Location: Southeast Watershed Research
Project Number: 6048-30400-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Nov 24, 2025
End Date: Nov 23, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1 Use molecular tools to explore dietary patterns of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) and indigenous stink bugs in crops and non-crops in agricultural landscapes
Sub-objective 1.A Use rapid, PCR-based tools to screen for stink bug crop consumption and dispersal in a row crop agricultural landscape
Sub-objective 1.B Use DNA metabarcoding and high throughput sequencing to examine composition and diversity of stink bug plant diets in agricultural landscapes
Objective 2 Determine the presence and diversity of insect pollinators and parasitism of BMSB and indigenous stink bugs in a variety of flowering and non-flowering habitats in an agricultural landscape setting
Sub-objective 2.A Determine if a native wildflower habitat increases stink bug egg parasitism rates and diversity of parasitoid and insect pollinator species in a row crop
Sub-objective 2.B Determine if a crimson clover undergrowth increases parasitism rates of H. halys eggs in pecan orchards
Sub-objective 2.C Assess various methodologies to optimize parasitism and/or diversity of stink bug egg parasitoids in host crop trees
Objective 3 Refine current and novel integrated weed management techniques for traditional and organic cropping systems
Sub-objective 3.A Assess organic herbicides for best fit when applied alone, in combination with synthetic herbicides, or when combined with mechanical or cultural control methods, in runner-type peanut cultivars.
Sub-objective 3.B Improve understanding of the influence edaphic and environmental factors have on the fate of chemical and non-chemical weed control practices.
Objective 4 Develop effective and sustainable weed management strategies by defining the systematic impacts on terrestrial and aquatic weed ecology from life cycle changes and environmental fluctuations
Sub-objective 4.A Develop a greater understanding of the ecology of aquatic weed species and apply that knowledge in combination with terrestrial weed management strategies to improve weed management efficiency while minimizing weed propagule or tuber production
Sub-objective 4.B Assess novel and validate current methods of weed seed mitigation through ecological studies of weeds at various life stages and with various mechanical implementation
Approach:
Dietary pattens of adult stink bugs will be assessed using a rapid, PCR multiplex assay to screen for presence of crop specific DNA in guts and molecular gut content analysis to characterize diets. To determine if a wildflower habitat increases stink bug egg parasitism, eggs will be deployed on cotton with and without wildflowers. To determine if a crimson clover undergrowth increases parasitism of H. halys eggs in pecan, eggs will be deployed in pecan with and without crimson clover. Three field tests will be conducted to assess optimization of parasitism of stink bug egg masses in pecans. Field tests will be conducted in irrigated peanut to assess organic herbicides for best fit when applied alone, in combination with synthetic herbicides, or combined with mechanical or cultural control methods. Field experiments will be conducted to identify the weed management strategy providing best control using the same treatments. A simulated vegetable bed will be used to determine if increasing water volume during irrigation decreases concentration of herbicide in the plant-hole area. The experiment will be conducted using six irrigation volumes and five herbicides. A thermal gradient table will be used to quantify impact of mass, temperature, and herbicide rate on Hydrilla spp. turion growth and vigor. To determine persistence of Palmer amaranth seed, field tests will quantify impact of irrigation, seeding rate and varying burial lengths.