Project Number: 1926-22000-024-10
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Mar 01, 2011
End Date: Jul 30, 2012

Objective:
The proposal addresses importation biological control of the soybean aphid. The soybean aphid recently invaded North America from Asia. First discovered infesting U.S. soybean fields in 2000 in 10 midwestern states, the soybean aphid has since spread to the eastern seaboard, west to Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas, and south to Mississippi and Georgia. In 2003, it infested 42 million acres of the 75 million acres of soybean grown in the U.S., causing $100 million of damage. Since then, insecticide treatment for the aphid has become widespread throughout the primary soybean producing states. The research in this proposal will be to continue importation and host range testing of natural enemies for biological control of the soybean aphid. The approach will be to import promising natural enemies, rear imported parasitoid species in quarantine, and expose them to a range of aphid species to determine which ones they are capable of attacking under laboratory conditions.

Approach:
Rear imported parasitoid species in quarantine. Expose them to a range of aphid species to determine which ones they are capable of attacking under laboratory conditions. Draw inferences about potential host range after introduction against soybean aphid.