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Evaluation Of Botanical Oil Formulations For Management Of Powdery Mildew And Mites, Adriane Lorraine Cannon

Masters Theses

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of newly created soybean oil formulations on powdery mildew (Erysiphe pulphra ), photosynthesis, phytotoxicity, and broad mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks)) on dogwood ( Cornus florida (L.) 'Cloud Nine') trees, and to evaluate the amounts of formulations that are deposited and washed off of peach (Prunus persica, (L.)) leaves, dormant oak (Quercus phellos, (L.) ), and viburnum ( Viburnum x juddii) twigs after simulated rainfall. Oil treatments were applied using a back pack mist blower sprayed pre- and post- inoculation of powdery mildew to evaluate powdery mildew, …

Levels And Patterns Of Genetic Diversity In The Rare And Endangered Cumberland Stitchwort, Minuartia Cumberlandensis (Caryophyllaceae), Charles Thomas Winder

Masters Theses

Sequences of a highly variable nuclear gene (G3pdh) were used to characterize genetic diversity within and among populations of the endangered rockhouse endemic, Minuartia cumberlandensis (Wofford and Kral) McNeill (Caryophyllaceae), and compared to a widespread and abundant related species, M. glabra (Michaux) McNeill. By reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among G3pdh variants (haplotypes) and observing the geographical distribution of those ordered variants, an attempt was made to gauge the effects of historical and contemporary population processes acting within the species, particularly those with potential implications for long-term conservation. Both M. cumberlandensis and M. glabra were found to have high overall …

Seasonal Abundance Of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) At A High And Low Prevalence Site For La Crosse Encephalitis In Eastern Tennessee, Nathan David Caldwell

Masters Theses

La Crosse (LAC), a California (CAL) serogroup bunyavirus, is the most prevalent pediatric arboviral disease in the United States and accounts for virtually all encephalitis cases associated with CAL serogroup arboviruses. In Tennessee, USA, prior to the drastic increase of confirmed La Crosse (LAC) encephalitis cases in 1997, the sum of documented cases reported to the Tennessee Department of Health totaled 9. During subsequent years in Tennessee (1997 to 2003), an average of 12 cases has been reported annually. Approximately 62% of these reported cases have occurred in the months of July and August. The native, container-inhabiting mosquito Ochlerotatus triseriatus …

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis And The Response Of Sorghum Plants To Combined Drought And Saline Stresses, Keun Ho Cho

Masters Theses

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been reported often to improve the abilities of host plants to tolerate drought stress. The physiological mechanism is uncertain, but one idea is that the effect might be linked to resistance to salt stress. Several studies have shown more growth in crop plants colonized with AM fungi than nonAM control plants under salt stress. Drought and salt stresses frequently occur together in nature and their initial symptoms in plants are similar. It may be interesting to scrutinize their physiological interaction in host plant as a function of AM fungi. Therefore, the objectives of my studies …

Assessment Of Insects, Primarily Impacts Of Biological Control Organisms And Their Parasitoids, Associated With Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea Stoebe L. S. L.) In Eastern Tennessee, Amy Lynn Kovach

Masters Theses

Spotted knapweed [Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos (Gugler) Hayek] (formerly C. maculosa Lam. and C. biebersteinii DC.) (Asteracea) (referred to here as C. stoebe L. sensu lato) a non-indigenous, invasive weed, has been the focus of a biological control program using a complex of insects for more than 30 years in North America. Spotted knapweed is a prolific seed producer and produces two phytotoxic chemicals (catechin and cnicin), both enhancing the invasiveness of the weed. In Tennessee, information about this common weed of roadsides and its associated insects is not well known.

This research consists of five components: …

Examining Varroa-Resistant Honey Bee Queens From Commercial Breeders: Colony Productivity, Hygienic Behavior, Suppression Of Mite Reproduction, And The Relationship Of Juvenile Hormone Iii To Mite Abundance, Laura L. Bryant

Masters Theses

This research was conducted to assess the performance of commercially bred honey bee queens sold as resistant to the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. The study’s objectives were to: 1) Compare honey and pollen stores and V. destructor infestation in colonies established with hybrid Russian, SMR, and control queens, 2) Determine levels of hygienic behavior and mite non-reproduction in the same colonies, and 3) Determine the relationship between juvenile hormone III in honey bee larvae and V. destructor reproduction.

In Part One, when honey, pollen, and V. destructor levels were measured, no significant differences were found among types of queens. …

Structural Changes In The Red Spruce-Fraser Fir Forest, Michael R. Mancusi

Masters Theses

Since the early 1900s the southern Appalachian red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.)-Fraser fir (Abies piceae (Pursh) Poir.) forests have been subjected to numerous destructive influences. Historical logging practices, fire, exotic insect infestations, acidic deposition, and global climate change have demonstratively altered the structure and composition of this fragile ecosystem. Most profound was the discovery in 1957 of the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae Ratz. Homoptera: Adelgidae ), an exotic sap-sucking aphid. A study was initiated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which contains 74% of the red spruce-Fraser ecosystem. Thirty-six 20x20 m permanent plots untouched by logging …

Insect Fauna Associated With Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis (L.), In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Stanley Earl Buck Iii

Masters Theses

Eastern hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis (L.), is an integral part of the forest system in eastern North America. These trees contribute to the biological diversity, environmental health, and economic stability of the regions that they inhabit by producing unique microclimates, cool shady recreational areas, and unmatched beauty. Information regarding the insect fauna associated with eastern hemlock is sparse and scattered with in the literature. Because of this, the insect fauna associated with eastern hemlock was assessed at four sites, representing new and old growth, and nine alternate sites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSM). Sites were sampled using malaise …