Entomology Commons^™

A Message From The Department Head Of Horticulture And Food Science, Wayne Mackey

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Historical Observations And Identifications Of Plants And Animals In The Vicinity Of Engineer Cantonment In 1819-1820, Hugh H. Genoways, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Carl R. Falk, John R. Bozell

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Historical observations and identifications of plants and animals in the vicinity of Engineer Cantonment in 1819–1820 (James 1822) are shown below in Roman and Roman italic print. Specimens identified through phytoarcheological and zooarcheological analysis of materials and believed to be reasonably associated or contemporaneous with the Long Expedition use of the site (AU4) are shown in boldface. Species present in both the historical and archeological data are marked by an asterisk (*). References used in this compilation include Benedict (1996), Brewer (1970 [1840]), Conant and Collins (1991), Ducey (2000), Evans (1997), Falk et al. (this volume), Genoways et al. (2008), …

Nebline, January 2018

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Extension 2017 Highlights

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Early Childhood

and other extension news and events

Insecticidal Seed And In-Furrow Treatment Recommendations For Soybean And Sunflower, Brady Hauswedell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the 2016 and 2017 growing season, field research experiments were replicated across South Dakota. Many times seed treatments are used prophylactic, which is neither good for the producers or the environment. Producers will be able to reduce production costs, if they only use a seed treatment when necessary. The purpose of the first experiment was to determine the effects of seed treatments in combination with planting date and seeding rate on soybean yield. To determine the effects, two years of field data from four eastern South Dakota locations were compared. Within each year and location we compared two planting …

Soybean Aphid Biotype 4 Resistance In Soja And Soybean Plant Introductions, Sophia R. Conzemius

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, is a major pest to soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Host plant resistance is a management tactic that uses naturally occurring soybean plant defenses to limit soybean aphid pest damage. Virulent soybean aphid biotypes are able to successfully colonize on certain aphid resistant soybean. Soybean aphid biotype 4 is most virulent, overcoming all commercially available soybean aphid resistant soybeans (Rag1, Rag2, and Rag1+Rag2). Additional sources of resistance to avirulent biotypes have been identified in soja and soybean plant introductions (PIs). This study examined those resistant soja and soybean for resistance to the newly found soybean …

Hart Prairie Preserve Site Visit To Assess Aspen Health Nature Conservancy, Flagstaff, Az, Amanda Grady

Aspen Bibliography

On June 11, 2018, Amanda Grady, Entomologist, Arizona Zone, Forest Health Protection, performed a site visit to evaluate aspen health on the Nature Conservancy lands at Heart Prairie Preserve (HPP) near Flagstaff. Specifically, the evaluation was to determine whether or not the aspen within exclosures on Fern Mountain have symptoms or signs of Oystershell scale (OSS), an emergent forest pest contributing to aspen decline in northern Arizona.

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Dean, Deacue Fields

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Science At Engineer Cantonment, Hugh H. Genoways, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Carl R. Falk, Thomas E. Labedz, Paul R. Picha, John R. Bozell

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Conclusions

It is our contention that Thomas Say, Titian Peale, Edwin James, and their colleagues of the Stephen Long Expedition of 1819–1820 were heavily engaged in scientific research, which took the form of the first biodiversity inventory undertaken in the United States. This accomplishment has been overlooked both by biologists and historians, but it should rank among the most significant accomplishments of the expedition. The results of this inventory continue to inform us today about environmental, faunal, and floral changes along the Missouri River in an area that is known to be an ecotone between the deciduous forests of the …

Can Increasing Grass-Fungal Endophyte Symbiotic Diversity Enhance Grassland Ecosystem Functioning?, Mahtaab Bagherzadeh

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is important in maintaining agroecosystem sustainability. Plant-microbe symbioses, such as exists between the grass tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceum) and the asexual fungal endophyte Epichloë coenophiala, can be utilized to enhance agroecosystem functions, such as herbivore resistance. “Novel” E. coenophiala strains that vary in the production of mammal- and insect-toxic compounds have been identified, inserted into tall fescue cultivars, and are planted in pastures globally. Novel fungal endophyte-tall fescue associations may have divergent ecosystem function effects. This study assessed effects of different fescue-endophyte symbiotic combinations on pasture ecosystem function, including aboveground …

Jeweled Spider Flies (Eulonchus Tristis) Are Important Pollinators Of Iris Bracteata, A Rare Siskiyou Mountain Endemic, Jean-Paul E. Ponte

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Little is known about the pollination biology of the Pacific Coast Irises (Iris: series Californicae, hereafter PCI), especially who visits and pollinates their flowers. In general, Iris flowers are considered bee-pollinated, however, flies in the genus Eulonchus (Acroceridae) are known to visit some PCI members. Therefore, I assessed the relative importance of Eulonchus and other insect visitors to the pollination of a rare PCI species native to the Siskiyou Mountains, I. bracteata.

Methods. I quantified pollinator importance for all flower visitors at sites in northern California and southern Oregon as the product of average visit rate and …

Relationship Between New Farming Practices And Chemical Use And The Consumption Of Giant Cricket (Brachytrupes Membranaceus Drury, 1770), F. O. Miantsia, F. Meutchieye, S. Niassy

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The current work is aimed at generating information on giant crickets and the impact of commonly used pesticides on the natural population of these crickets. Data was collected based on interviews and complemented with field observations. Out of 319 respondents surveyed, 290 were aware of the use of the giant cricket as a food source, and 161 were active consumers. Regarding the availability of the giant cricket, respondents reported that the crickets' populations were diminishing because of farming practices. About 219 persons reported that commonly used herbicides harm giant crickets at different stages. This could be attributed to the scarcity …

Push-Pull Farming System Controls Fall Armyworm: Lessons From Africa, Zeyaur R. Khan, Jimmy O. Pittchar, Charles A.O. Midega, John A. Pickett

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda invaded Africa, with the first detections being reported in Central and Western Africa in early 2016, and now affects at least 40 countries in Africa, causing up to total crop loss amounting to over $6.2 billion p.a. FAW is an invasive polyphagous pest that causes damage to economically important crops and has recently been reported in the Indian sub-continent. Effective control of FAW through use of synthetic chemical pesticides and genetically modified crops such as Bt maize faces challenges including improper use, unaffordability by smallholder farmers and development of resistance by the pest. Additionally, dispersal …

Lepidopteran Stem Borer Species Abundance And Associated Damages On Irrigated Kilombero Low Land Rice Ecosystem In Tanzania, Bonaventure January, Gration M. Rwegasira, Tadele Tefera

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Rice stem borers are among the most biotic stresses of economic importance in agriculture. Little was known about stem borer problem in Tanzania prior to this study. Understanding stem borer abundance and damages would help to design appropriate stem borer integrated pest management strategy in rice. This study was aimed at investigating rice stem borer’s species abundance and their associated damages in irrigated lowland rice ecosystem in Kilombero Tanzania. Materials and Methods: Field survey study on rice stem borer abundance and incidences were conducted in farmer’s fields on selected rice varieties at varied growth stages in Kilombero district under …

Advanced Biotechnology Tools For Invasive Species Management, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Increasingly, genetic tools are being used to detect and solve pressing environmental, social, and health-related challenges. It is clear that investments in technology innovation can be game changing, as advances in biotechnology may provide new methods to protect the nation’s resources from the negative impacts of invasive species. The current toolbox of management options is recognizably insufficient to deal with many of the high-impact species that have been introduced. However, “surrendering” to these species is generally not a viable option from ecological, health, economic, socio-cultural, or political perspectives. Cost-efficient solutions to these “grand invasive species challenges” need to be found. …

Enhancing Federal-Tribal Coordination Of Invasive Species, Blaine Parker, Chuck Bargeron, Sean Southey, Lori Buchanan, Miles Falck, Chris Fisher, Joe Maroney, Mervin Wright, Gintas Zavadkas

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive species are defined by the United States government to mean “with regard to a particular ecosystem, a non-native organism whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human, animal, or plant health” (Executive Order [EO] 13751). The ecosystems to which invasive species are introduced or spread are not delimited by jurisdictional boundaries; they intersect with lands managed by federal, tribal, state, territorial, and county governments, as well as properties under private ownership. For this reason, effective coordination and cooperation across jurisdictions is of paramount importance in the prevention, eradication, and control of …

Horticulture For Pollinator Conservation, Carter M. Westerhold

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pollinators worldwide are declining. Consequently, the agricultural and ecological services these insects provide are in danger of being lost. Land use intensification, via urbanization, has greatly influenced this decline in pollinators. Luckily, through targeted horticultural practices, stable populations of pollinators can be sustained within urban areas. The horticultural practices of planting diverse floral resources and managing pollinator habitat in urban areas can sustain these populations. Two studies were conducted with the intent to identify horticultural knowledge gaps that could be reduced to aid in pollinator conservation efforts. First, a study to compare Nebraska native and non-native ornamental plants was conducted. …

The Cotesia Sesamiae Story: Insight Into Host-Range Evolution In A Hymenoptera Parasitoid And Implication For Its Use In Biological Control Programs, L. Kaiser, S. Dupas, A. Branca, E. A. Herniou, C. W. Clarke, C. Capdevielle Dulac, J. Obonyo, R. Benoist, J. Gauthier, P. A. Calatayud, J. F. Silvain, B. P. Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This review covers nearly 20 years of studies on the ecology, physiology and genetics of the Hymenoptera Cotesia sesamiae, an African parasitoid of Lepidoptera that reduces populations of common maize borers in East and South Africa. The first part of the review presents studies based on sampling of C. sesamiae from maize crops in Kenya. From this agrosystem including one host plant and three main host borer species, studies revealed two genetically differentiated populations of C. sesamiae species adapted to their local host community, and showed that their differentiation involved the joint evolution of virulence genes and sensory mechanisms of …

Seasonality And Management Of Spotted Wing Drosophila On Berry Crops And Wild Hosts In Arkansas, Lizabeth Rubi Herrera

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is a serious invasive pest of small fruit production in North and South America and Europe since 2008. The primary control method is to apply insecticides every 5-7 days. Therefore, it is necessary to develop control tactics that are less chemical dependent to enhance an integrated approach for SWD management. The objectives of this study were to monitor SWD populations in different crop systems and adjacent landscape habitats; identify wild hosts of SWD; evaluate the effectiveness of insect exclusion netting in tunnels to prevent blackberry and blueberry infestations, and compare effects of netted …

Horizontal Transmission Of Helicoverpa Armigera Nucleopolyhedrovirus (Hearnpv) In Soybean Fields Infested With Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie), Joseph Lee Black

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Helicoverpa armigera Nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) is a commercially available viral biopesticide that targets Heliothines, including Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the most damaging pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) in the Mid-South. Previous formulations of HearNPV have been well studied; however, no research has been published on current formulations. The first objective of this thesis was to assess the rate of horizontal transmission of HearNPV in a soybean field infested with H. zea when HearNPV was applied as a bio-insecticide, and to identify arthropods that are important obligate carriers in dissemination. HearNPV spread 200 feet in 3 fields, and was …

Economic Impact Of The Sugarcane Aphid Outbreak In South Texas, Samuel D. Zapata, Rebekka Dudensing, Danielle Sekula, Gabriela Esparza-Díaz, Raul Villanueva

Entomology Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to estimate the economic impact of the sugarcane aphid (SCA) outbreak in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), Texas. Local producers were surveyed to gather detailed information about crop production and pest control practices. Collected data were used to estimate the reduction in profit associated with the SCA infestation, as well as the monetary value of the prevented loss attributed to control efforts. Sorghum industry losses were then used to assess the overall economic impact of the SCA outbreak in the RGV economy.

Nebline, November/December 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H’ers Grow Into True Leaders through Service

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Giant Salvinia, Salvinia Molesta (Salviniaceae): Evaluation Of Sub-Optimum Temperatures On Survival Of The Giant Salvinia Weevil, Cyrtobagous Salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) And Integration Of Management Practices With Aquatic Herbicides, Lauren W. Cozad

LSU Master's Theses

Salvinia molesta is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds and has cost Louisiana nearly $7 million worth of damage and economic impact each year. While aquatic herbicides and the biological control agent, Cyrtobagous salviniae, are the most efficacious control methods, there are limitations with each technology. Therefore, studies were conducted to evaluate insect mortality at upper and lower lethal temperatures and investigate integrated pest management (IPM) with insects and herbicides. Three Louisiana populations of C. salviniae were tested to evaluate cold tolerance and found that at 0°C, the Bayou Nicholas population was 1.3- and 1.4-times more cold tolerant …

Nebline, October 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Floodwater and Stormwater Can Contaminate Water Wells

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Detection And Epidemic Dynamic Of Tocv And Ccyv With Bemisia Tabaci And Weed In Hainan Of China, Xin Tang, Xiaobin Shi, Deyong Zhang, Fan Li, Fei Yan, Youjun Zhang, Yong Liu, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background: In recent years, two of the crinivirus, Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) have gained increasing attention due to their rapid spread and devastating impacts on vegetable production worldwide. Both of these viruses are transmitted by the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), in a semi-persistent manner. Up to now, there is still lack of report in Hainan, the south of China.

Methods: We used observational and experimental methods to explore the prevalence and incidence dynamic of CCYV and ToCV transmitted by whiteflies in Hainan of China.

Results: In 2016, the chlorosis symptom was observed …

Nebline, September 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Early Childhood Educators Benefit from Mindfulness Reflection

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

An Assessment Of The Magnitudes And Factors Associated With Postharvest Losses In Off-Farm Grain Stores In Kenya, Joseph K. Mwangi, Christopher M. Mutungi, Soul Kifouly G. Midingoyi, Abdul K. Faraj, Hippolyte D. Affognon

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Off-farm grain storage is an important postharvest undertaking by government, traders and processors in Kenya. A survey was conducted in 2014/2015 to assess the kinds and magnitudes of perceived losses experienced in off-farm stores, and the factors associated with them. Store supervisors or key personnel charged with grain storage in 39 public and 74 private stores, spread across the six maize growing agro-ecological zones, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Total perceived losses averaged 17.6± 2.3%, and were attributed to insects (7.2± 1.0%), molds (5.7± 2.1%), moisture loss (3.4± 0.5%), rodents (2.0± 0.5%), spillage (0.50 ± 0.0%) and birds (0.10± …

Phytoplasma Infection Of A Tropical Root Crop Triggers Bottom-Up Cascades By Favoring Generalist Over Specialist Herbivores, Kris A. G. Wyckhuys, Ignazio Graziosi, Dharani Dhar Burra, Abigail Jan Walter

Entomology Faculty Publications

Global interest on plant-microbe-insect interactions is rapidly growing, revealing the multiple ways in which microorganisms mediate plant-herbivore interactions. Phytopathogens regularly alter whole repertoires of plant phenotypic traits, and bring about shifts in key chemical or morphological characteristics of plant hosts. Pathogens can also cause cascading effects on higher trophic levels, and eventually shape entire plant-associated arthropod communities. We tested the hypothesis that a Candidatus Phytoplasma causing cassava witches’ broom (CWB) on cassava (Manihot esculenta Grantz) is altering species composition of invasive herbivores and their associated parasitic hymenopterans. We conducted observational studies in cassava fields in eastern Cambodia to assess …

Ecological And Organic Life Safety Concerns Of Hfo-1234yf, Alberni V. Ruiz

STAR Program Research Presentations

While at NOAA my research was directed by the inquiry of whether or not HFO-1234yf, a new compound being introduced into coolant system and replacing greenhouse gases HFC, is harmful to organic life. Using the computer program Matlab I was able to develop figures that represented the concentration of HFO-1234yf (HFO) in 12 different tower locations throughout the country. Comparing and contrasting concentrations of this HFO compound at each site led me to the question the possible harmful side effects this compound could bring to organic life due to the fact that concentration levels are increasing, with one factor being …

Nebline, August 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Back-to-School Nutrition

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

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