Progress 08/01/02 to 12/31/06
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) To evaluate the efficacy of lures for scarab beetles, particularly Macrodactylus spp., in Ecuadorian field studies. To broaden behavioral knowledge of scarab beetles and provide new control strategies. Approach (from AD-416) Information and material will be exchanged between investigators and students of three institutions in Ecuador, and principal investigators at OARDC, and USDA (Wooster, Ohio). Studies will be in three principal areas. (1) Conduct trials to elucidate the relationships between known scarab attractants and the beetle fauna throughout Ecuador. Traps and lures developed in Ohio for scarab beetles will be used in Ecuador and modified as needed. (2) Evaluate the effects of scarab adults (particularly species of Macrodactylus) on production and yields of crops in Ecuador, and develop control strategies for those beetles. (3) Evaluate the damage from, and control of, populations of scarab larvae in relation to climatic and geographic conditions. For the last two areas, emphasis will also be placed on identifying parasitiods and pathogens of scarabs that may be useful in the U.S. Each of the three study areas will be assigned a graduate student from one of the Ecuadorian institutions. Identification of scarabs will be conducted at the Catholic University of Quito and specimens will be sent to the U.S. Scarab Collection in Lincoln, Nebraska. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations The project expired on 12/31/2006
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report 4d Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between ARS and The Ohio State University (OSU worked with cooperators in Ecuador on methods in integrated pest management to control scarab beetles that threaten horticultural crops in Ecuador and the U.S.). Scarab beetles are a major limiting factor in the production of corn, beans and other staple food crops in Ecuador and the U.S. and are particularly troublesome to the production of fruit crops such as peaches and grapes as well as damaging the flowers of ornamentals like roses and peonies. This study identified ways to manage these beetles and their larvae in order to reduce or eliminate reliance on toxic chemicals and to reduce crop losses, and at the same time, enhance incomes of families producing these crops. The primary goal was accomplished through the finding of management tools that are both economically feasible and sustainable.
Great benefits of this research were found such as the better control of pests using fungi control for the Macrodactylus in Ecuador, and the use of attractants that were developed at Ohio State University to reduce populations in horticultural crops. In addition four students from the Catholic University and Central University in Ecuador completed their thesis research under this specific cooperative agreement.
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
4d Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between ARS and The Ohio State University (OSU worked with cooperators in Ecuador on methods in integrated pest management to control scarab beetles that threaten horticultural crops in Ecuador and the U.S.). Scarab beetles are a major limiting factor in the production of corn, beans and other staple food crops in Ecuador and the U.S. and are particularly troublesome to the production of fruit crops such as peaches and grapes as well as damaging the flowers of ornamentals like roses and peonies. This study is identifying ways to manage these beetles and their larvae in order to reduce or eliminate reliance on toxic chemicals and to reduce crop losses, and at the same time, enhance incomes of families producing these crops. One of the primary goals of the project is to find management tools that are both economically feasible and sustainable. Great strides were
made in the Scarab Project over the past year in both Ecuador and the U.S., in particular narrowing down better attractants for monitoring, as well as in the identification of microorganisms to be used for reducing populations. This includes a study of the life history from egg to adult using field collected females to obtain the eggs. A recent graduate of Central University was successful in evaluating chemical attractants developed for the genus Macrodactylus at OSU. Final results will be completed in conjunction with the graduates thesis, and the data will then be prepared for a scientific publication at OSU. Another graduate student discovered a unique way to gather scarab eggs and was successful in utilizing fungi as a control for Macrodactylus in Ecuador. The thesis is under review at OSU, Wooster to be divided into two manuscripts for publication submission. These leads will be followed by two newer students. There is potential application of these findings in monitoring
scarabs in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Another new student will be doing more in depth studies with the diseases which attack scarabs in Chillanes and Bolivar, Ecuador. Since Bolivar, south of Quito, has different species of Macrodactylus, further investigation must be done on the action of these fungi on a different host in order to understand the potential susceptibility of other scarabs. In Ohio, season-long scarab lures are being evaluated, first for the rose chafer, Macrodactylus subspinosus, followed by the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica. At the start of the current Japanese beetle season, it appears this system might work well where two or three species abound. During the rose chafer season, which just ended, there was a slight increase of beetles caught with the combined lures over the rose chafer lure by itself. During the Japanese beetle season, evaluation will be made on if the same trend is true. In areas where there is a third damaging species such as
the Oriental beetle, Amomala orientalis, researchers hope to also attract and destroy these beetles. In conjunction with the cooperative research being conducted, an emphasis has been made on capacity building and technology transfer. Earlier this year a visit to Ecuador was made by Scarab Specialist, Dr. Michael Klein, and Videographer, Randy Nemitz. They were able to visit the sites where the research is being conducted, consult with students and discuss future plans with the professors. In particular, they discussed the rearing of Macrodactylus in captivity, giving ideas based on the many years of experience in this area by Dr. Klein. Randy Nemitz was able to get some needed video footage to complete our multi- dimensional DVD documenting the activities of this project in the Andes Mountains of South America. Several prizes have been won with the short version of this DVD.
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
4. What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between ARS and the Ohio State University to work with cooperators in Ecuador on methods in integrated pest management to control scarab beetles that threaten horticultural crops in Ecuador and the United States. Ecuadorian students under the lead investigators located at INIAP and the Catholic University have conducted laboratory and field trials to study various aspects of scarab behavior, evaluate lures, study natural enemies and to classify larvae and adults of notorious scarabs affecting production of horticultural and agronomic crops in Ecuador. Traps and lures have been provided to counterparts in Ecuador and show some encouraging results. The traps have been utilized to monitor foliage and flower feeding scarabs especially in the huge San Jose Valley, about an hour from Quito. In this valley Macrodactylus
beetles are serious pests of blackberry, fava beans, citrus flowers and they are especially destructive to maize in Ecuador. We were able to demonstrate the strong attractiveness of our attractants/traps to these beetles and their ability to protect a blackberry crop, which was being decimated by the beetles devouring their white flowers, causing great yield reductions. Before the traps were in place we found as many as 5 beetles on a single flower. After the traps were engaged, flowers averaged less than one beetle. The attractant that we developed in Ohio was very effective in capturing 4 different species of Scarabs in the genus Macrodactylus (like our Rose Chafer in the U.S.) and also several other Scarab species still to be determined. In Ohio, the lures were used to capture the Rose Chafers for bioassays evaluating the efficacy of four compounds, which have been approved for use on grapes by EPA. The beetles are very problematic in pockets along the coast of Lake Erie,
especially where lighter sandy soils exist. The insecticides tested are considered much safer than the former broad spectrum compounds such as Guthion, and Parathion etc, which were used in vineyards to control our major pests. Those tested were Assail and Provado, both neonicotinates, Danitol, a pyrethroid, and Intrepid, an insect growth regulator. Bioassays were conducted over a 7-day period with 4 replicates per treatment. Intrepid did not differ from the control at any of the readings. Excluding Intrepid, the evaluations showed that all of the treatments were significantly better than the control. This information will be shared with counterparts in Ecuador.
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