Plant Sciences Commons^™

Examination Of Greenhouse Conditions That Influence Scale Infestation Rates On Begonia, Madeline M. Cusick

Honors College Theses

Scale insects are common pests within greenhouse and agricultural settings. I quantified scale infestation on Begonia x Richmondensis, also known as the Dragon Wing begonia, within the Armstrong Campus Greenhouse from March to November of 2023. Six different treatments accounted for variations in sunlight, humidity, and temperature within the greenhouse with the goal of determining the insect’s preferred environmental conditions. Morphological comparisons were also made between host plant Dragon Wing begonia and other begonias present within the greenhouse. Analysis indicated a significant difference in scale presence on replicate plants by zone and sunlight treatments, with more plants hosting at least …

Providing Pest Management Education For Home Gardeners In Utah, Nick Volesky, Marion Murray

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

In January 2024, Utah State University (USU) Extension's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program launched a three-part class series targeting Utah's home gardeners. The goal was to enhance their abilities in identifying and managing insect and plant diseases. With over 200 participants, the series notably increased the knowledge of attendees. This initiative aligns with the USU Extension IPM program's mission to promote sustainable pest management practices across Utah, evidencing its commitment to environmental stewardship and community education.

Feeding Behavior Of Sweet Potato Weevil, Cylas Formicarius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Brentidae) On Three Sweet Potato, Ipomoea Batatas L. Cultivars Grown In Tarlac, Philippines, Jerah Mystica Novenario, Flor Ceballo-Alcantara

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Sweet potato is grown in tropical countries for its edible tubers, which have become an essential food source. It is usually propagated through vine-cutting, which can be obtained from harvested plants or nurseries intended for cutting production only. The recurrent use of vines may cause increased weevil infestation. The crop is known to be infested with insect pests. More importantly, the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius, targets the tubers, thus, causing the economic losses. Sweet potato farmers in Tarlac claim that only one sweet potato cultivar is being attacked by C. formicarius, however, it was found in this experiment that …

Taxonomy Of Cassava (Manihot Esculenta Crantz) Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) - 1: Identification And Local Distribution Of The Predominant Species On Witches’ Broom-Diseased Plants In The Philippines, Ireneo L. Lit Jr., Cristian Lucañas, Joanne Langres, Lolita Dolores, Ruby Ana Laude, Merdelyn Caasi-Lit

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Samples of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) plants infected with witches’ broom disease were gathered from 13 provinces in the Philippines. Mealybugs were observed to occur in nine out of the 13 cumulative samples. The most predominant among several mealybug species observed was identified as Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi Gimpel and Miller. P. jackbeardsleyi is not yet known to transmit phytoplasma, especially the one causing cassava witches’ broom (CWB). However, its occurrence in almost 70% of the CWB-infected samples provides circumstantial evidence that it may be related to the spread of the pathogen. This formal report of identification is in support of the …

Assessing Endophyte Frequency Distributions And The Effect Of Epichloë Brachyelytri In The Chemotypic And Genotypic Diversity Of Brachyelytrum Erectum, Rachel Ann Sneed

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Seed-transmissible epichloid fungal endophytes are best known for their roles as defensive mutualists in cool-season grasses. Historically, the discovery of fungal endophytes was driven by investigations of plant toxicity to livestock, followed by extensive study of their alkaloids and protection against insects and nematodes. Epichloae can produce four classes of alkaloids: ergot alkaloids, lolines (saturated aminopyrrolizidines), indole–diterpenes, and peramine. It is increasingly evident that these hereditary symbionts have much more diverse chemical profiles both in individual populations and between them. To this end, differences in chemotypic profiles of these symbionts may translate to different evolutionary and environmental advantages across plant …

The Effects Of Seasonal Prescribed Burning On Flint Hills Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) Populations, Herman Griese, Andrea Salazar, Victoria Pickens, Cassandra Olds

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Objective:This study aimed to determine if the season of prescribed burning impacted dung beetle communities on pastures grazed by cattle in the Flint Hills.

Study Description:Dung beetle populations at the Kansas State University Beef Stocker unit were sampled biweekly for three months over the summer grazing period to determine if beetle populations varied between spring, summer, or fall burned pastures.

Results:At least eight species of dung beetles were identified with a total of 8,646 dung beetles collected. Dung beetle populations were not different (P>0.05) between spring, summer, and fall burned pastures although peak beetle populations …

Developing Recommendations For Broad Mite, Polyphagotarsonemus Latus Banks, In Blackberry, Rubus Subgenus Rubus, Jared Bradley Linn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broad mite, (Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks) (Acari: Tarsonemidae), is an economically important pest of blackberry production across the world. Since it was first reported on primocane-fruiting blackberries in 2010, little work has gone into developing IPM tools and understanding impact on floricane-fruiting cultivars. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of broad mite feeding on floricane-fruiting cultivars of blackberry, develop an efficient and accurate field scouting strategy, and investigate the impact of cultivar and trellising technique on the development of broad mite populations. Experiments consisted of evaluating floricane fruiting cultivars by quantifying broad mite populations and cataloging their …

Evaluation Of Water Hardness And Ph On Soybean And Cotton Insecticide Efficacy, Taylor Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Insecticide efficacy often varies by location and year. Many factors can influence an insecticide’s efficacy, but an often-overlooked factor is the quality of water in a carrier solution. Water quality includes many parameters, but two important ones are water hardness and pH. Research has shown that water hardness and pH can affect some pesticides. Multiple experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of water hardness and pH on insecticide efficacy. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of water hardness and pH on the efficacy and residual control of chlorantraniliprole for the control of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Leaf …

Surveying And Evaluating Pests And Beneficial Insects In Utah's Vegetable Production, Nick Volesky, Amelia Olds, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

The Utah State University (USU) Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program conducted a season-long survey evaluating arthropod pests, plant diseases, pollinators, and other beneficials on a ¼-acre vegetable farm and adjacent pollinator habitat located in Logan, Utah. Understanding the roles of these groups on plant health and the efficacy of nonchemical pest management approaches critically impacts the sustainability of Utah’s vegetable industry. Survey findings have been used as a reference for developing video content, fact sheets, and presentations to educate Utah’s commercial and small-acreage farmers.

Community Complexity Of A Pollination Network: Analysis Of Plant-Pollinator Interactions In The Eastern Ecuadorian Cloud Forest, Anisa López-Ruiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Global declines in pollinators and temporal/spatial mismatches between plants and pollinators threaten the integrity of plant-pollinator networks. Ecological network analysis provides a powerful framework for understanding the dynamics of plant-pollinator networks and measures of community complexity that can help inform areas of priority in conservation. This study observed a plant-pollinator network in a secondary forest close to the Río Zuñac Reserve in the eastern Ecuadorian cloud forest to identify assemblages of plants and pollinators and evaluate measures of community complexity, including specialization and nestedness. Flowering plants were identified and observed along a 1.2 km transect, and floral visitors to these …

Cover Crops Influence Arthropod Community Dynamics Through Seasonal Variation And Cascading Effects, Adegboyega Fajemisin

Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1: This chapter gives an overview of how cover crops influence soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties, and their role on mediating arthropod community dynamics with implications for pest management in the subsequent cash crop.

Chapter 2: This chapter examines the effects of cover-cash crop rotation on arthropod community dynamics on four growers fields in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. We assessed the impact of cover crops planted in the summer months on the subsequent cash crops planted in the winter. Our results showed that cover crops had a differential effect on the population of beneficials and herbivores …

Mp: 766 Roadside Rights-Of-Way As Pollinator Habitat: A Literature Review, Brianne Du Clos

Miscellaneous Publications

Pollination of crops and naturally-occurring flowering plants is a critical ecosystem service provided by managed and unmanaged animal pollinators. Insects are the most studied pollinators, particularly managed honey bees, unmanaged wild bees, and butterflies. Bees and butterflies thrive in early-successional habitat featuring grasses, exposed soil, wildflowers, and shrubs, which is consistently found within transportation and utility rights-of-way (ROW). However, intensive management of ROW can reduce the amount of high-quality pollinator habitat; such practices include frequent mowing, broadcast herbicide use, and planting non-native cool season grasses. Here, we review peer-reviewed academic and non-peer reviewed gray literature describing ROW management practices and …

Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Endophytes And Their Secondary Metabolites On Herbivory From Insects, Derrick Taylor

All Theses

Endophyte-infected plants have reduced the level of herbivory. The defense to herbivory can vary due to the metabolites in the plant and the method of feeding from the pest. Secondary metabolites produced by the endophytes are mainly alkaloids. The associations between endophytes and some alkaloid groups are studied in greater detail. The lack of research of certain alkaloid groups ultimately means that some alkaloids had more data that could be analyzed. As a result, the alkaloid groups were not evenly represented in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis analyzed the relative effectiveness of the metabolites or endophytes in each of the articles …

Study Of Population Dynamics Of Sugarcane Aphid (Melanaphis Sacchari) In Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Neetu Khanal

Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1: This chapter incorporates detailed information about the biotype concept, aphids, their types and their biotypes, importance of studying insect biotypes and their role in mediating host plant defenses.

Chapter 2: This chapter explains in detail about the biology, biotypes, feeding behavior, damage, and economic loss caused due to sugarcane aphid infestation. This chapter further elaborates on the need for studying population level differences and justifies the objectives and significance of this research study.

Chapter 3: This chapter provides information about the comprehensive work done on three different populations of sugarcane aphid collected from three different locations in Rio …

The Bellarmine Bee Bed: Organizing A Native Plant Garden Using Feedback From The Local Community, Kate Moran

Undergraduate Theses

Animal pollinators are the cornerstone of healthy ecosystems. Their survival is essential for the persistence of entire food chains: from the flowers they cross-pollinate directly, to the animals who depend on those plants for nutrition. The establishment of pollinator gardens—particularly ones that consist of native plants—is an effective way to enhance their biodiversity, abundance, and well-being.

The main goal of this thesis is to construct a pollinator garden that maximizes the benefits for animal pollinators using feedback from local gardeners. A survey was used to gather information about the popularity and preferences of 40 flowering plants, and after analyzing the …

Evaluating The Pesticide-Induced Outbreak Of Soybean Looper, Chrysodeixis Includens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), In Louisiana Soybean, Scott Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens (Walker), has established itself as the primary lepidopteran defoliator in Midsouth soybean agroecosystems. Pesticide-induced outbreak events associated with this pest have been observed by soybean producers. The insecticides believed to prompt these incidents are routinely used for the control of other co-occuring pests, such as stink bugs. Outbreak conditions present soybean producers with conflicting management decisions for pests. Laboratory, greenhouse, and field experiments were conducted to provide a better understanding of insecticide usage impact on populations of C. includens and the arthropod community. To discern the potential mechanisms behind C. includens outbreak, a baseline for the …

Efficacy Of Biocontrol Against Chrysomelid Pests In Lab Vs Field Studies: Potential Biases Of Setting And Phylogenetic Subgroups, Blake Hudson

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The beetle family Chrysomelidae is a speciose group of voracious herbivores with a wide number of ecological implications. While some Chrysomelid species have been introduced or augmented as biological control agents of invasive plants, many other species have found success as economically important pests of field crops and stored grains, leading to severe yield losses in cucurbits, legumes, and other systems. Controlling such pests, especially in the field, is particularly difficult due to the timing of their complex life cycles, the fossorial nature of many species’ larvae, and ability to produce multiple generations in a single growing season. This study …

Biology Of Spodoptera Frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) On Rice And Different Corn Varieties, Anthony S. Agravante, Karen B. Alviar, Analiza Henedina M. Ramirez, Sheryl A. Yap

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Rice and corn are one of the most important crops in the Philippines. Several insect pests contribute to the losses and low yield of these crops. The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), was recently reported to cause economic damage to corn. Also, this insect consists of two genetically differentiated strains namely, the corn strain and the rice strain. This study was conducted in a laboratory conditions to evaluate the biological parameters of FAW on rice and corn varieties. Newly hatched larvae were fed such as the open pollinated variety (OPV), traditional variety, Macho F1 (hybrid), NK 6410 (genetically …

Assessing Functional Biodiversity For The Future Of Plants, Planet, And People, Ali Loker

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Biodiversity plays a critical role in supporting life in global ecosystems and its links to ecosystem services and sustainability are recognized by scientific and non-scientific communities. Growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity is accelerated by discussions of its loss, and how to design interventions to conserve and mitigate a biodiversity crisis. Stakeholders are funding and implementing assessment strategies at various scales to help direct conservation efforts. There is also growing interest in measuring and communicating biodiversity outcomes.

Functional biodiversity characterizes the multiplicity of life forms into groups based on their diverse contributions to natural and agro-ecosystems. Assessing functional biodiversity …

A Novel Insect And Pest Identification Model Based On A Weighted Multipath Convolutional Neural Network And Generative Adversarial Network, Vinita Abhishek Gupta, M.V. Padmavati, Ravi R. Saxena, Raunak Kumar Tamrakar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Timely identification of insects and their management play a significant role in sustainable agriculture development. The proposed hybrid model integrates a weighted multipath convolutional neural network and generative adversarial network to identify insects efficiently. To address the shortcomings of single-path networks, this novel model takes input from numerous iterations of the same image to learn more specific features. To avoid redundancy produced due to multipath, weights have been assigned to each path. For Xie2 dataset, the model shows 3.75%, 2.74%, 1.54%, 1.76%, 1.76%, 2.74 %, and 2.14% performance improvement from AlexNet, ResNet50, ResNet101, GoogleNet, VGG-16, VGG-19, and simple CNN respectively. …

Differing Short-Term Impacts Of Agricultural Tarping On Soil-Dwelling And Surface-Active Arthropods, Eva Kinnebrew, Victor Izzo, Deborah A. Neher, Taylor H. Ricketts, Kimberly F. Wallin, Gillian L. Galford

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Agricultural tarping, the practice of placing impermeable plastic tarps over crop beds before planting to suppress weeds, is rising in popularity. However, the use of tarps has uncertain effects on soil arthropod communities. We studied the impact of silage (black plastic) tarps and clear plastic tarps on surface-active and soil-dwelling arthropods by tracking immediate impacts and arthropod recovery for 5 weeks after tarps were removed. We also assessed how well environmental and experimental variables explained arthropod diversity and composition. During tarp application, we found that both silage and clear plastic tarps had significant negative impacts on surface-active arthropod diversity, while …

Featured Faculty Mentor/Student Team, Gisela Erf, Alessandro Rocchi

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

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

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

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Time-Restricted Feeding And Whey Protein Isolate Supplementation On Dietary Intake, Mood, And Sleep In A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial, Sydney E. Boudrey, Aubree L. Hawley

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

Obesity affects adults in the United States, leading to chronic diseases and reduced well-being. Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF) is a type of dietary intervention lacking current data regarding the effectiveness on facets of well-being. This study’s objective was to determine the effect of time-restricted feeding supplemented with whey protein isolate on food intake, sleep, and mood in overweight or obese adults. Nineteen participants were randomly assigned to the control or experimental group: 1) control, TRF, and 2) experimental, TRF with whey protein supplementation. Participants followed the assigned dietary intervention for 12 weeks. Every 4 weeks (baseline, week 4, week 8, and …

Rice Biomass Response To Various Phosphorus Fertilizers In A Phosphorus-Deficient Soil Under Simulated Furrow-Irrigation, Jonathan B. Brye, Kristofor R. Brye, Diego Della Lunga

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

Wastewater-recovered phosphorus (P), in the form of the mineral struvite (MgNH4PO4∙6H2O), may provide a sustainable alternative to decreasing rock-phosphate reserves. Struvite can be generated via precipitation methods, potentially reducing the amount of P runoff to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this greenhouse tub study was to evaluate the effects of chemically and electrochemically precipitated struvite (CPST and ECST, respectively) on aboveground plant response in a hybrid rice cultivar grown using furrow-irrigation compared to other common fertilizer-P sources [i.e., triple super phosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP)] using three replications of fertilizer treatment in a P-deficient silt loam (Typic Glossaqualfs). Aboveground …

Fostering Infant And Toddler Music Competence At The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center, Ellen Mathews, Laura Herold, Shelley Mcnally, Donia Timby

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

This paper presents a creative research project that introduced musical instruments in an outdoor setting to infants and toddlers ages 0-to-3 years old. It was grounded in research suggesting that music plays a vital component in expanding development in the early childhood years, helping to promote learning across many domains. This project began with a survey distributed to 7 infant and toddler classroom educators, after which responses were analyzed for themes regarding perceived infant interests. Subsequent observations were conducted to evaluate the best fit for the implementation of an outdoor experiential music space. Based on the findings, a developmentally appropriate …

Effects Of Cyclic Heat Stress On The Acute Inflammatory Response In Broilers, Alessandro J. Rocchi, Chrysta N. Beck, Jossie M. Santamaria, Gisela F. Erf

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

Heat stress (HS) is a growing concern in broiler production. Little is known regarding the effect of HS on immune function. To examine the effects of HS on innate immunity, the local- and systemic-inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were examined in Cobb 500 male broiler chicks reared under thermoneutral (TN) or cyclic HS conditions. Beginning at four days of age, HS birds were subjected to 35 °C from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and TN temperatures from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. At 37 days of age, four groups of broilers were formed: LPS-TN (8 broilers), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-TN (4 …

An Inclusive Playground For Infant And Toddler Development, Amanda M. Swartz, Jacquelyn D. Wiersma-Mosley, Donia Timby, Shelley Mcnally, Caitlyn Daniel

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

The purpose of this project was to help children reach more developmental goals and to make outdoor play at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center more inclusive for all children. Children gain many developmental goals from playing outside and being exposed to other environments as compared to just being inside the classroom. Outdoor play should be as inclusive as indoor play and offer many different activities and outlets, just as the indoor classroom does. The implementation of this service-learning creative project was to add more versatility to the outdoor area at the University of Arkansas Jean Tyson Child Development …

Investigation Of Fungal Pathogens And Woodboring Beetles Of Sugarbush Stands In The Central Appalachian Region, Molly A. Sherlock

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The production of maple syrup is a valuable source of income and cultural identity for many rural communities throughout the central Appalachian region. Regardless, maple syrup producers face difficulties maintaining the health and productivity
of their stands due to various impacts of climate change, which have given rise to extreme weather events that exacerbate damage caused by pests and diseases. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the maple syrup industry, it is crucial to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current biotic threats within the region, particularly woodboring insects and fungal pathogens. However, insufficient information exists regarding the community assemblages …

Modelling Pollinator And Nonpollinator Selection On Flower Colour Variation, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Agnes S. Dellinger, Stacey D. Smith

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

1. Flower colour variation is ubiquitous within and between populations, which is why it has long been a focal point for studies of natural selection. This body of work has uncovered a wide range of selective agents, including pollinators, herbivores, and various abiotic factors. Nevertheless, we lack an integrative framework for predicting the phenotypic outcome in terms of floral pigmentation when these forces act collectively and often in opposition. 2. We here present such a framework through a model that incorporates selection on pigmentation at the vegetative phase (i.e., through survival to reproduction) and at the flowering phase (i.e., on …