ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF EUROPEAN CORN BORER AND OTHER LEPIDOPTERAN PESTS OF CORN

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0223416
• Multistate No.: NC-205
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2010
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2015
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
208 MUELLER LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802

Performing Department
Entomology

Non Technical Summary
Lepidopteran pests pose a constant threat to corn production. Traditionally, European corn borer has been the pest of primary concern, but in much of its range, European corn borer is being controlled by use of transgenic varieties of corn that are resistant to corn borer feeding. We are evaluating the efficacy and value of some of these lines in the face of the current European corn borer population sizes. We are also evaluating the risk posed by western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta, is a corn pest that has been expanding its range of activity for a little over a decade. In 1999, WBC were found feeding in experimental plots of corn throughout southwestern Minnesota (O'Rourke and Hutchison 2000). Though present in South Dakota for many years (Fauske 1982), it did not cause economic damage there until 2000 (Catangui and Berg 2004). In 2001, widespread damage to corn crops occurred throughout western Iowa (Rice 2002), and was reported for the first time in Illinois and Missouri in 2004 (Dorhout and Rice 2004). The species continues to spread eastward and is now found in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, (Rice and Dorhout 2006, Pope 2007, DiFonzo and Hammond 2008) and Ontario (Baute, personal communication). At present, little is known about the factors that initiated and sustain this range expansion, although population genetic evidence indicates it was not due to a sudden breach of a topographical barrier (Miller et al. 2009). Research has been initiated across the current WBC range on possible reasons why its range has expanded and on an array of WBC biological, ecological, and behavioral factors that will be used to develop a comprehensive IPM program for this pest. Outcomes of our work will give growers a better understanding of the efficacy of transgenic products in the face of diminished European corn borer populations. Growers will also understand the extent of western bean cutworm populations across the state and the threat that this pest poses to their crops.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
211	1510	1130	100%

Knowledge Area
211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1510 - Corn;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;

Keywords

caterpillar

corn

pest

european corn borer

western bean cutworm

transgenic

Goals / Objectives
The NC205 project has four goals: 1. Investigate the relationship between transgenic maize and the agricultural environment. 2. Adapt IPM systems for the changing pest complexes in maize. 3. Investigate ecology, evolution, genetics, and behavior of pest Lepidoptera. 4. Employ electronic delivery methods to disseminate information related to sustainable management of Lepidopteran pests. In Pennsylvania, we are pursuing two of these four goals, namely No. 2 and 3. To address Goal No. 2, we are studying the need and economics of using transgenic varieties given that widespread adoption of transgenic corn appears to have lead to an area-wide suppression of European corn borer, one of the main pests targeted by transgenic corn. In some parts of the country European corn borer densities have reached an all-time low, so it is not clear which farms benefit from using these higher priced transgenic seed when the pest population has decreased. We are also evaluating the efficacy of some transgenic varieties in controlling what are typically considered secondary pests in field corn production, corn earworm and fall armyworm. Lastly, we are assessing the risk to corn growers by the growing populations of western bean cutworm in Pennsylvania. This pest species is native to the western United States, but has been expanding westward. This new pest poses a significant threat to corn production in Pennsylvania so we are monitoring the population and informing growers of the risks. To address Goal No. 3, we are assessing pheromone production of western bean cutworm. As mentioned above, this pest species is invading Pennsylvania and pheromone traps are used to monitor adult activity. Unfortunately, western bean cutworm pheromone traps capture other moth species, suggesting that the pheromone blend has not been optimized. We are attempting to analyze the blend produced by female moths and improve the blend to avoid trapping non-target species, ultimately improving trapping efficiency and our ability to detect this pest species with our monitoring network. Outputs of this work will include research and extension reports evaluating the efficacy of various transgenic and conventional corn lines as well as the population size and spread across the state of western bean cutworm.

Project Methods
To assess the need and economics of using transgenic varieties, we are evaluating a wide variety of transgenic and conventional lines of corn in a replicated, multi-site, multi-maturity zone experimental design. We solicited various agricultural businesses for different corn varieties and planted them at many locations across Pennsylvania to evaluate their performance and their levels of pest infestation. To evaluate efficacy of transgenic varieties against secondary lepidopteran pests of field corn, we are conducting a replicated field trial with some new transgenic varieties of corn being developed by an agricultural company. To assess the risk to corn growers by western bean cutworm, we are running a statewide trapping network to track the population spread and growth of this new pest species.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmer, Extension staff, other agricultural professionals, and entomologists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A key point that this project has discovered and communicated with growers in the region is that insect pest dynamic matter; insect populations change over time, and that alters the pest management landscape as far as the pests that threaten crops, and the most valuable control options. This point is particularly relevant for IPM, because scouting is the key to understanding local pest population and implementing IPM. This message has been vital for graduate student trainees and extension educators through out the state. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have published our results in peer-reviewed journals and presented scores of extension presentations to the agricultural community of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Over the course of the project, we communicated with the agricultural community of Pennsylvania the value of Bt, benefits of using non-Bt corn hybrids, details of pest biology, alternative means of controlling insect pests of corn, and details on the issue of resistance to Bt technology. This latter topic is particularly relevant because populations of western corn rootworms resistant to Bt hybrids are proliferating in the Midwest, so communicating the situation to Pennsylvania growers reinforces our message of proper stewardship of these transgenic technologies in our region.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Grettenberger, I. M., and J. F. Tooker. Moving beyond resistance management toward an expanded role for seed mixtures in agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 208:2936. DOI:10.1016/j.agee.2015.04.019
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Douglas, M. R., and J. F. Tooker. 2015. Large-Scale Deployment of Seed Treatments Has Driven Rapid Increase in Use of Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Preemptive Pest Management in U.S. Field Crops. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49(8):50885097
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Douglas, M. R., J. R. Rohr, and J. F. Tooker. 2015. Neonicotinoid insecticide travels through a soil food chain, disrupting biological control of non-target pests and decreasing soybean yield. Journal of Applied Ecology 52:250260.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Glenna, L., Tooker, J. F., Welsh, R., Ervin, D. Intellectual property, scientific independence, and the efficacy and environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops. Rural Sociology 80 (2):147172.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Farmer, Extension staff, other agricultural professionals, and entomologists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project has provided insight on the dynamic of pest populations; that is they change over time. Thus agricultural professionals and farmers need to continue to scout their populations to determine appropriate management strategies. This message has been vital for graduate student trainees and extension educators through out the state. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We have published our results in peer-reviewed journals and presented scores of extension presentations to the agricultural community of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will continue following current research leads and meet with groups of farmers to discuss best practices for managing insect pest populations.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We communicated with the agricultural community of Pennsylvania the risk of resistance to Bt technology. Populations of western corn rootworms resistant to Bt hybrids are proliferating in the Midwest, so communicating the situation to Pennsylvania growers reinforces our message of proper stewardship of these transgenic technologies in our region. This is particularly critical so growers understand inherent differences between Bt toxins targeting lepidopterans and those targeting rootworms.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Bohnenblust, E. W., J. A. Breining, J. A. Shaffer, S. J. Fleischer, G. W. Roth, and J. F. Tooker. 2014. Current European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, injury levels in the Northeastern US and the value of Bt field corn. Pest Management Science 70:1711-1719. DOI: 10.1002/ps.3712.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Policy makes, extension educators, agricultural industry, farmers and other agricultural professionals, and entomologists Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project has provided insight on the dynamic of pest populations; that is they change over time. Thus agricultural professionals and farmers need to continue to scout their populations to determine appropriate management strategies. This message has been vital for graduate student trainees and extension educators through out the state. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We have published our results in peer-reviewed journals and presented scores of extension presentations to the agricultural community of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will continue following current research leads and meet with groups of farmers to discuss best practices for managing insect pest populations.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We established the value of Bt corn hybrids in Pennsylvania for control of European corn borer and corn earworm under current population levels. This value is considerably lower than other parts of the country where these pest species are more abundant and problematic. We discovered the presence of a novel pest species in Pennsylvania, the corn pith weevil, Geraeus penicillus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). This pest species had not previously been reported from Pennsylvania. Its presence may be associated with milder winters. We communicated with the agricultural community of Pennsylvania the risk of resistance to Bt technology. Populations of western corn rootworms resistant to Bt hybrids are proliferating in the Midwest, so communicating the situation to Pennsylvania growers reinforces our message of proper stewardship of these transgenic technologies in our region.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Bohnenblust, E. W., J. A. Breining, G. W. Roth, J. F. Tooker. 2013 Corn pith weevil, Geraeus penicillus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in transgenic, insect-resistant and conventional field corn hybrids. Journal of Applied Entomology, DOI: 10.1111/jen.12051
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Bohnenblust E. W., J. A. Breining, S. J. Fleischer, G. W. Roth, and J. F. Tooker. 2013. Corn earworm in Northeastern field corn: pest threat and the value of transgenic hybrids. Journal of Economic Entomology 106 (3):1250-1259.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Bohnenblust, E.W., Egan, J.F., Mortensen, D.M., Tooker, J. 2013. Direct and Indirect Effects of the Synthetic-Auxin Herbicide Dicamba on Two Lepidopteran Species. Environmental Entomology. 42 (3):86-594.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the reporting period, we ran in Pennsylvania two trapping networks, one for black cutworm and one for western bean cutworm, lepidopteran pests of corn. Traps in these networks collect moths as the move into and around Pennsylvania. The numbers they generate help assess the risk of these pest species to the corn crop. For both species we had about 30 traps scatter across Pennsylvania. These traps were managed by county educators of Penn State Extension that are members of the Crop Management Team or the Horticulture Team. For black cutworm, contrary to previous year, our efforts did not detect "significant flights" of moths, which did not allow use to predict larval damage. These results suggest that the risk for black cutworm damage was lower in the areas of our traps than recent years. The lack of moths may be attributable to the warmer than average spring. Our monitoring effort for western bean cutworm captured 1283 moths, which was quite an increase from the 350 moths found in Pennsylvania in 2011. We are not sure what caused this drastic increase in captures, but it is to reflect larger regional populations that have become established. The trapping data were reported on Penn State's PestWatch website, which tracks activity of migratory lepidopteran pests. We shared this information with county extension educators, who advised growers that there was an increased risk from this new pest species than in the few previous years that this pest has been in Pennsylvania (2009, 2010, 2011). In addition trapping for these two pest moths species, we continue to cooperate with local agricultural companies to understand the value of genetically modified (GM), insect-resistant corn varieties to control populations of pest caterpillars. The high price of GM corn seeds stretches the budgets of Pennsylvania growers, so we need to know if growers benefit enough from these products to justify the expense. In 2012, we also experienced a widespread outbreak of true armyworm. Two pheromone traps indicated that populations of this pest species were locally high, but reports from growers clearly indicated that this pest species was widespread and caused economic damage in corn and grass hayfields. PARTICIPANTS: John Tooker - Assistant Professor and member of NC-205 TARGET AUDIENCES: Entomologist, Researchers, Extension Educators, and Agricultural Industry Personnel PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Our trapping networks generate vital data on pest populations that we can share statewide with extension educators, growers and associated agricultural professionals. Our efforts this period with black cutworm demonstrated that populations of this pests species were lower than normal. Our western bean cutworm trap captures indicated that populations of this pest species grew dramatically in 2012 and we were able to share this fact with agriculturalists across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. In response to the true armyworm outbreak, we communicated with state and federal agencies, as well as numerous media outlets to the risk the populations posed and management options.

Publications

• Tian, D., M. Peiffer, E. Shoemaker, J. Tooker, E. Haubruge, E. Francis, D. S. Luthe, and G. W. Felton. 2012. Salivary glucose oxidase from caterpillars mediates the induction of rapid and delayed-induced defenses in the tomato plant PLoS ONE 7(4):e36168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036168.
• Tian, D., J. F. Tooker, M. Peiffer, S. Chung, and G. W. Felton. 2012. Role of Trichomes in Defense against herbivores: Comparison of herbivore response to woolly and hairless trichome mutants in tomato(Solanum lycopersicum). Planta 236:1053-6.
• Kim, J., J. F. Tooker, D. S. Luthe, C. M. De Moraes, and G. W. Felton. 2012. Insect egg can enhance wound response in plants: a study system of tomato Solanum lycopersicum L. and Helicoverpa zea Boddie. PLoS ONE 7(5):e37420. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0037420.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the reporting period, we continued to operate two pheromone trapping networks in Pennsylvania. These networks capture moths moving into and across Pennsylvania to help gauge the risk of black cutworm and western bean cutworm to growers of corn, the most important grain crop in Pennsylvania. We deployed 30 traps across the states. Traps targeting both lepidopteran species were monitored by county-based educators of Penn State Extension's Crop Management Team (CMT). Western bean cutworm traps were also monitored by CMT educators, staff members of the Department of Entomology but also by some horticultural educators. Our network revealed significant flight of black cutworm in six counties (Berks, Fulton, Lehigh, Northampton, Union, and Centre). This knowledge was shared with growers in these counties to share the risk posed to their crops so they could plan their scouting seeking damaging populations in their fields. We also deposited our trapping data into the Pennsylvania Pest Information Platform for Extension and Eduction (the PA-PIPE), which is an online early warning system that growers can consult to gauge pest activity levels. This system is also valuable be cause using weather and geographic data it estimates the risk of cutworm damage to other counties where we were not able to monitor traps. The main purpose of the black cutworm network is to decrease unnecessary insecticide use by growers by informing them about the risk posed by pests. Our trapping network for western bean cutworm captured about 350 moths of this corn pest that we first found in in 2009 in Pennsylvania. Unlike last year when the majority of moths were found in Erie County, central counties like Centre, Tioga, Bradford, and Lycoming yielded most moths in 2011. Our trapping also indicated that moths continue to spread across Pennsylvania, posing a potential risk to corn crops. Data from our trapping efforts were reported online with to Penn State's PestWatch website, which tracks activity of moth pests. Using the information from our trapping network, we informed extension educators and their growers of the risk from this pest. Importantly we were able to share that this pest species has yet to really threaten corn crops in the state, countering the message of some agricultural supply companies that have been seeking to exploit fear and uncertainty about this invasive species. In addition to our networks trapping pest moths species, we continue to cooperate with agricultural seeds companies to assess the value of transgenic corn varieties to control populations of lepidopteran pests. The increasing price of transgenic corn seeds requires research to determine if growers gain enough benefits from these products to justify the expense. PARTICIPANTS: John Tooker - Assistant Professor and member of NC-205. TARGET AUDIENCES: Entomologist, Researchers, Extension Educators, and Agricultural Industry Personnel. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Our cooperative trapping networks generate important information that can warn statewide growers of risks to their crop fields posed a few pest species of caterpillars. Black cutworm trap captures allow us to predict when the cutting behavior of black cutworm caterpillars will occur and we strive through extension outlets to inform growers of this timing and the risk to their fields. Our efforts trapping for western bean cutworm moths established in 2009 that this new pest species invaded Pennsylvania. In 2010, we tracked its steady spread across the state. Our 2011 efforts found moths in 12 counties and established that the pest continues to spread eastward, suggesting that this invasive pest and could be problematic for the many farmers in the state growing corn. In 2011, we also found our first eggs and larva of western bean cutworm, confirming that this pest has established in Pennsylvania and may develop into an economically significant pest.

Publications

• Tooker, J. F. and C. M. De Moraes. 2011. Feeding by a gall-inducing caterpillar species increases levels of indole-3-acetic and decreases abscisic acid in Solidago altissima stems. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 5:115-124.
• Onstad, D. W., P. D. Mitchell, T. M. Hurley, J. G. Lundgren, R. P. Porter, C. H. Krupke, J. L. Spencer, C. D. DiFonzo, T. S. Baute, R. L. Hellmich, L. Buschman, W. D. Hutchison, and J. F. Tooker. 2011. Seeds of change: Corn seed mixtures for resistance management and Integrated Pest Management. Journal of Economic Entomology 104:343-352.