Progress 04/01/09 to 03/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The primary targets are stakeholders in the ornamental and turfgrass industries in Alabama, the SE region, and nationally. Efforts were made to deliver science-based programs in Birmingham, Loxley, Dothan, Montgomery, and Huntsville, AL. Research results were also presented at the annual meeting of the ATA in Auburn and during the ATA field day. Regional and national workshops were also taught at the Gulf States Hort Expo, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America International Golf Industries Show (co-taught), and the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The general public was reached at events sponsored by the Auburn City schools including a fall field day and through coaching a group of elementary school students as part of the Science Olympiad team (D. Held). In the classroom, I deliver science-based instruction to students in Economic Entomology, General Entomology, and developed an online course in Landscape Entomology. Economic Entomology and Landscape Entomology labs are experiential and enable students to sample, collect, and identify common landscape and horticulturally-important pests and natural enemies. I also provided science-based lectures in my area of expertise to the Nursery Management at AU. In 2013, I invested time with social media (Twitter and Facebook) as another means to reach more of my target audience. In 2013, I provided 56 tweets relative to pest phenology, current topics in IPM, and regulatory changes such as insecticide labeling changes. These posts also post on my lab Facebook page. Facebook is also where I post original content suck as new papers from my lab and new information relative to stakeholders. Facebook posts on new research (new papers, concepts, etc) generated about 50 views each. In 2013, I gained 25 Twitter followers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Since the 2013 report was filed in January 2014, we submitted two publications and approved proofs for 2 more publications listed now as awaiting publication.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Gorzlancyk, A.M.,D.W. Held, C.M. Ranger, Z. Barawary, D.Kim. 2014. Capture of Cnestus mutilatus, Xylosandrus crassiusculus and other Scolytinae (COLEOPTERA:CURCULIONIDAE) in response to green light emitting diodes, ethanol, and conophthorin. Fla. Entomol. 97: 301-303
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Martin, S.M., D.W. Held, S.F. Enloe, N.J. Loewenstein, and L.G. Eckhardt. 2014. Impact of cogongrass management strategies on generalist predators in cogongrass infested longleaf pine plantations. Pest Manage. Sci.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Christopher M. Ranger, Austin M. Gorzlancyk, Karla M. Addesso, Jason B. Oliver, Michael E. Reding, Peter B. Schultz and David W. Held. Conophthroin enhances the electroantennogram and field behavioral response of Xylosandrus germanus (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) to ethanol. Agric. Forest Entomol.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Gorzlancyk, A.M.,J. Jeong, W.O. Smith, D.W. Held, and D. Kim. Detection of acoustic signals from walking Cnestus mutilatus (Blandford). BioAcoustics
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
R. Murphey Coy, David W. Held, and Joseph W. Kloepper. Rhizobacterial inoculants increase root and shoot growth in Tifway 419 hybrid bermudagrass. J. Environ. Hortic.
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Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The primary targets are stakeholders in the ornamental and turfgrass industries in Alabama, the SE region, and nationally. Efforts were made to deliver science-based programs in Birmingham, Loxley, Dothan, Montgomery, and Huntsville, AL. Research results were also presented at the annual meeting of the ATA in Auburn and during the ATA field day. Regional and national workshops were also taught at the Gulf States Hort Expo, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America International Golf Industries Show (co-taught), and the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The general public was reached at events sponsored by the Auburn City schools including a fall field day and through coaching a group of elementary school students as part of the Science Olympiad team (D. Held). In the classroom, I deliver science-based instruction to students in Economic Entomology, General Entomology, and developed an online course in Landscape Entomology. Economic Entomology and Landscape Entomology labs are experiential and enable students to sample, collect, and identify common landscape and horticulturally-important pests and natural enemies. I also provided science-based lectures in my area of expertise to the Nursery Management at AU. In 2013, I invested time with social media (Twitter and Facebook) as another means to reach more of my target audience. In 2013, I provided 56 tweets relative to pest phenology, current topics in IPM, and regulatory changes such as insecticide labeling changes. These posts also post on my lab Facebook page. Facebook is also where I post original content suck as new papers from my lab and new information relative to stakeholders. Facebook posts on new research (new papers, concepts, etc) generated about 50 views each. In 2013, I gained 25 Twitter followers. Changes/Problems: As indicated in previous reports, the major deviation from the stated Objectives was with Objective 4. We were unable to accomplish Objective 4 due to identification of the active compound in geranium was made by a USDA-ARS scientist. We are adpating this objective now to understand how geranium intoxication influences and is influenced by detoxification enzymes in adult Japanese beetles. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Virtually all training opportunities have been provided to graduate and undergraduate students on this project. To date, five Master’s students have been trained and are now working in areas relative to their training. In the current reporting year, one additional Master’s student was trained and completed their graduate work. During this past year, this student was also provided training on GC\MS and EAD through a collaborator in USDA-ARS. A new graduate student that began in Aug 2013 (just before the end of this reporting period) began training in spectrophotometry, centrifugation, microsomal preparation, and general lab practices. These skills will be further developed over the next year. Furthermore, this project provided opportunities for two undergraduate students to get field research experience. These students worked as research assistants and learned basic concepts in research and field research methods. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? For Objective 1, a research paper and extension publication relative to this objective were produced. Results are still being presented to state and regional stakeholder groups. This work was highlighted in national venues (TurfWeekly blog) as well as the in the AU AgIllustrated newsletter. Results of Objective 2 have been presented at state and regional stakeholder groups, at field days, and in a newsletter article. A scientific paper was published and three presentations to scientific audiences were made at regional, national and international meetings. Phenological sequences for each garden location have been widely publicized at stakeholder meetings such as the Gulf States Hort Expo. Also in 2013, these phenological indicators and events were publicized using Twitter to provide timely information to stakeholders. Research for Objective 5 has been completed but the information continues to provide horticulturalists with the relative susceptibility of the hollies to guide plant selection for urban landscapes. In 2013, I invested time with social media (Twitter and Facebook) as another means to reach more of my target audience. In 2013, I provided 56 tweets relative to pest phenology, current topics in IPM, and regulatory changes such as insecticide labeling changes. These posts also post on my lab Facebook page. Facebook is also where I post original content suck as new papers from my lab and new information relative to stakeholders. Facebook posts on new research (new papers, concepts, etc) generated about 50 views each. In 2013, I gained 25 Twitter followers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? This project is almost completed and therefore there are just a few additional manuscripts to be submitted to complete the proposed work in this project. For Objective 1, two manuscripts are expected to be submitted for publication in 2014. Objective 2 is largely completed. Objective 3 research was completed in 2012 and a manuscript from that work should be submitted for publication in 2014. Research on Objective 5 is completed, and a publication is in preparation and will be submitted for publication in 2014.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
For Objective 1, we are the first lab to publish laboratory experiment investigating dietary choices by mole crickets. This work has two important implications. Despite significant pest status in grass systems, feeding on other insects in soil is more important than plant feeding. Searching for prey may increase damage to grass. Secondly, turfgrass managers use baits for mole crickets. We determined the average consumption of bait. This work explains why turf managers need to use higher application rates to get satisfactory control. Also relative to Objective 1, another student used CT scans to determine the impact of environmental factors (soil bulk density, soil moisture, grass versus barren) on mole cricket subterranean tunneling behavior. Our results clearly show that mole crickets significantly impact soil infiltration and runoff compared to un-infested soil. Most studies on soil infiltration focus on worms, ants or termites and this is one of the first to investigate mole cricket and soil infiltration. From this work we predict that mole cricket infestations may facilitate or hasten movement of surface applied agrochemicals to groundwater. This research was completed in 2012 with the completion of thesis research of two Master’s students. Both students are now working in doctoral programs. For Objective 2, a Master's student finished the work for this Objective and graduated in spring 2011. He immediately found a job in his area of training. This research was conducted in cooperation with local golf courses and the Alabama Fire Ant Mgt program. Objective 3 was also finished in 2011 and the Master’s student graduated in Summer 2012. For Objective 3, we measured degree-days and plant phenological indicators to provide guidance for scouting and management efforts. We were able to provide conspicuous plant events like flowering or leaf flush that can aid someone in determining when a pest is active. In 2013, we added phonological indicators for bagworms to our data set. As stated in a previous report, a research group from OH discovered the toxin responsible for paralysis in Japanese beetles so Objective 4. In 2013, a new project was started to understand the relationship between geranium intoxication and detoxification enzymes in Japanese beetles. A graduate has begun this project and will continue to work on this through 2014. Research on Objective 5 was completed in 2012.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
R.C. Williamson, D. W. Held, R. Brandenburg, F. Baxendale. 2013. Turfgrass Insect Pests. pg. 809890. In: J. Stier, S. Bonos, and B. Horgan, (eds.) Turfgrass Monograph. 3rd Ed. American Society of Agronomy. Madison, WI.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Gorzlancyk, Austin. 2013. Visual, Acoustic, and Volatile Cues to Improve Performance of Trapping Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Thesis, Auburn University.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Xu, Y., D.W. Held, and X.P. Hu. 2013. Dietary choices and their implication for survival and development of omnivorous mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae). Appl. Soil Ecol. 71:6571.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Enloe, S.F., N.J. Loewenstein, D.W. Held, L.G. Eckhardt and D.K. Lauer. 2013. Impacts of prescribed fire, glyphosate, and seeding on cogongrass, species richness and species diversity in longleaf pine. Invasive Plant Sci. Manage. 4:536544.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Gorzlancyk, A.M.,D.W. Held, Dong-Joo Kim, and C.M. Ranger. 2013. Capture of Xylosandrus crassiusculus and other Scolytinae (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) in response to visual and volatile cues. Fla. Entomol. 96: 1097-1101.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Held, D.W., Y. Xu, and D. Bailey. 2013. Eavesdropping on mole crickets. TurfTimes Summer: 20-22.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Reed, T. and D.W. Held. 2013. Commercial Turf and Lawns: Insect control recommendations for 2014. IPM 1313
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective 1a is completed. For Objective 1b, a project initiated in fall 2012 determined that earthworms transport and distribution plant parasitic nematodes in turfgrass. This information was shared at Alabama Turfgrass Association annual meeting in fall 2012 and an article for state and regional turfgrass association newsletters are planned for 2013, as are presentations at state and national green industry meetings. For Objective 1c, two Master's students graduated in 2012 working on this Objective. Both projects on mole crickets were publicized in Ag Illustrated as well as state and national meetings for producers and at scientific meetings. An article summarizing this work was published in Fall 2012 in the newsletter of the AL-MS GCSAA. There is no new progress in 2012 for Objective 1d. Objective 2 is being re-focused into understanding the interaction of secondary plant compounds and insecticides on the induction of detoxification enzymes in Japanese beetles. A collaboration was started with Dr. Liu in EPP and with Dr. Karim at Univ. of Southern MS to identify the role of these enzymes and to locate the genes responsible for these in the Japanese beetle genome (Dr. Karim's research area). A Hatch project was also funded in 2012 (FY2013) for work on this objective. A student is being recruited for the project. Objective 3a finished in 2011 and the student graduated in Summer 2012. The results of this work were promoted to the green industry at state and regional meetings such as the Gulf States Hort Expo. The project website and Twitter are still used to provide timely information to producers and landscape managers about the phenology of pests. Other attempts for extramural funds were unsuccessful in 2012. However, the PI began collaboration with the national phenology network to determine to possibly leverage additional funding. Also, the PI tested lower toxicity pesticides for control of landscape insects in association with IR-4 or cooperative agreements with chemical companies. Objective 3b is completed. Also relevant to this Objective, a Master's student is working on an SCRI-funded project with ambrosia beetles in nurseries. This project is in collaboration with several Alabama and national nurseries and the Department of Engineering at AU. A student is finishing this work and expected to graduate in summer 2013. Presentations on this project were made to growers in OH and AL (Mobile Research Station Field day), the national ESA meeting, and the SE Ornamental Entomology working group meetings in 2012. This project has it's own webpage, Facebook page, and twitter account to disseminate information related to the project to stakeholders. In 2013, we will compare our prototype trap developed in this project to conventional traps in nurseries to demonstrate the utility of this tool for commercial growers and to gauge it's effectiveness in reducing damage and loss to ambrosia beetles. Another student completed their Master's research this year. The project investigated the impact of cogongrass invasion and management on arthropod diversity in longleaf pine. A thesis was completed and two papers are expected in 2013-2014. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals that worked on the project are; David Held (PD), Seung Cheon Hong (post-doc), Lori Eckhardt (Forestry), Stephen Enloe (Extension), Dong-Joo Kim (Engineering), Navin Twarakavai (Univ of NV Desert Research Institute), Prabhakar Clement (Engineering), Raymond A. Young (student), Chase Brown and Carl Scott Clem (temporary lab assistant), Murphey Coy (student), Sallie Martin (student), Austin Gorzlancyk (student) and David Bailey (student). Persons and organizations that partnered with this project in 2012 include the staff of Saugahatchee Country Club (Opelika, AL), Great Southern Golf Club (Gulfport, MS), Shell Landing Golf Club (Gautier, MS), and Grand National Golf Club (Opelika, AL). Professional development training was also provided for the Alabama Turfgrass Association. TARGET AUDIENCES: In 2012, the following efforts were made to deliver science-based programs to members of the Alabama Turfgrass Association during the spring roadhow series. Programs were delivered in Birmingham, Dothan, Loxley, and Montgomery AL. Results of current and on-going research were presented at the annual meeting of the Alabama Turfgrass Association in Auburn and during the ATA field day in April. Nationally, I co-taught an invited workshop for the Golf Course Superintendents Association meeting on Pesticides and the Environment. The general public was targeted at events sponsored by the Auburn City schools including a fall field day and through coaching a group of elementary school students as part of the Science Olympiad team (D. Held). In the classroom, I deliver science-based instruction to students in Economic Entomology. Economic Entomology labs are experiential and enable students to sample, collect, and identify common landscape and horticulturally-important pests. I also provided science-based lectures in my area of expertise to the Nursery Management class at AU. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Objective 2 is being re-focused into understanding the interaction of secondary plant compounds and insecticides on the induction of detoxification enzymes in Japanese beetles. This objective originally focused on the identification of a novel toxin in geranium researched by the PI. However, recent work by the USDA-ARS has identified the active compound in geranium flowers. The focus will now be on how secondary plant compounds are detoxified and whether or not the novel toxin in geranium can circumvent this detoxification system in adult Japanese beetles. A collaboration was started with Dr. Liu in EPP and with Dr. Karim at Univ. of Southern MS to identify the role of these enzymes and to locate the genes responsible for these in the Japanese beetle genome (Dr. Karim's research area). A Hatch project was also funded in 2012 (FY2013) for work on this objective. A student is being recruited for the project.
Impacts
Objective 1a was primarily completed in 2011 in JEE and AMT, and a completed thesis that year.For Objective 1b, a manuscript on this work is expected for review in 2013. For Objective 1c, a student thesis and one manuscript were published in 2012 and that student graduated in 2012. This is the first study to compare the dietary choices and their implications on mole cricket ecology and damage to turfgrass. The published paper compared whether damage to grass from omnivorous mole crickets would be increased in the presence of earthworm prey. There was an increased in damage to grass when mole crickets and earthworm prey were present. We speculated that the development and increased use of more target selective insecticides for turfgrass may increase soil invertebrates would may have negative, unintended consequences for turfgrass producers. Two additional papers are expect from this objective in 2013. The first will highlight the impacts of food selection on development of tawny and southern mole crickets and the second will present data that show differential consumption of insecticidal baits by mole crickets. This likely explains the need for higher use rates of these products to achieve sufficient control under field conditions. Additional work funded by NSF with mole crickets was also completed in 2012 along with the completion of thesis and graduation of a Master's student. This work used CT scans to determine the impact of environmental factors (soil bulk density, soil moisture, grass versus barren)on mole cricket subterranean tunneling behavior. We also conducted an experiment this year that clearly demonstrates that mole crickets significantly impact soil infiltration and runoff compared to un-infested soil. Most studies on soil infiltration focus on worms, ants or termites and this is one of the first to investigate mole cricket impacts on soil infiltration. This could expand the field of soil hydrology and the impacts of other invertebrates on ground water infiltration and runoff. Two manuscripts from that work are expected with the first one submitted in summer 2013 and a second one in fall 2013 or spring 2014. Also for this objective, a review article was published in Jan 2012. This was an invited review in the top entomology journal. There is no new progress in 2012 for Objectives 1d, 2 nor the completed Objective 3a. The results of Objective 3a are being summarized into two publications to be submitted in 2013-2014. The SCRI-funded project with ambrosia beetles in nurseries. This project is in collaboration with several Alabama and national nurseries and the Department of Engineering at AU. A student is finishing this work and expected to graduate in summer 2013. The first paper from this work in completed and will be submitted for review in 2013.
Publications
- Held, D.W. and P.J. Vittum. 2012. Japanese beetles. In: C. Prater and R. Brandenburg (eds.) ESA Handbook of Turfgrass Insects. 2nd Ed. (Invited). Hellman, J.L. and D.W. Held. 2012. Green June beetle. In: C. Prater and R. Brandenburg (eds.) ESA Handbook of Turfgrass Insects. 2nd Ed. (Invited). Hong, S.C., D.W. Held, and R.C. Williamson. 2012. Black cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) flight activity on a golf course in central Alabama. Fla. Entomol. 95:492-493. Held, D.W. and D.A. Potter. 2012. Problems and prospects for managing turfgrass insect pests with reduced chemical inputs. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 57:329-354. (Invited). Xu, Y., D.W. Held, and X.P. Hu. 2012. Potential negative effects of earthworm prey on damage to turfgrass by omnivorous mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) Environ. Entomol. 41:1139-1144. Hong, S.C., D.W. Held, and R.C. Williamson. 2012. Leaf biomechanical properties as mechanisms of resistance to black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) among Poa species. Entomol. Exp. Applic. 145:201-208. Reed, T. and D.W. Held. 2013. Commercial Turf and Lawns. 2013-IPM 1313.(published online fall 2012).
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: For Objective 1, a Master's student has completed most of the work and will be graduating in 2012. Preliminary results were presented to scientific groups at national meetings and to state commodity groups at Alabama Turfgrass Association Field Days and the annual meeting. Two manuscripts and a thesis are expected to be published in 2012-2013. For Objective 2, a Master's student finished the work for this Objective and graduated in spring 2011. He immediately found a job in his area of training. This research was conducted in cooperation with local golf courses and the Alabama Fire Ant Mgt program. Results of this objective were presented at state and regional commodity groups, at field days, and in a newsletter article. A scientific paper was published in 2011, and three presentations to scientific audiences were made at regional, national and international meetings. Objective 3 was also finished in 2011 with the Master's student likely to graduate in Spring 2012. The student successfully defended in Fall 2011 but missed the deadline for submission of revisions. In 2011, phenology gardens, installed in 2010 as part of a AAES-funded project, were again monitored in five locations (Mobile, Huntsville, Headland, Birmingham, Auburn). This objective was only possible through the cooperation of the ACES, AAES, Alabama Master Gardeners, the Alabama Green Industry Training Center, Huntsville Botanical Garden, Birmingham Botanical Garden, and the Mobile Botanical Garden. Again in 2011, "Spring Trainings" for Master Gardeners and citizen scientists were conducted. Each trainee participated in hands on activities and received an AU Phenology handbook. This group then volunteered a minimum of 3 h per week per site to collect data from Jan through Nov. Scientific presentations were made at the national and regional entomology meeting, and at the Southern Nursery Association meeting. The project website was updated to reflect the results of this study. A thesis, and two papers will be forthcoming in 2012-2013 from this objective. As stated in the 2010 report, a research group from OH discovered the toxin responsible for paralysis in Japanese beetles so Objective 4 was abandoned for an interdisciplinary project on the impact of cogongrass and cogongrass management strategies on insect diversity. A student completed work on that project in 2011 and a thesis and two papers will be produced in 2012-2013. Research on Objective 5 is completed, and the data were presented at a regional entomology meeting in 2011. A publication is in preparation and will be published in 2012. In addition, a Master's student is currently working on an SCRI-funded project with ambrosia beetles in production nurseries. This project is in collaboration with several Alabama and national nurseries and the Department of Engineering at AU. A student was hired and has completed one year of work on that project. There are no other outputs from that project. In addition to these outputs, a review article was prepared, submitted, and published online in 2011. The hardcopy was published in Jan. 2012. This was an invited review in the top entomology journal. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals that worked on the project are; David Held (PD), Shane Parker (Research Technician), Gary Keever (AU Horticulture), Seung Cheon Hong (post-doc), Lori Eckhardt (Forestry), Stephen Enloe (Extension), Dong-Joo Kim (Engineering), Navin Twarakavai (Agronomy and Soils), Prabhakar Clement (Engineering), S. Addison Barden (student), Raymond A. Young (student), Chase Brown (temporary lab assistant), Anthony Bowden (temporary lab assistant), Matt Ramirez (student worker), Matt Oliver (Student worker), Kristyn Carroll (work study student worker), Sallie Martin (student), Austin Gorzlancyk (student) and David Bailey (student). Persons and organizations that partnered with this project in 2010 include the Alabama Green Industry Training Center and Mr. Fred Kapp; the Alabama Turfgrass Association; the staff of Saugahatchee Country Club (Opelika, AL) and Grand National Golf Club (Opelika, AL); Aijun Zhang (USDAARS); the Master Gardener of Alabama chapters in Mobile, Shelby, Madison, Jefferson; the Wiregrass Substation of the Alabama Agric. Experiment Station; the Mobile Botanical Gardens staff; the Huntsville Botanical Gardens staff; the administration and industrial arts staff of the Oak Mountain Middle School (Birimingham, AL); and L.C. Fudd Graham and the Alabama Fire Ant Mgt Program staff. The Master Gardeners of Mobile, Shelby, Madison, Jefferson and the staff at the Wiregrass Substation of the Alabama Agric. Experiment Station were recipients of the Spring Training Workshops to generate support for the phenology project. Professional development training was also provided for the Alabama Turfgrass Association. TARGET AUDIENCES: In 2011, Alabama Master Gardeners were an important target audience. The following efforts were made to deliver science-based programs at the Huntsville Botanical Garden, Huntsville, AL (Feb 22), Oak Mountain Middle School, Birmingham, AL (Feb 15), and Mobile Botanical Garden, Mobile, AL (Feb 17). The Alabama Turfgrass Association were another target audience in 2011. The following efforts were made to deliver science-based programs on Jan 26 in Birmingham, AL titled, Insect management in turfgrass and another program titled, Why do pesticides fail: Is it always resistance was presented in Dothan (FEb 2), Loxley (Jan 19), and Montgomery (Feb 16) as part of the spring ATA traveling roadshows. We also presented research results at the annual meeting of the ATA in Auburn and during the ATA field day in April. ON may 23, a half day workshop was conducted for the Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association in Birmingham, AL. The nursery industry was targeted during the general education session of the Gulf States Hort Expo with a presentation titled, Major insects in commercial landscapes: identification, control, and management and at the Southern Nursery Association research conference. Nationally, I co-taught an invited workshop for the Golf Course Superintendents Association meeting on Pesticides and the Environment. The general public was targeted at events sponsored by the Auburn City schools including a fall field day and through coaching a group of elementary school students as part of the Science Olympiad team (D. Held). In the classroom, I deliver science-based instruction to 30 students in Economic Entomology and three students in a directed study in Landscape Entomology. Economic Entomology labs are experiential and enable sutdents to sample, collect, and indentify common landscape and horticulturally-important pests. I also provided science-based lectures in my area of expertise to the Nursery Management and Insect Physiology classes at AU. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
For Objective 3, we measured degree-days and plant phenological indicators, which are commonly used to focus scouting and management efforts. Master gardeners, experiment station personnel, and citizen scientists, were trained to take plant phenology data and change traps. A phenological sequence for each site was determined and compared to sequences statewide. There was a strong correlation between the sites, which indicates that despite the geographic diversity in Alabama the phenological sequence is still reliable statewide. Two sentinel pests were also monitored statewide. These two pests varied widely in their date of activity at each site and respective phenological correlate. There are shared correlates between some of the sites. Nevertheless, we have phenological indicators for each pest at each site in the state. This will serve as a basis for predicting activity of other important nursery and landscape pests. For Objective 5, 33 holly taxa were evaluated for susceptibility to wax scales. All taxa in the study can host crawlers and support development of Florida wax scale. But, crawler density and female fecundity varied widely across the 33 taxa. Leaf thickness and leaf toughness, however, were two plant characteristics correlated with susceptibility. This information will provide horticulturalists with the relative susceptibility of the hollies in this study and also for two characteristics that could possibly be used to gauge susceptibility of future selections. For Objective 1, we found that dietary selection in mole crickets has significant impacts on growth and development. For example, southern mole crickets could not successfully develop when fed only a plant diet. This is the first study to compare the dietary choices and their implications on mole cricket ecology. Another student working with mole crickets has used CT scans to determine the impact of environmental factors (soil bulk density, soil moisture, grass versus barren)on mole cricket subterranean tunneling behavior. We also conducted an experiment this year that clearly demonstrates that mole crickets significantly impact soil infiltration and runoff compared to un-infested soil. Most studies on soil infiltration focus on worms, ants or termites and this is one of the first to investigate mole cricket impacts on soil infiltration. This could expand the field of soil hydrology and the impacts of other invertebrates on ground water infiltration and runoff. Preliminary analyses indicate that cogongrass management (not a stated Objective) may not have significant detrimental impacts on natural enemies and arthropod diversity. Data analyses are on-going but, if confirmed, this indicates a resilience of the longleaf pine ecosystem despite anthropogenic and ecological disturbances. In the ambrosia beetle project (not a stated Objective), we have demonstrated significant additional visual and olfactory cues that can be used to increase trap capture and hopefully specificity of traps for granulate ambrosia and camphor shoot borer beetles in nurseries. Our Objective is to produce a prototype trap using these cues and evaluate it under field conditions.
Publications
- Hong, S.C., R.C. Williamson, and D.W. Held. 2011. Preference and performance of black cutworm larvae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Poa species. J. Environ. Hort. 29:207-212
- Held, D.W. and S.A. Parker. 2011. Efficacy of soil-applied neonicotinoid insecticides against Azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyroides, in the landscape. Fla. Entomol. 94:599-607.
- Hong, S.C., D.W. Held, and R.C. Williamson. 2011. Beneficial arthropods and predation on black cutworm larvae (Agrotis ipsilon) in close mown creeping bentgrass. Fla. Entomol. 94:714-715.
- Barden, SA 2011. Red Imported Fire Ant Influences on White Grub Populations and Soil Foraging Characteristics in Managed Turfgrass. Thesis, Auburn University.
- Young, R.* and D.W. Held. 2011. Phenology gardens in Alabama: Application of plant phenology to pest management. Proc. South. Nursery Assoc. 56:109-113
- Barden, S.A.*, D.W. Held, and L.C. Graham. 2011. Control of red imported fire ant using Topchoice, Talstar, and Amdro, 2010. Arthropod Manag. Test Reports. 36:G2.
- Held, D.W. and S.A. Barden. 2011. Name that grub! Tee to Green: GCSAA-LA & MS chapter newsletter. Spring 2011.
- Hong, S.C., D.W. Held, and R.C. Williamson. 2011. Earthworms: Friend or Foe TurfTimes Winter:18-19.
- Bailey, D. and D.W. Held. 2011. Characterization of biopores caused by soil-dwelling insects. Golf Course Management 79(11):100
- Xu, Y. and D.W. Held. 2011. Mole cricket turfgrass damage. Golf Course Management 79(10):106
- Hong, S.C., D.W. Held, and R.C. Williamson. 2011. Caterpillar Pests of Greens in the Gulf South. Tee to Green: GCSAA-LA & MS chapter newsletter. Winter 2011:14
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Regarding Objective 1, a student was found and hired in Aug 2010 to begin work on this objective. There are no other outputs for that objective this year. Regarding Objective 2, a Master's student is finishing that project and will graduate in 2011. The results of this project were presented at an AL Turf Assoc. meeting in Mobile. This research was also conducted in cooperation with local golf courses and the Alabama Fire Ant Mgt program. Also for Objective 2, three presentations to scientific audiences were made at regional, national and international meetings. Some of the most significant outputs were with the phenology project (Objective 3). In 2010, phenology gardens were installed in five locations (Mobile, Huntsville, Headland, Birmingham, Auburn) in Alabama through the cooperation of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. At these locations, we conducted "Spring Training" for Master Gardeners and citizen scientists on the science of phenology. In addition, general education session were also conducted for a green industry group in Mobile and Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA. These presentations focused on training persons how to recognize phenological indicators and basic steps to the application of phenology to pest management. Each trainee received hands on presentations and activites, and an AU Phenology handbook. From this pool of trainees, volunteers then aided with data collection at those sites through the rest of the year. Although no metrics were taken, these citizen scientists had a working knowledge of phenology and its application when completed. Scientific presentations were made in Apopka, FL and San Diego, CA. These presentations reported the results of the project and placed these results in context to previous research. Also consistent with our objectives, a website (auburn.edu\phenology) was developed as a communication tool for the project on the internet. The site also contains training videos on how to collect data and service traps in the garden as well as an introduction to the science of phenology. The site is referenced in each talk and is being updated in spring 2011 to reflect the 2010 data collection season. Finally, the project received positive coverage to a larger, more general audience via two featured stories in College of Agriculture publications and a Master Gardener publication in North Alabama. In 2010, a research group from OH discovered the toxin responsible for paralysis in Japanese beetles so that Objective 4 has been abandoned for other interdisciplinary projects. Research on Objective 5 is nearly completed, however, there are no significant outcomes to report. Data for this Objective will be presented and published in 2011. In addition to these outputs, project updates for Objectives 1, 2, 3 were presented to green industry groups in Alabama on three occasions in 2010. D. Held was also interviewed about his research program for the USGA Green Section Record (March-April edition). PARTICIPANTS: Individuals that worked on the project are; David Held (PD), Shane Parker (Research Technician), Gary Keever (AU Horticulture), S. Addison Barden (student), Raymond A. Young (student), Alyse Hobgood (temporary lab assistant), David Cummings (temporary lab assistant), Krystyn Carroll (work study student worker), Sallie Martin (student), and David Bailey (student). Persons and organizations that partnered with this project in 2010 include the Alabama Green Industry Training Center and Mr. Fred Kapp; the Alabama Turfgrass Association; the staff of Saugahatchee Country Club (Opelika, AL) and Grand National Golf Club (Opelika, AL); Aijun Zhang (USDA-ARS); the Master Gardener of Alabama chapters in Mobile, Shelby, Madison, Jefferson; the Wiregrass Substation of the Alabama Agric. Experiment Station; the Mobile Botanical Gardens staff; the Huntsville Botanical Gardens staff; the administration and industrial arts staff of the Oak Mountain Middle School (Birimingham, AL); and L.C. Fudd Graham and the Alabama Fire Ant Mgt Program staff. The Master Gardeners of Mobile, Shelby, Madison, Jefferson and the staff at the Wiregrass Substation of the Alabama Agric. Experiment Station were recipients of the Spring Training Workshops to generate support for the phenology project. Professional development training was also provided for the Alabama Turfgrass Association. TARGET AUDIENCES: In 2010, the Alabama Master Gardeners were one important target audience. The following efforts were made to deliver science-based programs at the Huntsville Botanical Garden, Huntsville, AL (February 26), Oak Mountain Middle School, Birmingham, AL (February 19), Wiregrass Extension Center, Headland, AL (February 3), and Mobile Botanical Garden, Mobile, AL (January 29). The Alabama Turfgrass Association were another target audience in 2010. The following efforts were made to deliver science-based programs on March 30 in Mobile, AL titled, What do bugs and blooms have in common; another program titled, Biology and current management strategies for white grub and fire ants in turfgrass was also presented at that same meeting; a science-based presentation titled, What's bugging you was presented at five locations around Alabama as part of the spring ATA traveling roadshows; another presentation was made in fall 2010 at the annual meeting of the ATA titled, Turfgrass Pest Management. Other efforts toward the gardening community were made with a presentation to the American Public Gardens Association in Atlanta, GA on June 2. The general public was targeted at events sponsored by the Auburn City schools including a fall field day and through coaching a group of elementary school students as part of the Science Olympiad team (D. Held). Also, on September 18, presentations to the public were made in cooperation with WAY Day at the Oak Mountain Middle School, Birmingham, AL. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
For Objective 2, we found that selective removal of fire ants from turfgrass likely doesn't cause a localized increase in white grubs populations. We also identified three common pitfalls with working with imported fire ants and developed methodology to address and circumvent these pitfalls. Our data suggest limited soil foraging activity of imported fire ants which is further supported by field data on life stage predation of the Japanese beetle and other scarab pests found in turfgrass. For Objective 3, we measured degree-days and plant phenological indicators which are commonly used to focus scouting and management efforts. Five gardens were established in Mobile, Headland, Auburn, Birmingham, and Huntsville, Alabama. Each garden contains four plots each with the same 13 plant taxa. Master gardeners, experiment station personnel, and citizen scientists, were trained to take plant phenology data and to change traps. Beginning in Jan, degree days (base 10 deg C) and the sequence of flowering of each plant were monitored. On each site, the flight period of dogwood borer was also monitored. Unlike previous studies on phenology and landscape pests, the phenological sequence and relationship to dogwood borer activity wasn't consistent statewide in Alabama. This experiment will be repeated in 2011 for verification of results. Pest activity and correlations are being used to develop a biological calendar for the Green Industry. For Objective 5, 33 taxa of holly are being evaluated for susceptibility to wax scales. So far, all taxa in the study can host crawlers as measured by evaluations of settled crawlers. However, differences in established field populations are reported and likely a result of differences in female fecundity on these plants. Female fecundity data were collected in 2010 and are being presented and published in 2011.
Publications
- Barden, S.A. and D.W. Held 2010. Control of red imported fire ant using TopChoice, Talstar, and Amdro. 2009. Arthropod Manag. Test Reports. 35: G3.
- Held, D.W. and S.A. Barden. 2010. Fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) predation and the effects of fire ant management on white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in turfgrass. Proc. Imported Fire Ant and Invasive Ant Conf. Little Rock, AR. Abstract.
- Barden, S.A., D.W. Held, and L.C. Fudd Graham. 2010. White grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) an increasing pest of turfgrass in the South. Online conference proceedings (Abstract). Entomological Society of America. San Diego, CA. Dec. 2010.
- Held, DW and CM Abraham. 2010. Exploring nectar sources for wasps that kill mole crickets. USGA Green Section Record. 48(2):12-14.
- Abraham, C., D.W. Held, and C. Wheeler. 2010. Monitoring the seasonal and diurnal activity of Larra bicolor (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae). Appl. Turfgrass Sci. doi:10.1094/ATS-2010-0312-01-RS
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This report will highlight progress made on objectives 1, 2, 3, and 5 of this CRIS project. Results from objective 4 are still preliminary. For Objective 1, a grant was obtained to conduct that research. Some data have been collected however, the work is on-going. Under Objective 2, two book chapters on the ecology of white grubs were published, as was a research paper documenting the discovery of a new grub species in Alabama. A graduate student, funded via grants, is working on the project. In 2009 we were unable to show link between fire ant management and white grub outbreaks. We did show varying life stage susceptibility of white grubs to fire ants. A graduate student is currently working on research for objective 3. This student is funded via a 2 year hatch project. We have established five phenology gardens in Alabama and have also established a project website (www.auburn.edu/phenology) which is used to communicate project progress and outcomes. Data collection has begun but there are no results to report so far. Funding for Objective 5 was obtained through a SARE grant in collaboration with the University of Georgia. In this first year, we have found holly varieties differed in the number of settled crawlers and that varieties vary significantly in sustaining populations of Florida wax scale. The project in continuing in 2010 and results will likely be published early in 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Lab personnel David Held, PI Shane Parker, Laboratory technician S. Addison Barden, Auburn University graduate student in my lab, M.S. degree Raymond Young, Auburn University graduate student in my lab, M.S. degree Krystal Waltman, part-time graduate student in my lab, Ph.D David Bailey, undergraduate research assistant in my lab Partner organization and contact, Alabama Green Industry Training Center, Mr. Fred Kapp Partner organizations: Mobile Area Botanical gardens, Wiregrass Research and Extension Center, Huntsville Botanical gardens, Oak Mountain middle school (Birmingham area) TARGET AUDIENCES: The primary target audience for this project has been Alabama's Green industry including the Alabama Turfgrass Association. Thus far, presentations have been made by either David Held or Addison Barden at annual meetings, regional meetings and field days regarding the results of Objective 1. These include presentation of preliminary results as well as reporting the discovery of the new white grubs species record for Alabama. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
This year I was able to publish the new state and regional record of the Asiatic garden beetle in Alabama. This is the first record of this species in the southeastern U.S. Continued work on host plant resistance among hollies to Florida wax scales will provide growers and landscape contractors with specific varieties that will require less insecticides inputs in the landscape and in production. For Objective 3, our project website have increased knowledge of citizen scientists and persons in the green industry about phenology and it's application to pest management.
Publications
- Held, D.W., Potter, D. A. 2009. June beetles, Phyllophaga spp. In: J. Capinera [ed] Encyclopedia of Entomology, Kluwer.
- Potter, D., Held, D.W. 2009. Japanese beetle. In: J. Capinera [ed] Encyclopedia of Entomology, Kluwer (Invited).
- Held, D.W., Ray, C.H. 2009. Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera castanea Arrow (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) grubs found in damaged turf in Alabama. Florida Entomologist 92:670 to 672.
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