chapter focuses on the application of DBMS in the field of biology, more specifically in entomology and integrated pest management (IPM)

Farm Management Practices Used by Wheat Producers in the Western Great Plains: Estimating Their Productivity and Profitability

Changes in government farm programs and the introduction of new technology offer wheat producers in the western Great Plains a variety of management practices to alleviate biotic and agronomic constraints inherent in a wheat monoculture. Producers have adopted alternative tillage systems, crop diversification, and insect-resistant varieties in response to the hot, semiarid growing conditions and increased pest pressure. The objective of this study was to determine if those practices generated positive impacts on wheat yield and corresponding net returns. Panel data collected from a group of 141 producers over a four-year period (N = 564) were analyzed using econometric models. The most significant impacts were from crop diversification, which on average more than doubled returns from $29 to$69 per acre compared to a wheat monoculture. Pest-resistant varieties increased returns by 59%, from $32 to$51 per acre. The use of no-till reduced returns by an average of $13 per acre, but when combined with a modest level of crop diversity, returns approached breakeven. Stakeholders should aspire to increase the profitability of no-till to increase its adoption in this environmentally sensitive region

Areawide Pest Management of Cereal Aphids in Dryland Wheat Systems of the Great Plains, USA

In the Great Plains of the USA from Wyoming to Texas, dryland winter wheat either is regularly grown continuously or is followed by a year of fallow in semi-arid locales (Royer and Krenzer, 2000). It has been well documented that these continuous monocultures can, over time, lead to increased levels of all types of pests (i.e. insects, diseases and weeds) (Andow, 1983, 1991; Vandermeer, 1989; Cook and Veseth, 1990; Elliott et al., 1998a; Way, 1998; Ahern and Brewer, 2002; Boyles et al., 2004; Brewer and Elliott, 2004; Men et al., 2004). Relative to insect pests, the ephemeral nature of insect host resources in these mono culture systems is assumed to curtail the efficiency of natural enemies, leading to increased pest pressure and reduced yields (Booij and Noorlander, 1992; Tscharntke et al., 2005; Clough et al., 2007). From an ecological standpoint, the absence of habitats that support natural enemies in these monoculture agricultural systems are considered a primary reason why populations of aphids such as the greenbug (GB, Schizaphis graminum) and the Russian wheat aphid (RWA, Diuraphis noxia) increase above economic injury levels (EILs) (Elliott et al., 1998b, 2002a; French and Elliott, 1990a; Brewer et al., 2001; French et al., 2001a; Giles et al., 2003; Brewer and Elliott, 2004). Economic losses associated with both GB and RWA average US$150 million annually across the Great Plains of the USA (Webster, 1995; Morrison and Pears, 1998)

Comparison of Chemigated and Aerially-Applied Chlorpyrifos and Fenvalerate for Control of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Larvae

Aerial and overhead center-pivot irrigation system (chemigated) applications of chlorpyrifos 4 emulsifiable concentrate (EC) and fenvalerate 2.4EC significantly reduced numbers of first- and second-generation European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hubner, larvae in field corn, Zea mays L. The number of first-generation O. nubilalis larvae, pupae, or cavities per plant in plots chemigated with chlorpyrifos in 1984 was significantly less than in plots where chlorpyrifos was applied aerially. A similar trend was observed for fenvalerate in 1985. No significant differences among application methods were observed for second-generation O. nubilalis treatments. Chlorpyrifos and fenvalerate were effective O. nubilalis control agents but efficacy differences between these two insecticides were variable. Corn yields did not vary significantly among application methods

Small grains XII-8: cereal leaf beetle; identification (and life cycle/seasonal history)

High Plains Integrated Pest Management Wiki, May 28, 200