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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Regional IPM Grants (S-RIPM) |
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Project Title:
Pheromone based management of dogwood borer |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: VA Lead Organization: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Research Funding: $151,827 |
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Start Date: May-15-2005 End Date: May-14-2008 |
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Pests Involved: dogwood borer |
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Summary:
This proposal is for the Research category of the Southern Region IPM Competitive Grants Program.The dogwood borer (DWB) attacks many ornamental, fruit and nut trees and is an increasingly serious pest of apple grown on clonal rootstocks. The organophosphate pesticide, chlorpyrifos, is the most effective chemical for protecting woody ornamentals and fruit trees from infestation by DWB, although its long term availability is uncertain and alternative management tactics are needed. Our recent identification of the DWB sex pheromone has created opportunities to develop control strategies based on behavioral manipulation and to quantify the prevalence and seasonal phenology of DWB in apple, urban landscapes, and native forest. Mass trapping seeks to reduce the frequency of mating by removing male moths from the population. Traps baited with our most active pheromone blend capture large numbers of males, and many more than traps baited with virgin female DWB, suggesting the viability of mass trapping. Two densities of traps for mass trapping will be compared with a conventional pesticide program and untreated check plots in WV, VA and NC apple orchards. The vastly improved attractiveness of our pheromone enables accurate evaluation and comparison of the abundance and seasonal flight patterns of DWB among different habitats. This objective will involve monitoring programs in WV, VA, NC and TN and the information provided will be crucial to optimizing both pheromone and chemically based management programs. We address future directions and focus areas of the National IPM Roadmap by investigating an environmentally benign alternative to pesticides, toward managing an important pest of production agriculture and public areas in the southern region.
Objectives: Objective 1. Evaluate mass trapping as a management option for dogwood borer by comparing the effects of two trap densities with conventionally managed and untreated control plots in commercial apple orchards in three states. Objective 2. Determine trapping efficiency within commercial apple orchards and the potential for immigration of dogwood borer from habitats outside commercial orchards. Objective 3. Compare the relative abundance and seasonal flight activity of male DWB in apple orchards, managed urban landscapes and native forest in four states within the southern portion of its range. |
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Final Report: |
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Results From report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system PROGRESS: 2005/05 TO 2008/05 OUTPUTS: An improved sex pheromone lure for dogwood borer was used to monitor its relative abundance and annual period of flight in apple orchards, managed urban landscapes and woodlands in New York, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee in 2005 and 2006. Traps baited with this lure were used 2005 and 2006 in experimental plots within commercial apple orchards in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina to evaluate the potential to impact dogwood borer populations and reduce infestations by mass-trapping male moths. Experiments evaluating the developmental rate of dogwood borer on apple burr knot tissue were conducted in 2006 and 2007. The results of these studies were disseminated to the research community via presentations at the Entomological Society of America Annual meeting (Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2005), the Cumberland-Shenandoah Fruit Workers Conference (Winchester, VA 2005 and 2006) and the Kanuga Workshop on Diseases and Pests of Ornamentals (Hendersonville, NC 2006). The results were also presented to commercial tree fruit growers at Winter Fruit Schools in Virginia (2006), Maryland and West Virginia (2007) and North Carolina (2008). PARTICIPANTS: Chris Bergh acted as PI on this project and was responsible for implementation and oversight of all activities. Tracy Leskey, USDA Kearneysville WV, acted as a PD. Bergh and Leskey are co-advisors of PhD student, Daniel Frank, who is working on the development of a rearing method for dogwood borer. Aijun Zhang, USDA Beltsville MD acted as a PD and was responsible for providing dogwood borer sex pheromone for the project. James Walgenbach, North Carolina State University, acted as a PD and was involved in all aspects of the project. William Klingeman, University of Tennessee, acted as a PD and was involved with the objective pertaining to the survey of dogwood borer populations in different habitats. David Kain, Cornell University, was a project collaborator and was involved with the dogwood borer survey. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences included apple producers in several eastern states and research and extension entomologists responsible for tree fruit and ornamentals pest management. Grower audiences were reached primarily via formal presentations delivered at off-season Extension meetings. Emphasis was placed on the need for growers to understand the potential risk represented by the high dogwood borer populations recorded in most apple orchards and to be diligent about annual montioring and scouting for this pest, particularly during the early years of establishment of young orchards planted adjacent to older orchard blocks. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. IMPACT: 2005/05 TO 2008/05 Our use of an improved sex pheromone lure has revealed that the dogwood borer is much more widespread and abundant in eastern apple orchards than was previously understood and that captures in orchards greatly exceeded those in urban landscapes and woodland habitats, leading to an increased awareness of its pest status and more vigilant monitoring and scouting by apple producers. In both apple orchards and urban habitats, dogwood borer was captured continuously over a prolonged period from spring through fall that was longer in duration in the more southern locations than in New York. These results have demonstrated that alternatives to pesticide-based management of dogwood borer (e.g. mating disruption) will require tactics that extend over most of the growing season. This research has shown that dogwood borer larvae feeding on apple burr knot tissue can complete their development in 40-50 days, a developmental duration that is much shorter than reported previously. A short developmental period on apple may translate to two or more generations per year, possibly explaining the early and late peaks of abundance and the high populations in orchards. Following two consecutive years of mass-trapping male dogwood borer in apple orchards in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina (range = 8-17 acres/orchard), we were unable to demonstrate a consistent impact of this approach on reductions in infestations. The reasons underlying an apparent lack of effect remain speculative, although possibilities may include insufficient experimental plot size (range = 2-4.25 acres/plot), insufficient isolation from other sources of infestation and immigration from those sources, and/or insufficient numbers of male moths removed from the population. In combination with our demonstration of the high populations of dogwood borer in many orchards, the apparent lack of effectiveness of mass trapping has changed the focus of researchers toward the need for further investigation of the role of mating disruption as an alternative management tactic. Based on the results from our preliminary work with mating disruption of dogwood borer, we have received an award from the Pest Management Alternatives program that will enable systematic comparison of the effects of single pheromone components, blends of components and a behavioral antagonist on mate location of dogwood borer in commercial orchard settings in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2005/05 TO 2008/05 No publications reported this period |
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Outcomes N/A |
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Impacts From report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system Our use of an improved sex pheromone lure has revealed that the dogwood borer is much more widespread and abundant in eastern apple orchards than was previously understood and that captures in orchards greatly exceeded those in urban landscapes and woodland habitats, leading to an increased awareness of its pest status and more vigilant monitoring and scouting by apple producers. In both apple orchards and urban habitats, dogwood borer was captured continuously over a prolonged period from spring through fall that was longer in duration in the more southern locations than in New York. These results have demonstrated that alternatives to pesticide-based management of dogwood borer (e.g. mating disruption) will require tactics that extend over most of the growing season. This research has shown that dogwood borer larvae feeding on apple burr knot tissue can complete their development in 40-50 days, a developmental duration that is much shorter than reported previously. A short developmental period on apple may translate to two or more generations per year, possibly explaining the early and late peaks of abundance and the high populations in orchards. Following two consecutive years of mass-trapping male dogwood borer in apple orchards in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina (range = 8-17 acres/orchard), we were unable to demonstrate a consistent impact of this approach on reductions in infestations. The reasons underlying an apparent lack of effect remain speculative, although possibilities may include insufficient experimental plot size (range = 2-4.25 acres/plot), insufficient isolation from other sources of infestation and immigration from those sources, and/or insufficient numbers of male moths removed from the population. In combination with our demonstration of the high populations of dogwood borer in many orchards, the apparent lack of effectiveness of mass trapping has changed the focus of researchers toward the need for further investigation of the role of mating disruption as an alternative management tactic. Based on the results from our preliminary work with mating disruption of dogwood borer, we have received an award from the Pest Management Alternatives program that will enable systematic comparison of the effects of single pheromone components, blends of components and a behavioral antagonist on mate location of dogwood borer in commercial orchard settings in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. |
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