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 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.     

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.     

Risikoanalyse von gebietsfremden Pflanzen—Das neue Konzept der EPPO

The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) aims to prevent the entry and spread of organisms harmful to both cultivated and wild plants. Basing their activities on those of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Plant Protection Convention, the EPPO is developing a new concept for invasive alien species and ‘plants as pests’. A pest risk analysis is necessary in most cases to identify which organisms should be regulated and how. In accordance with the International Plant Protection Convention, an EPPO risk assessment standard exists for this purpose which has now been revised to be applicable also to potentially invasive alien plants and assess the effects they pose to the uncultivated environment. In 2003, the EPPO sent a questionnaire to its 44 member states asking for plants which have been intentionally or unintentionally introduced and are considered invasive. The member countries reported hundreds of species, of which 42 were selected for further assessment. This may result in recommendations for regulations and measures against the introduction and spread of all or some of these plants.     

Development of the Multi-nucleocapsid Nucleopolyhedroviruses (MNPVs) Infectious to Loopers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Plusiinae) as Microbial Control Agents

A number of the members of the Noctuidae (subfamily Plusiinae) are polyphagous insects that infest a variety of economically important crops world-wide. These hosts include but are not limited to cotton, vegetable and field crops and also such specialty crops as mint. Many of these crops require multiple applications of chemical pesticides to protect them from various loopers and other economic pests. One proposed alternative to the use of chemical pesticides to protect these crops is the development of insect-specific viruses of the family Baculoviridae. Hundreds of these viruses of the genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus have been isolated, many from economically important Lepidoptera. The advent of the discovery that some of these viruses may have a broad host range increased the interest in the development of them as microbial agents throughout the world. The broad host range (over 30 species in some cases) provided the possibility to control not only one species, but a complex of lepidopterous pests infesting specific or multiple crops. From the 1960s to the present, extensive basic and applied research has been conducted on the multi-nucleocapsid (MNPV) forms within which a broad host range appears to be characteristic. Of these, the virus isolated from the alfalfa looper, Autographa californica (Speyer) (AcMNPV) has been the most studied, particularly as related to microbial control. Two of the viruses isolated from loopers have been registered in the USA. Although efficacy has been demonstrated for loopers, there is a paucity of data on the other important species that may simultaneously infest looper hosts. Because of their relatively slow action, the viruses will probably be used in integrated programs with chemical pesticides applied during critical periods of high population pressure. Further research needs to be conducted to establish efficacy for other hosts, improved production methods either in vivo or in vitro, increased field persistence as related to timing and frequency of applications, and finally the utility of genetically engineered MNPVs as microbial pesticides. The potential of these organisms has been demonstrated and new developments are being made to increase the overall efficiency and economics of their use. These improvements can only increase interest in use of the baculoviruses in pest management systems for loopers and other pests.     

Insect pests and their management in yam production and storage: a world review

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a tropical tuber crop produced for food and medicinal purposes. Yams are infested by a broad taxonomic diversity of insect pests. We reviewed a total of 73 insect species associated with Dioscorea species in different parts of the world. Yam is infested by 48 species when the crop is in the field, and after harvest (i.e. in storage) the tubers are attacked by 27 species. The majority of these insects belong to the order Coleoptera (35 species) followed by the orders Hemiptera (15), Lepidoptera (13), Isoptera (5), Hymenoptera (2), Diptera (1), and Thysanoptera (1). Yam scales, mealybugs, and a few beetles cause significant losses to tubers both in the field and in storage. We review various methods of management for these insect pests. An integrated approach towards managing these pests, both in the field and in storage, is essential. Post-harvest losses in storage of yam can be reduced, partly, by using biocontrol agents for mealybugs and scales. Alternative strategies for the management of insect pests of tubers in storage are discussed.     

我国蔬菜作物重大入侵害虫发生、危害与控制

蔬菜是我国重要的经济作物,近年来外来入侵害虫给我国蔬菜生产造成了重大损失。本文以严重危害我国蔬菜作物的3类重大入侵害虫-烟粉虱、西花蓟马和斑潜蝇为例,从入侵昆虫的发现、种群鉴定、分布扩散趋势及其规律、灾变机制以及可持续治理技术体系的研究与应用等方面概述了我国蔬菜入侵害虫研究的主要成就。     

四种重要实蝇类害虫对福建省造成的经济损失评估

实蝇类害虫是世界性检疫害虫,对福建省农作物造成为害的主要包含橘小实蝇、南亚寡鬃实蝇、瓜实蝇、具条实蝇4种。这4种实蝇类害虫给福建省水果、蔬菜带来较为严重的经济损失,并且由于防治过程中农药的使用,造成生态环境问题。本研究选取实蝇类害虫为害较为严重的福建省主要水果和蔬菜作为研究对象,从直接经济损失、防治费用和间接经济损失3个层面建立评估模型,并对2016年4种实蝇类害虫造成的经济损失进行评估,旨在通过评估经济损失情况,为今后防治政策的制定提供思路。研究结果显示,这4种实蝇类害虫对福建省造成的经济损失约为313.48亿元,其中直接经济损失约为221.74亿元,防治费用约为84.24亿元,间接经济损失约为7.5亿元。最后,本研究提出了重视有害生物灾情评估、完善经济损失评价方法,开展农户专业培训、提升防控技术水平,加强环境规制力度、发展绿色生态农业等政策建议。     

The European Biological Control Laboratory: an existing infrastructure for biological control of weeds in Europe

The Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture has maintained a continuous European effort in classical biological control of exotic pests in the USA. The European Parasite Laboratory was established in France in 1919, while the European Weed Laboratory began operations in Rome in 1958. The two laboratories were merged in Montpellier in 1991 as the European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL), becoming the primary overseas biocontrol laboratory of the USDA. The management of weeds, insect pests, and pathogens is an important feature of agricultural research programmes worldwide. These invasive species can lead to vast financial losses for countries engaged in agriculture. The overall goal of research at EBCL is to develop biological control technologies to be used to suppress invading weeds and insect pests. This is done through expeditions to find natural enemies (insects, mites and pathogens), or phytophagous, parasitoid or predator species. These are characterized in careful experimentation in quarantine facilities and eventually developed as biological control agents. Current weed projects include studies on the Centaurea spp., Arundo donax , Vincetoxicum spp., Isatis tinctoria , Taeniatherum sp. and Dipsacus sp. Insect projects research Lygus bugs, the olive fruit fly, the vine mealybug, and the Asian long-horned beetle. The EBCL team is international and interdisciplinary. Entomology, plant and insect pathology, molecular biology and ecology are the main approaches of our biocontrol research. The team cooperates with universities and agencies worldwide.     

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.     

我国棉花品种(系)抗虫性的鉴定、选育与应用

棉铃虫的暴发为害已严重制约了我国棉花生产的稳定发展,生产上急需在综合防治中利用棉花自身的部分抗虫性抵御害虫的侵害,提高植棉的综合效益。本文从棉花种质(材料)的外部形态抗虫性、生理生化抗虫性、外源性抗虫基因导入等三个方面详细讨论了我国棉花品种(系)的抗虫性鉴定、选育及其研究进展现状。针对抗虫棉研究与利用中存在的若干问题,探讨了未来发展的方向。     

Pest control in coffee

Coffee pests have been estimated to cause losses of about 13% of the world yield but are most serious in Africa, particularly where Arabica coffee is grown. Coffee pests are normally indigenous and except for the berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari) there has been little movement between the main production areas. There is a great variety of pests but because the crop is perennial, evergreen and only grown in areas without climatic extremes, pest populations only rarely become intolerable, being held in check for most of the time by parasites, predators and diseases. Routine spraying of insecticides in coffee plantations is undesirable for these kill parasites and predators and often result in pest outbreaks. An effective but simple integrated control system has been evolved over many decades in East Africa, using a combination of cultural, biological and chemical control. Pest numbers are monitored continuously by growers and insecticides are used as selectively as possible. The system is ideally suited to areas where labour is cheap but technology is expensive.     

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.     

Review: classical biological control of invasive stink bugs with egg parasitoids – what does success look like?

Although the enemy release hypothesis forms the theoretical basis for classical (=importation) biological control of invasive pests, its core assumptions are not always examined. This could contribute to unrealistic expectations for some biological control programs. In this paper we examine the assumptions that: (i) enemy release has contributed to the invasive nature of four exotic pentatomids in North America; and (ii) classical biological control with egg parasitoids has been or will be successful in reducing populations of these pests below economically significant levels. First, we review the history of biological control programs against invasive stink bugs to highlight the variable and controversial levels of success of introducing egg parasitoids against stink bugs. Then, we use simple stage‐structured matrix models to demonstrate that it may be easy to overestimate the contribution of egg parasitism alone to a reduction in stink bug population growth. Finally, we discuss what realistic expectations might be for success of biological control against invasive stink bugs using egg parasitoids in the context of integrated pest management programs. © 2020 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Pest Management Science © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nematodes network too: diversity,abundance and dispersal via plant produce trade networks

The dispersal of invasive species, such as plant pests, can have major economic, environmental and social impacts worldwide. Movement of plant pests from farms to both foreign and domestic markets is facilitated by trade networks, such as plant produce trade networks. While many potential pathways of invasive plant pest entry are regulated, few studies have examined the diversity, abundance and dispersal of soil microorganisms, such as nematodes, on plant produce while en route between origin and destination to quantify the risk of invasive plant pest introductions via these pathways. Here it is shown that a large range and number of live nematodes are dispersing locally and nationally via plant produce trade networks, with the potential to also move internationally. Up to 98% of samples tested carried free‐living nematodes and up to 40% carried plant‐parasitic forms. Diversity of nematodes varied between countries and regions, and numbers on samples generally decreased with increasing distance from the farm to market. These findings may have implications for plant biosecurity surveillance as well as human health. Moreover, nematodes provide a model for other potentially invasive species dispersing via plant produce trade networks.     

Global developments in biological control and the implications for Europe1

Developed and developing countries, for a range of reasons, have strongly endorsed an IPM approach to sustainable pest management. IPM is founded on the self-renewing contribution of natural enemies to pest suppression, or biological control. However, many pests today escape such natural control because they are exotic introductions, and for these pests the introduction of specific biological control agents is a proven and valuable technique. With growing exotic pest problems in agriculture and forestry, due both to increased trade and to the policy of the WTO, with new concern for exotic invasive species affecting biodiversity, and with a booming biocontrol industry, there is a rapid growth of interest in introduced biological control agents (including biopesticides, which are generally still not acknowledged as introductions). To meet this demand for biological control introductions, it is necessary to address issues of research, safety and the rights of governments and peoples to their genetic resources. By and large, Europe has not done this, and this is proving both an opportunity for environmental accidents and a disincentive for sustainable agriculture and conservation.     

我国饲草重大病虫鼠害研究进展

为全面了解我国饲草重大病虫鼠害分布和危害,充分掌握其传播扩散规律及其造成的重大经济损失,我们系统分析了我国饲草病害、虫害、鼠害等生物灾害危害情况,总结了国内外饲草病虫鼠害防控现状与研究进展,提出了饲草重大生物灾害的防控对策,为保障饲草产业和草牧业健康发展提供理论支撑。此外,本文还总结了我国饲草病虫鼠害的防控难题,为今后饲草病虫鼠害的研究提供了方向。     

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 pests and their parasitoids inhabiting cones of firAbies alba Mill. in Poland

During 1986–1990 a total of 15 059 individuals of cone and seed pests representing 5 insect species were obtained from over 2.500 cones ofAbies alba Mill. Besides cono- and seminiphagous insects 5 parasitoid species were obtained. The material originated from the Beskid Sądecki Mts., in southern Poland. Seed losses caused by insects were estimated on the basis of the analyses of about 17.700 seeds. Paper submitted for the XI World Forestry Congress, Antalya, Turkey, October 1997     

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.