Measuring IPM Impacts in California and Arizona.

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a method of reducing economic, human health, and environmental risks from pests and pest management strategies. There are questions about the long-term success of IPM programs in relation to continued use of pesticides in agriculture. Total pounds of pesticides applied is a mis-measure of the impact of IPM in agriculture. A more complete measurement of the long-term impact of IPM includes consideration of changes in agricultural production practices and productivity, toxicity of the pesticides used, risks from human exposure to pesticides, and environmental sampling for pesticides in air and water resources. In recent decades, agricultural IPM programs have evolved to address invasive pests, shifts in endemic pest pressures, reductions in pest damage tolerance in markets, and increases in crop yields. Additionally, pesticide use data from Arizona and California revealed reduced use of pesticides in some toxicity categories but increased use of pesticides in a couple of categories. Data from federal and California programs that monitored pesticide residue on food have documented low pesticide risk to consumers. Environmental monitoring programs documented decreased pesticide levels in surface water resources in agricultural watersheds in the western United States and low levels of pesticides in air resources in agricultural areas in California. The focus of IPM assessment should be on reducing economic, human health, and environmental risks, not on pounds of pesticides applied. More broadly, IPM programs have evolved to address changes in pests and agricultural production systems while continuing to reduce human health and environmental risk from pesticides.

Susceptibility to insecticides used for control of Piezodorus guildinii (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in the United States and Brazil.

Limited information exists on the insecticide susceptibility of redbanded stink bug, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), despite its impact on soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., production in Brazil and the United States. Therefore, this study set out to 1) determine baseline levels of susceptibility to currently recommended pesticides using topical and vial bioassays, 2) determine the levels of esterase activity in populations in the United States and Brazil, and 3) compare control among products in field trials. In topical bioassays conducted in the United States using technical grade materials, the LC50 values of lambda-cyhalothrin, acephate, and methamidophos were 4-25, 141-295, and 40-151 ng per insect, respectively. The LC50 values of imidacloprid and thiamethoxam were 11 and 27 ng per insect, respectively. In vial bioassays conducted in the United States using technical grade materials, the LC50 values of cypermethrin, acephate, and methamidophos were 0.4-0.9, 3.8, and 1.6 microg per vial, respectively. In topical bioassays conducted in Brazil by using commercially formulated products, the LC50 values of acephate, methamidophos, endosulfan, and imidacloprid were 0.90-1.9, 0.4-0.6, 1.5-6.6, and 0.2-0.3 microg per insect, respectively. In vial bioassays conducted in Brazil using commercially formulated products, the LC50 values of endosulfan, methamidophos, and lambda-cyhalothrin were 4-32 and 2-24 microg/cm2 for thiamethoxam and imidacloprid. Esterase activity in Louisiana (United States) populations ranged from 251 to 658 nmol alpha-naphthol formed/min/mg protein. Esterase activity levels in Londrina (Brazil) populations averaged 163 nmol/min/mg. In field tests, P. guildinii in Louisiana were controlled by organophosphates thiamethoxam and imidacloprid and in Brazil, with combinations of neonicotinoids and pyrethroids.

Suppression of diamondback moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) with an entomopathogenic nematode (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner.

We tested the efficacy of the All strain of Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) against larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). In laboratory bioassays we found that (1) commercially formulated nematodes produced in vitro were as effective as nematodes produced in vivo, (2) resistance of P. xylostella to Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner subsp. kurstaki did not confer cross-resistance to nematodes, (3) mortality caused by nematodes was higher for early than late 3rd-instar P. xylostella larvae, and (4) no interaction occurred when B. thuringiensis and nematodes were combined against a susceptible strain of P. xylostella, but an antagonistic interaction occurred between the 2 pathogens against a strain of P. xylostella resistant to B. thuringiensis. In field trials conducted on 2 watercress [Rorippa Nasturtium-aquaticum (L.) Hayek] farms in Hawaii, nematodes provided 41% control, B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai gave 44% control, and the combined treatment (B. thuringiensis plus nematodes both at half rate) resulted in 58% control. Using nemodes to control diamondback moth can theoretically reduce resistance development in diamondback moth populations to B. thuringiensis products, but repeated applications of nematodes will probably be ineffective in attaining control (suggested in simulation model). The results of this study demonstrate that nematodes may be a useful component of integrated pest management programs if efficacy can be increased, especially for populations of P. xylostella that are resistant to B. thuringiensis.

Efficacy of a dehydrated steinernematid nematode against black cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and diamondback moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae).

We compared the ability of in vitro-produced, commercially formulated with in vivo-produced, nonformulated Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) Poinar. All strain to infect and kill larvae of black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), and diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). In vitro-produced nematodes formulated in wettable dispersible granules, which were stored dry, were rehydrated in water for 0-72 h before application. Against black cutworms, the efficacy of nematodes was (from most to least effective): in vivo > in vitro rehydrated for 72 h > in vitro rehydrated for 48 h > in vitro rehydrated for 24 h > dehydrated (0 h). Nematodes rehydrated for 72 h in water or moist soil were equally effective against black cutworm larvae, and both were significantly more effective than nematodes without rehydration. These results indicated that nematodes in the wettable dispersible granule formulation required time to rehydrate in the soil before infecting black cutworm larvae. Nematode treatments described above were applied to radish plants held at 100 or 75% RH and tested against diamondback moth larvae. At 100% RH, nematode efficacy was (from most to least effective): in vitro rehydrated for 72 h > in vivo > in vitro rehydrated 48 h > in vitro rehydrated 24 h > dehydrated (0 h). The efficacy of all treatments was lower at 75% than at 100% RH, and the ranking of in vivo and in vitro nematodes rehydrated for 72 h was reversed. The nematodes in the wettable dispersible granule formulation were effective for foliar treatments when humidity was high and nematodes were rehydrated for at least 48 h before application. The data show that nematode infectivity was reduced unless nematodes were rehydrated.

Competition between two steinernematid nematode species for an insect host at different soil depths.

We studied interactions between 2 entomopathogenic nematode species, Steinernema carpocapsae, an ambusher forager, and Steinernema glaseri, a cruiser forager, when they were provided wax moth larvae as hosts at 0, 2, or 10 cm soil depth. Populations of infective juvenile nematodes in soil were monitored at 30-day intervals over 120 days using wax moth larvae as baits. After application of S. carpocapsae, S. glaseri, or the combination of both species, hosts were added at 30-day intervals. With hosts at 0 cm depth, each nematode species was negatively affected by the presence of the other species at the 30- and 60-day samples. At 90 and 120 days, S. carpocapsae numbers in the combined treatment were as high as in the single species treatment, whereas only few S. glaseri were recovered. With hosts at 2 or 10 cm depth, the presence of S. glaseri had a strong negative effect on S. carpocapsae, but S. glaseri was not affected by the presence of S. carpocapsae. In another experiment, S. carpocapsae dominated over S. glaseri in hosts located at 0 cm depth as measured by penetration efficiency into hosts and progeny production. In contrast, S. glaseri dominated at 2 cm depth. At 2 cm depth, S. carpocapsae penetrated into hosts too slowly to compete successfully with S. glaseri. Steinernema carpocapsae is superior to S. glaseri when competing for a host on the soil surface; however, below the surface S. glaseri is superior to S. carpocapsae.

Nonsusceptibility of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), to Steinernematid and Heterorhabditid Nematodes.

We exposed honey bee workers and brood to four entomopathogenic nematode species under conditions normally encountered in the hive by spraying nematodes onto combs. Mortality of adult bees exposed to any of the nematode species was less than 10%, and there was no evidence of nematode infection when dead adults were dissected. To assess the impact of nematodes on brood, we used smaller-size honey combs placed in the second story (super) of a hive and large brood combs placed in the main section of the hive. Our results were inconsistent between these two experimental designs. The smaller honey combs sprayed with Steinernema carpocapsae contained the largest number of uncapped ceils, those sprayed with Heterorhabditis baeteriophora or S. riobravis contained an intermediate number of uncapped cells, and control combs and those sprayed with S. glaseri contained the fewest nmnber of uncapped cells. Large combs sprayed with S. riobravis contained more uncapped ceils than controls or those sprayed with S. carpocapsae, although the differences were not significant. Our results do not support the hypothesis that high-temperature-tolerant species of nematodes are necessarily more infective to honey bees.

Millimeter-scale variations of stable isotope abundances in carbonates from banded iron-formations in the Hamersley Group of Western Australia.

Several diamond drill cores from formations within the Hamersley Group of Western Australia have been studied for evidence of short-range variations in the isotopic compositions of the carbonates. For a set of 32 adjacent microbands analyzed in a specimen from the Marra Mamba Iron Formation, carbon isotope compositions of individual microbands ranged from -2.8 to -19.8 per mil compared to PDB and oxygen isotope compositions ranged from 10.2 to 20.8 per mil compared to SMOW. A pattern of alternating abundances was present, with the average isotopic contrasts between adjacent microbands being 3.0 per mil for carbon and 3.1 per mil for oxygen. Similar results were obtained for a suite of 34 microbands (in four groups) from the Bruno's Band unit of the Mount Sylvia Formation. Difficulties were experienced in preparing samples of single microbands from the Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation, but overall isotopic compositions were in good agreement with values reported by previous authors. Chemical analyses showed that isotopically light carbon and oxygen were correlated with increased concentrations of iron. The preservation of these millimeter-scale variations in isotopic abundances is interpreted as inconsistent with a metamorphic origin for the isotopically light carbon in the BIF carbonates. A biological origin is favored for the correlated variations in 13C and Fe, and it is suggested that the 13C-depleted carbonates may derive either from fermentative metabolism or from anaerobic respiration. A model is presented in which these processes occur near the sediment-water interface and are coupled with an initial oxidative precipitation of the iron.