Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
RALEIGH,NC 27695
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The corn earworm, also known as the bollworm, is one of the most destructive pests of corn, cotton, and soybean across the United States. Each year, this insect causes hundreds of millions of dollars in crop losses and control costs. Compounding the problem, it has developed resistance to widely used control tools such as Bt crops, and climate change is expanding its range northward, threatening additional farmland. A closely related pest, the tobacco budworm, was once one of the most serious threats to cotton but is now largely controlled by Bt crops. However, growers still pay for its management through trait fees in seed, and it remains an occasional pest of soybean and a major pest of crops like tobacco and tomato. Overreliance on insecticides to control both pests raises production costs and increases environmental and human health risks. Because of these challenges, new approaches are urgently needed to manage these insects in ways that are effective, economical, and sustainable for farming communities.This project will test two innovative approaches to reduce pest populations that are not often tested in row crops (corn, cotton, and soybeans, for example). First, we will release beneficial insects using drones to see whether natural enemies can be used at scale to suppress the corn earworm in corn, cotton, and soybeans. Second, we will test whether releasing pheromones can disrupt mating and reduce corn earworm populations. Alongside these field studies, we will calculate the true costs and potential savings from these methods, giving farmers and industry partners clear information about whether the strategies are practical. Because corn earworm and tobacco budworm are closely related, results from this work may also benefit management of tobacco budworm and help protect crops like tobacco, tomato, and other vegetables.By combining new technology with careful economic analysis, the project aims to provide farmers with tools that reduce pesticide use, lower production costs, and protect the environment. If successful, these approaches will improve farm profitability, lessen risks to human and environmental health, and strengthen the resilience of U.S. agriculture in the face of changing pest pressures.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
25%
Applied
50%
Developmental
25%
Goals / Objectives
Our overall objective is to optimize a series of tactics for area wide management of Heliothinae (corn earworm, or Helicoverpa zea, and tobacco budworm, or Chloridea virescens). We will achieve this by re-evaluating two less frequently used management tactics (augmentative biological control and pheromone mating disruption) with new methods. This work will feed into future efforts to calculating the net present value of each management tactic and use the coordination frontier (CF) program to predict and optimize grower adoption. Specifically, in this proposal, we will:Determine the suitability (optimal release rate) and effectiveness of augmentative biological control for Helicoverpa zea in field crops (corn, cotton, soybean) across two states2. Determine the effectiveness of pheromone mating disruption for H. zea in corn3. Calculate the cost of proposed control methods in field crops (corn, cotton, soybean)
Project Methods
Our project will evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of two area-wide management tactics for Helicoverpa zea in major row crops: augmentative biological control using UAV-delivered predators and pheromone-based mating disruption. Research will be conducted over multiple growing seasons at research stations in North Carolina and Virginia, as well as in collaboration with commercial growers. For the biological control work, laboratory-reared Chrysoperla rufilabris (green lacewing) eggs will be released with UAV-mounted dispersal devices at two release rates, and a hand-release treatment will be included as a positive control. Effectiveness will be measured using sentinel H. zea egg sheets to quantify predation, direct counts of larvae and crop injury, and sampling of beneficial insect communities with visual counts, sweep nets, beat sheets, and sticky cards. For the mating disruption studies, pheromone dispensers will be deployed across entire corn fields ranging from two to five acres, with replicated treatments comparing fields with and without dispensers. Male moth captures in pheromone-baited traps and larval infestations in corn ears will provide the primary measures of success.Economic analyses will be conducted alongside both objectives. Direct operational costs, including beneficial purchase and release, pheromone dispenser deployment, drone services, and labor, will be calculated on a per-acre basis. Cost-benefit comparisons will then be used to relate economic inputs to pest population reduction and crop protection, providing data that can be incorporated into future coordination frontier modeling to predict grower adoption potential.Data will be analyzed statistically using generalized linear mixed models for the biological control experiments and parametric or nonparametric tests for the mating disruption work. Treatment effects will be evaluated on pest densities, crop injury, and beneficial insect abundance, and multi-year, multi-site replication will allow for more robust inference. The economic component will include cost-per-acre estimates and cost-benefit ratios that directly compare the efficiency of each tactic.Project evaluation will occur on several levels. Scientific outcomes will be tracked through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at professional meetings, and integration of results into multistate research projects. Extension outcomes will be measured by participation in field demonstrations, workshops, and commodity meetings, with pre- and post-event surveys used to gauge changes in knowledge and willingness to adopt new practices. Long-term impact will be assessed through modeling of adoption potential, documentation of any reductions in insecticide applications, and evaluation of potential improvements in grower profitability.Efforts to reach target audiences will include on-farm demonstrations with cooperating growers, field days, and extension programming designed for consultants, extension agents, and commodity groups. Graduate students and interns will gain training in both field and laboratory research, professional presentations, and manuscript preparation. Industry partners such as pheromone manufacturers, insectaries, and UAV companies will be engaged through collaborative trials and data sharing. Extension products, including factsheets, presentations, and online content, will be used to ensure that findings reach a broad audience.Through this integrated approach, the project combines novel technologies such as UAV-based beneficial release and field-scale pheromone disruption with rigorous biological and economic analyses. Results will be shared with both scientific and applied communities, creating measurable changes in knowledge and practice and laying the groundwork for improved pest management outcomes.