Project Number: 5347-22620-017-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Mar 18, 2005
End Date: Mar 11, 2010

Objective:
Determine biological, physical and environmental impacts on multi-crop production and other ecological inputs on cotton pests and natural enemies; to develop protective natural enemy habitats as well as conservation/augmentation methods. Investigate pest and natural enemy physiology, biochemistry, ecology and behavior. Develop thresholds for biological, biorational, conventional chemical controls. Develop ecological approaches for control of invasive species based on biology, ecology, adaptiveness, natural enemies, establishment status. Identify and test assumptions underlying the use of refuges for genetically-engineered cottons as a means of preventing reistance development in the pink bollworm, emphasizing the need for verification and impact on non-target organisms and relations to laboratory-based experiments. Optimize strategies and technologies or management practices that can enhance the effectiveness of refuges; that might serve as alternatives to refuges because of greater effectiveness in suppressing resistant pest populations. This objective may include, as appropriate and feasible, a molecular approach to early identification of the dissemination of resistance genes in pest populations.

Approach:
Key pest management studies will be conducted using manipulations of crop production inputs, genetically-modified crops, trap crops, behavioral chemicals and other ecological methods to manage pest and beneficial insect species. Key natural enemies will be identified, their efficacy, adaptiveness and potential for introduction and/or conservation and applications augmentation. Monoclonal antibody techniques will be used in predator efficacy, mark-recapture techniques for dispersal, population dynamics and sampling method research. Replaces project 5344-22620-015-00D (3/05).Formerly 5344-22620-017-00D (2/06). 5347-22620-018-00D combined into this project. (3/09)