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Title: Degree-day benchmarks for Sparganothis sulfureana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) development in cranberries

Author
item DEUTSCH, ANNA - University Of Wisconsin
item RODRIGUEZ-SAONA, CESAR - Rutgers University
item KYRYCZENKO-ROTH, VERA - Rutgers University
item SOJKA, JAYNE - Lady Bug Integrated Pest Management
item Zalapa, Juan
item Steffan, Shawn

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2014
Publication Date: 12/1/2014
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60496
Citation: Deutsch, A.E., Rodriguez-Saona, C.R, Kyryczenko-Roth, V., Sojka, J., Zalapa, J.E., Steffan, S.A. 2014. Degree-day benchmarks for Sparganothis sulfureana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) development in cranberries. Journal of Economic Entomology. 107(6):2130-2136.

Interpretive Summary: Insect development is generally mediated by ambient temperature, thus by measuring daily temperature maxima and minima, the development of a given insect population can be accurately estimated. This is useful for field populations of small, cryptic pest species that may be difficult to monitor. The work being submitted establishes key degree-day benchmarks for the development of a major pest of cranberries (Sparganothis sulfureana). Having such information allows pest management professionals to calculate pest development status by monitoring daily temperatures. For cranberry growers in the US, this information represents a superior way to time treatment applications for Sparganothis sulfureana. Impact Statement: Knowing the developmental status of an insect population in the field allows pest management professionals to assess the stage and densities of pests without exhaustive sampling of the crop. These are the types of technologies that shape how cranberries will be managed in the future.

Technical Abstract: Sparganothis sulfureana Clemens, is a severe insect pest of cranberries in the Midwest and Northeast. Timing for insecticide applications has relied primarily on calendar dates and pheromone trap-catch. However, abiotic conditions can vary greatly, rendering such methods unreliable indicators of optimal treatment timing. Phenology models based on degree-day (DD) accrual represent a proven, superior approach to assessing the development of insect populations, particularly for larval development. Previous studies of S. sulfureana development showed that the lower and upper temperature thresholds for larval development were 10.0/29.9°C (49.9/85.8°F), respectively. We used these thresholds to generate DD accumulations specific to S. sulfureana, and then linked these DD accumulations to discrete biological events observed during S. sulfureana development in Wisconsin and New Jersey cranberries. Here, we provide the DDs associated with flight initiation, peak flight, flight termination, adult lifespan, pre-ovipositional period, ovipositional period, and egg-hatch. These DD accumulations represent key developmental benchmarks, allowing for the creation of a phenology model that facilitates the wise management of S. sulfureana in the cranberry system.