Resistance management of the western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) : behavior, survival and the potential for cross resistance on Bt corn in the field, greenhouse and laboratory

The Environmental Protection Agency recently registered seed blend refuges for two of the transgenic Bt corn products targeting the western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. Larval movement between Bt and isoline plants can be detrimental to resistance management for high dose Bt products because the insect larvae will potentially be exposed to sublethal amounts of the Bt, however, the effect of this movement on low to moderate dose products is unknown. All current rootworm products are low dose. The main criteria for whether movement by WCR larvae between isoline and Bt corn plants will influence the development of resistance is whether or not selection for resistance is taking place. We found that movement between isoline and SmartStax® hybrid plants did occur in seed blend scenarios in our field study. The majority of plant damage to the SmartStax plants occurred when the larvae moved from surrounding infested isoline plants moved late in their development. These older, larger larvae are all able to tolerate the Bt in the plants, therefore resistance will likely not develop in these larvae. In a similar experiment, movement also occurred between Agrisure® Duracad[trademark] and isoline plants in seed blend scenarios, however the damage was low for all treatments. With isoline plants being mixed with Bt plants in seed blend refuges, host recognition behavior of the western corn rootworm on Bt and isoline plants is also important to understand. There were no differences between the host recognition behavior of WCR larvae after exposure to mCry3A, Cry3Bb1, Cry34/35Ab1, or their isoline corn hybrids, therefore all hybrids were perceived as hosts by WCR larvae. With all the hybrids on the currently registered being pyramided by different companies to control rootworms, the potential for cross resistance between these hybrids was evaluated using field resistant and susceptible populations. Based on the data from laboratory and greenhouse assays, the potential for cross resist

Bifenthrin Baseline Susceptibility and Evaluation of Simulated Aerial Applications in \u3ci\u3eStriacosta albicosta\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Striacosta albicosta (Smith) is a maize pest that has recently expanded its geographical range into the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Aerial application of pyrethroids, such as bifenthrin, has been a major practice adopted to manage this pest. Reports of field failure of pyrethroids have increased since 2013. Striacosta albicosta populations were collected in 2016 and 2017 from maize fields in Nebraska, Kansas, and Canada and screened with bifenthrin active ingredient in larval contact dose-response bioassays. Resistance ratios estimated were generally low in 2016 (1.04- to 1.32-fold) with the highest LC50 in North Platte, NE (66.10 ng/cm2) and lowest in Scottsbluff, NE (50.10 ng/cm2). In 2017, O’Neill, NE showed the highest LC50 (100.66 ng/cm2) and Delhi, Canada exhibited the lowest (6.33 ng/cm2), resulting in a resistance ratio variation of 6.02- to 15.90-fold. Implications of bifenthrin resistance levels were further investigated by aerial application simulations. Experiments were conducted with a spray chamber where representative S. albicosta populations were exposed to labeled rates of a commercial bifenthrin formulation. Experiments resulted in 100% mortality for all populations, instars, insecticide rates, and carrier volumes, suggesting that levels of resistance estimated for bifenthrin active ingredient did not seem to impact the efficacy of the correspondent commercial product under controlled conditions. Results obtained from this research indicate that control failures reported in Nebraska could be associated with factors other than insecticide resistance, such as issues with the application technique, environmental conditions during and/or after application, or the insect’s natural behavior. Data generated will assist future S. albicosta resistance management programs

Bifenthrin Baseline Susceptibility and Evaluation of Simulated Aerial Applications in \u3ci\u3eStriacosta albicosta\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Striacosta albicosta (Smith) is a maize pest that has recently expanded its geographical range into the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Aerial application of pyrethroids, such as bifenthrin, has been a major practice adopted to manage this pest. Reports of field failure of pyrethroids have increased since 2013. Striacosta albicosta populations were collected in 2016 and 2017 from maize fields in Nebraska, Kansas, and Canada and screened with bifenthrin active ingredient in larval contact dose-response bioassays. Resistance ratios estimated were generally low in 2016 (1.04- to 1.32-fold) with the highest LC50 in North Platte, NE (66.10 ng/cm2) and lowest in Scottsbluff, NE (50.10 ng/cm2). In 2017, O’Neill, NE showed the highest LC50 (100.66 ng/cm2) and Delhi, Canada exhibited the lowest (6.33 ng/cm2), resulting in a resistance ratio variation of 6.02- to 15.90-fold. Implications of bifenthrin resistance levels were further investigated by aerial application simulations. Experiments were conducted with a spray chamber where representative S. albicosta populations were exposed to labeled rates of a commercial bifenthrin formulation. Experiments resulted in 100% mortality for all populations, instars, insecticide rates, and carrier volumes, suggesting that levels of resistance estimated for bifenthrin active ingredient did not seem to impact the efficacy of the correspondent commercial product under controlled conditions. Results obtained from this research indicate that control failures reported in Nebraska could be associated with factors other than insecticide resistance, such as issues with the application technique, environmental conditions during and/or after application, or the insect’s natural behavior. Data generated will assist future S. albicosta resistance management programs

Wind-Powered Wheel Locomotion, Initiated by Leaping Somersaults, in Larvae of the Southeastern Beach Tiger Beetle (Cicindela dorsalis media)

Rapid movement is challenging for elongate, soft-bodied animals with short or no legs. Leaping is known for only a few animals with this “worm-like” morphology. Wheel locomotion, in which the animal's entire body rolls forward along a central axis, has been reported for only a handful of animals worldwide. Here we present the first documented case of wind-powered wheel locomotion, in larvae of the coastal tiger beetle Cicindela dorsalis media. When removed from their shallow burrows, larvae easily can be induced to enter a behavioral sequence that starts with leaping; while airborne, larvae loop their body into a rotating wheel and usually either “hit the ground rolling” or leap again. The direction larvae wheel is closely related to the direction in which winds are blowing; thus, all our larvae wheeled up-slope, as winds at our study site consistently blew from sea to land. Stronger winds increased both the proportion of larvae wheeling, and the distance traveled, exceeding 60 m in some cases. In addition, the proportion of larvae that wheel and the distance traveled by wheeling larvae are significantly greater on smooth sandy beaches than on beach surfaces made rough and irregular by pedestrian, equestrian, and vehicular traffic. Like other coastal species of tiger beetles, C. dorsalis media has suffered major declines in recent years that are clearly correlated with increased human impacts. The present study suggests that the negative effects of beach traffic may be indirect, preventing larvae from escaping from predators using wheel locomotion by disrupting the flat, hard surface necessary for efficient wheeling

Distribution of sugarcane aphids and their predators on Kansas sorghum!

Sugarcane aphids (SCA) can have a severe impact on Kansas sorghum grain yields due to their high reproductive capacity and the copious amounts of honey dew they produce. There are many predatory species in Kansas that feed on SCA and help to reduce their impact on the sorghum plants. To understand how these predators affect the behavior of SCA on sorghum plants, we examined a sorghum field that was heavily infested with SCA and recorded the distributing and species of aphids and predators present. Overall, the aphids preferred to be in a semi-clumped distribution on the leaves when higher numbers of predators were present. Syrphid larvae were the most abundant predator and were almost always found within aphid clumps

In-field Food Waste in California Strawberry Production: An Analysis of Harvester Extraction Rates

In this paper, we report on the collection and analysis of two years of “harvest efficiency” data from commercial strawberry farms in California. Harvest efficiency refers to the percentage of total ripe berries that are successfully harvested from the field and has implications for assessing food waste, the relative attractiveness of robotic harvest innovations, and management decisions related to field sanitation and pest management. Results indicate that within the sampled farms, between 12% and 39% of the total strawberries produced were left in the field, with production practices and the time of year significantly affecting this rate

In-field Food Waste in California Strawberry Production: An Analysis of Harvester Extraction Rates

In this paper, we report on the collection and analysis of two years of “harvest efficiency” data from commercial strawberry farms in California. Harvest efficiency refers to the percentage of total ripe berries that are successfully harvested from the field and has implications for assessing food waste, the relative attractiveness of robotic harvest innovations, and management decisions related to field sanitation and pest management. Results indicate that within the sampled farms, between 12% and 39% of the total strawberries produced were left in the field, with production practices and the time of year significantly affecting this rate

Cross-resistance and synergism bioassays suggest multiple mechanisms of pyrethroid resistance in western corn rootworm populations

Recently, resistance to the pyrethroid bifenthrin was detected and confirmed in field populations of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte from southwestern areas of Nebraska and Kansas. As a first step to understand potential mechanisms of resistance, the objectives of this study were i) to assess adult mortality at diagnostic concentration- LC99 to the pyrethroids bifenthrin and tefluthrin as well as DDT, ii) estimate adult and larval susceptibility to the same compounds as well as the organophosphate methyl-parathion, and iii) perform synergism experiments with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) (P450 inhibitor) and S,S,S-tributyl-phosphorotrithioate (DEF) (esterase inhibitor) in field populations. Most of the adult field populations exhibiting some level of bifenthrin resistance exhibited significantly lower mortality to both pyrethroids and DDT than susceptible control populations at the estimated LC99 of susceptible populations. Results of adult dose-mortality bioassays also revealed elevated LC50 values for bifenthrin resistant populations compared to the susceptible control population with resistance ratios ranging from 2.5 to 5.5-fold for bifenthrin, 28 to 54.8-fold for tefluthrin, and 16.3 to 33.0 for DDT. These bioassay results collectively suggest some level of cross-resistance between the pyrethroids and DDT. In addition, both PBO and DEF reduced the resistance ratios for resistant populations although there was a higher reduction in susceptibility of adults exposed to PBO versus DEF. Susceptibility in larvae varied among insecticides and did not correlate with adult susceptibility to tefluthrin and DDT, as most resistance ratios were \u3c 5-fold when compared to the susceptible population. These results suggest that both detoxifying enzymes and target site insensitivity might be involved as resistance mechanisms