Post-harvest entomology research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

This is a review of current post-harvest entomology research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service, the research branch of the US Department of Agriculture. The review covers both durable and perishable commodities. Research on biochemistry, genetics, physiology, monitoring and control of insects infesting stored grain, dried fruits and nuts, and processed commodities is reviewed. Research on development of quarantine treatments, particularly for fruit flies, is also reviewed, including research on thermal and irradiation treatments and a discussion of risk management for quarantine pests. Two areas of research are covered more extensively: a project to map the genome of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and the use of near-infrared spectroscopy for detection of hidden infestations in grain, quantification of insect fragments in food, determination of quality in dried fruits, identification of insect species and age-grading insects. Future research directions are identified.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on improving host-plant resistance to pests

Host-plant resistance is an efficient, economical and environmentally benign approach used to manage many pests and diseases of agricultural crops. After nearly a century of research, the resources and tools have become more refined, but the basic tasks in breeding for resistance have not changed. Resistance must be identified, incorporated into elite germplasm, and deployed in a form useful to growers. In some instances, biotechnology has expedited this process through incorporating a foreign gene(s) for resistance into elite germplasm. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has made significant contributions in the development of germplasm with resistance to insects, nematodes and plant diseases. Because resistant plant varieties are an essential component of sustainable production systems, ARS is committed to developing techniques and germplasm to help meet this goal.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on managing insect resistance to insecticides

Insecticide resistance has developed within many classes of pesticide, and over 500 species of insects and mites are resistant to one or more insecticides. Insecticide resistance and the consequent losses of food and fiber caused by failure to control insect and mite pests causes economic losses of several billion dollars worldwide each year. It is the goal of insect resistance management (IRM) to preserve useful pesticides by slowing, preventing or reversing development of resistance in pests. Important aspects of this goal are understanding the development of resistance and monitoring to determine ways to prevent its development. We describe programs specific to missions of the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, which are designed to characterize insecticide resistance in insects and mites with the goal of managing pests in an ecologically acceptable manner. Resistance management of cotton, potatoes, vegetables, melons, ornamentals, greenhouse crops, corn, stored grains, livestock, honeybees and mites, as well as management of transgenic crops are evaluated. We conclude that IRM is a vital part of stewardship of any pest management product and must be a combined effort of manufacturers, growers, consultants, extension services and grower organizations, working closely with regulators, to achieve logistically and economically feasible systems that prolong the effectiveness of all pest-control products.     

Invasive species research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

Invasive pests cause huge losses both to agricultural production systems and to the natural environment through displacing native species and decreasing biodiversity. It is now estimated that many thousand exotic insect, weed and pathogen species have been established in the USA and that these invasive species are responsible for a large portion of the $130 billion losses estimated to be caused by pests each year. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has responded with extensive research and action programs aimed at understanding these problems and developing new management approaches for their control. This paper provides an overview of some of the ARS research that has been conducted on invasive species over the past few years and addresses both different categories of research and some specific pest systems of high interest to the US Department of Agriculture.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on veterinary pests

An overview of ARS research in the field of veterinary pests is presented. Results of research from the past three years on ticks, fire ants, nuisance flies, mosquitoes, sand flies and black flies, among others, are included. Where applicable, significance of research is discussed.     

Insect chemical ecology research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

This multi-author paper reviews current work by USDA-ARS scientists in the field of chemical ecology. Work with pheromones, the discovery and development of the codling moth kairomone, studies on insect-plant interactions and chemically mediated tritrophic plant-insect interactions have led to practical methods for control of important insect pests.     

Corn rootworm areawide management program: United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

The corn rootworm areawide management program was implemented by USDA-ARS in 1995 at five locations across the USA. This program is based on the use of a semiochemical insecticide bait applied to maize (Zea mays L) during peak adult corn rootworm activity. Managing adult rootworms minimizes the number of eggs laid, resulting in fewer larvae available to economically damage maize roots in the following growing season. To date, rootworm populations have been significantly reduced at all participating locations and new bait products have been developed and evaluated for use in rootworm-infested areas.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on pest biology: weeds

Over 125 permanent full-time scientists conduct research within the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on issues related to weeds. The research emphasis of most of these scientists involves ecology and management or biological control of weeds. Many scientists perform research on weed biology as components of their primary projects on weed control and integrated crop and soil management. Describing all ARS projects involved with weed biology is impossible, and consequently only research that falls within the following arbitrarily chosen topics is highlighted in this article: dormancy mechanisms; cell division; diversity of rangeland weeds; soil resources and rangeland weeds; poisonous rangeland plants; horticultural weeds; weed traits limiting chemical control; aquatic and semi-aquatic weeds; weed/transgenic wheat hybrids; seedbanks, seedling emergence and seedling populations; and weed seed production. Within these topics, and others not highlighted, the desire of ARS is that good information on weed biology currently translates or eventually will translate into practical advice for those who must manage weeds.     

Research on plant-parasitic nematode biology conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

The recent de-registration of several chemical nematicides and the impending loss of methyl bromide from the pest-control market necessitate the development of new methods for controlling nematode-induced crop damage. One approach for developing novel target-specific controls is by exploiting fundamental differences between the biological processes of nematodes and their host plants. Researchers of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture are actively exploring these differences. Research accomplishments include the discovery of heat shock protein genes possibly involved in developmental arrest of the soybean cyst nematode, the identification of neuropeptides and female-specific proteins in the soybean cyst nematode, the disruption of nematode reproduction with inhibitors of nematode sterol metabolism, the development of novel morphological and molecular (heat shock protein genes and the D3 segment of large subunit ribosomal DNA) features useful for nematode identification and classification, and the elucidation of the population genetics of potato cyst nematode pathotypes. In addition, several ARS researchers are investigating biological determinants of nematode response to management strategies utilized in agricultural fields. These collective efforts should lead to new chemical and non-chemical alternatives to conventional nematode control strategies.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on biological control of arthropods

During 1999-2001, ARS scientists published over 100 papers on more than 30 species of insect pest and 60 species of predator and parasitoid. These papers address issues crucial to the three strategies of biological control: conservation, augmentation and introduction. Conservation biological control includes both conserving extant populations of natural enemies by using relatively non-toxic pesticides and increasing the abundance of natural enemies in crops by providing or improving refuges for population growth and dispersal into crops. ARS scientists have been very active in determining the effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods and in studying movement of natural enemies from refuges into crops. Augmentation involves repeated releases of natural enemies in the field, which can be inoculative or inundative. Inoculative releases are used to initiate self-propagating populations at times or in places where they would be slow to colonize. ARS scientists have studied augmentative biological control of a variety of pest insects. The targets are mostly pests in annual crops or other ephemeral habitats, where self-reproducing populations of natural enemies are not sufficiently abundant early enough to keep pest populations in check. ARS research in augmentative biological control centers on methods for rearing large numbers of healthy, effective natural enemies and for releasing them where and when they are needed at a cost less than the value of the reduction in damage to the crop. ARS scientists have researched various aspects of introductions of exotic biological control agents against a diversity of pest insects. The major issues in biological control introductions are accurate identification and adequate systematics of both natural enemies and target pests, exploration for natural enemies, predicting the success of candidates for introduction and the likelihood of non-target impacts, quarantine and rearing methods, and post-introduction evaluation of establishment, control and non-target impacts. ARS scientists have published research on several general issues in biological control. Among the most important are the mechanisms affecting mate- and host-finding and host specificity.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service stored-grain areawide integrated pest management program

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) funded a demonstration project (1998-2002) for areawide IPM for stored wheat in Kansas and Oklahoma. This project was a collaboration of researchers at the ARS Grain Marketing and Production Research Center in Manhattan, Kansas, Kansas State University, and Oklahoma State University. The project utilized two elevator networks, one in each state, for a total of 28 grain elevators. These elevators stored approximately 31 million bushels of wheat, which is approximately 1.2% of the annual national production. Stored wheat was followed as it moved from farm to the country elevator and finally to the terminal elevator. During this study, thousands of grain samples were taken in concrete elevator silos. Wheat stored at elevators was frequently infested by several insect species, which sometimes reached high numbers and damaged the grain. Fumigation using aluminum phosphide pellets was the main method for managing these insect pests in elevators in the USA. Fumigation decisions tended to be based on past experience with controlling stored-grain insects, or were calendar based. Integrated pest management (IPM) requires sampling and risk benefit analysis. We found that the best sampling method for estimating insect density, without turning the grain from one bin to another, was the vacuum probe sampler. Decision support software, Stored Grain Advisor Pro (SGA Pro) was developed that interprets insect sampling data, and provides grain managers with a risk analysis report detailing which bins are at low, moderate or high risk for insect-caused economic losses. Insect density was predicted up to three months in the future based on current insect density, grain temperature and moisture. Because sampling costs money, there is a trade-off between frequency of sampling and the cost of fumigation. The insect growth model in SGA Pro reduces the need to sample as often, thereby making the program more cost-effective. SGA Pro was validated during the final year of the areawide program. Based on data from 533 bins, SGA Pro accurately predicted which bins were at low, moderate or high risk. Only in two out of 533 bins did SGA Pro incorrectly predict bins as being low risk and, in both cases, insect density was only high (> two insects kg(-1)) at the surface, which suggested recent immigration. SGA Pro is superior to calendar-based management because it ensures that grain is only treated when insect densities exceed economic thresholds (two insects kg(-1)). This approach will reduce the frequency of fumigation while maintaining high grain quality. Minimizing the use of fumigant improves worker safety and reduces both control costs and harm to the environment.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research in application technology for pest management

A research summary is presented that emphasizes ARS achievements in application technology over the past 2-3 years. Research focused on the improvement of agricultural pesticide application is important from the standpoint of crop protection as well as environmental safety. Application technology research is being actively pursued within the ARS, with a primary focus on application system development, drift management, efficacy enhancement and remote sensing. Research on application systems has included sensor-controlled hooded sprayers, new approaches to direct chemical injection, and aerial electrostatic sprayers. For aerial application, great improvements in on-board flow controllers permit accurate field application of chemicals. Aircraft parameters such as boom position and spray release height are being altered to determine their effect on drift. Other drift management research has focused on testing of low-drift nozzles, evaluation of pulsed spray technologies and evaluation of drift control adjuvants. Research on the use of air curtain sprayers in orchards, air-assist sprayers for row crops and vegetables, and air deflectors on aircraft has documented improvements in application efficacy. Research has shown that the fate of applied chemicals is influenced by soil properties, and this has implications for herbicide efficacy and dissipation in the environment. Remote sensing systems are being used to target areas in the field where pests are present so that spray can be directed to only those areas. Soil and crop conditions influence propensity for weeds and insects to proliferate in any given field area. Research has indicated distinct field patterns favorable for weed growth and insect concentration, which can provide further assistance for targeted spraying.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on natural products for pest management

Recent research of the Agricultural Research Service of USDA on the use of natural products to manage pests is summarized. Studies of the use of both phytochemicals and diatomaceous earth to manage insect pests are discussed. Chemically characterized compounds, such as a saponin from pepper (Capsicum frutescens L), benzaldehyde, chitosan and 2-deoxy-D-glucose are being studied as natural fungicides. Resin glycosides for pathogen resistance in sweet potato and residues of semi-tropical leguminous plants for nematode control are also under investigation. Bioassay-guided isolation of compounds with potential use as herbicides or herbicide leads is underway at several locations. New natural phytotoxin molecular target sites (asparagine synthetase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase) have been discovered. Weed control in sweet potato and rice by allelopathy is under investigation. Molecular approaches to enhance allelopathy in sorghum are also being undertaken. The genes for polyketide synthases involved in production of pesticidal polyketide compounds in fungi are found to provide clues for pesticide discovery. Gene expression profiles in response to fungicides and herbicides are being generated as tools to understand more fully the mode of action and to rapidly determine the molecular target site of new, natural fungicides and herbicides.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research programs in biological control of plant diseases

A number of USDA-ARS programs directed at overcoming impediments to the use of biocontrol agents on a commercial scale are described. These include improvements in screening techniques, taxonomic studies to identify beneficial strains more precisely, and studies on various aspects of the large-scale production of biocontrol agents. Another broad area of studies covers the ecological aspects of biocontrol agents-their interaction with the pathogen, with the plant and with other aspects of the environmental complex. Examples of these studies are given and their relevance to the further development and expansion of biocontrol agents is discussed.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research programs on microbes for management of plant-parasitic nematodes

Restrictions on the use of conventional nematicides have increased the need for new methods of managing plant-parasitic nematodes. Consequently, nematode-antagonistic microbes, and active compounds produced by such organisms, are being explored as potential additions to management practices. Programs in this area at the USDA Agricultural Research Service investigate applied biocontrol agents, naturally occurring beneficial soil microbes and natural compounds. Specific research topics include use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and cultural practices for management of root-knot and ring nematodes, determination of management strategies that enhance activity of naturally occurring Pasteuria species (bacterial obligate parasites of nematodes), studies on interactions between biocontrol bacteria and bacterial-feeding nematodes, and screening of microbes for compounds active against plant-parasitic nematodes. Some studies involve biocontrol agents that are active against nematodes and soil-borne plant-pathogenic fungi, or combinations of beneficial bacteria and fungi, to manage a spectrum of plant diseases or to increase efficacy over a broader range of environmental conditions. Effective methods or agents identified in the research programs are investigated as additions to existing management systems for plant-parasitic nematodes.     

Software for pest-management science: computer models and databases from the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

We present an overview of USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) computer models and databases related to pest-management science, emphasizing current developments in environmental risk assessment and management simulation models. The ARS has a unique national interdisciplinary team of researchers in surface and sub-surface hydrology, soil and plant science, systems analysis and pesticide science, who have networked to develop empirical and mechanistic computer models describing the behavior of pests, pest responses to controls and the environmental impact of pest-control methods. Historically, much of this work has been in support of production agriculture and in support of the conservation programs of our 'action agency' sister, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service). Because we are a public agency, our software/database products are generally offered without cost, unless they are developed in cooperation with a private-sector cooperator. Because ARS is a basic and applied research organization, with development of new science as our highest priority, these products tend to be offered on an 'as-is' basis with limited user support except for cooperating R&D relationship with other scientists. However, rapid changes in the technology for information analysis and communication continually challenge our way of doing business.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on alternatives to methyl bromide: pre-plant and post-harvest

Methyl bromide is a widely used fumigant for both pre-plant and post-harvest pest and pathogen control. The Montreal Protocol and the US Clean Air Act mandate a phase-out of the import and manufacture of methyl bromide, beginning in 2001 and culminating with a complete ban, except for quarantine and certain pre-shipment uses and exempted critical uses, in January 2005. In 1995, ARS built on its existing programs in soil-borne plant pathology and post-harvest entomology and plant pathology to initiate a national research program to develop alternatives to methyl bromide. The focus has been on strawberry, pepper, tomato, perennial and nursery cropping systems for pre-plant methyl bromide use and fresh and durable commodities for post-harvest use. Recently the program has been expanded to include research on alternatives for the ornamental and cut flower cropping systems. An overview of the national research program is presented. Results from four specific research trials are presented, ranging from organic to conventional systems. Good progress on short-term alternatives is being made. These will be used as the foundation of integrated management systems which begin with pre-plant management decisions and continue through post-harvest processing.     

A review of aquatic weed biology and management research conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service

Ever-increasing demand for water to irrigate crops, support aquaculture, provide domestic water needs and to protect natural aquatic and riparian habitats has necessitated research to reduce impacts from a parallel increase in invasive aquatic weeds. This paper reviews the past 4-5 years of research by USDA-ARS covering such areas as weed biology, ecology, physiology and management strategies, including herbicides, biological control and potential for use of natural products. Research approaches range from field-level studies to highly specific molecular and biochemical work, spanning several disciplines and encompassing the most problematic weeds in these systems. This research has led to new insights into plant competition, host-specificity, and the fate of aquatic herbicides, their modes of action and effects on the environment. Another hallmark of USDA-ARS research has been its many collaborations with other federal, state action and regulatory agencies and private industry to develop new solutions to aquatic weed problems that affect our public natural resources and commercial enterprises.     

Biological control of weeds: research by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service: selected case studies

Research by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on biological control of weeds has been practiced for many years because of its inherent ecological and economic advantages. Today, it is further driven by ARS adherence to Presidential Executive Order 13112 (3 February 1999) on invasive species and to USDA-ARS policy toward developing technology in support of sustainable agriculture with reduced dependence on non-renewable petrochemical resources. This paper reports examples or case studies selected to demonstrate the traditional or classical approach for biological control programs using Old World arthropods against Tamarix spp, Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav) ST Blake and Galium spurium L/G aparine L, and the augmentative approach with a native plant pathogen against Pueraria lobata Ohwi = P montana. The examples illustrated various conflicts of interest with endangered species and ecological complexities of arthropods with associated microbes such as nematodes.     

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on pre-harvest prevention of mycotoxins and mycotoxigenic fungi in US crops

Mycotoxins (ie toxins produced by molds) are fungal metabolites that can contaminate foods and feeds and cause toxic effects in higher organisms that consume the contaminated commodities. Therefore, mycotoxin contamination of foods and feeds results is a serious food safety issue and affects the competitiveness of US agriculture in both domestic and export markets. This article highlights research accomplished by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratories on control of pre-harvest toxin contamination by using biocontrol, host-plant resistance enhancement and integrated management systems. Emphasis is placed on the most economically relevant mycotoxins, namely aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus, Link, trichothecenes produced by various Fusarium spp and fumonisins produced by F verticillioides. Significant inroads have been made in establishing various control strategies such as development of atoxigenic biocontrol fungi that can outcompete their closely related, toxigenic cousins in field environments, thus reducing levels of mycotoxins in the crops. Potential biochemical and genetic resistance markers have been identified in crops, particularly in corn, which are being utilized as selectable markers in breeding for resistance to aflatoxin contamination. Prototypes of genetically engineered crops have been developed which: (1) contain genes for resistance to the phytotoxic effects of certain trichothecenes, thereby helping reduce fungal virulence, or (2) contain genes encoding fungal growth inhibitors for reducing fungal infection. Gene clusters housing the genes governing formation of trichothecenes, fumonisins and aflatoxins have been elucidated and are being targeted in strategies to interrupt the biosynthesis of these mycotoxins. Ultimately, a combination of strategies using biocompetitive fungi and enhancement of host-plant resistance may be needed to adequately prevent mycotoxin contamination in the field. To achieve this, plants may be developed that resist fungal infection and/or reduce the toxic effects of the mycotoxins themselves, or interrupt mycotoxin biosynthesis. This research effort could potentially save affected agricultural industries hundreds of millions of dollars during years of serious mycotoxin outbreaks.