Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research
Project Number: 3020-43000-034-006-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2018
End Date: Jun 30, 2021
Objective:
The lead Czech PI has been involved in research with stored product mites for many years, and has authored numerous publications in scientific journals. He has obtained a grant for a project entitled: Do the symbiotic bacteria influence the resistance/tolerance of mites against pesticides/acaricides? Stored product mites are inhabited by different bacterial metacommunities, which can cause changes in mite physiology. These changes could result in differential susceptibility to acaricides used for mite control.
Approach:
We know from research with stored product beetles that field populations vary in susceptibility to insecticides, so different populations of mites, would also be expected to show differential susceptibility to acaricides. The changes caused by symbionic bacteria would also affect mite responses. The population of mites hosted different microbiomes characterized by symbiotic bacteria. The PI has collected multiple strains of several mite species for this study. Experiments are designed to characterize mite responses as related to bacterial composition, assess population susceptibilities, and investigate transmission of symbionts from tolerant to susceptible mite populations. It is expected that several different studies will be conducted, including studies with transcriptome analyses with quantitative PCR, fluorescent in situ hybridization, histology, and biotest. The project will result in new findings in mite tolerance to acaricides and ability to infest stored products. Multiple peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals will be one of the outputs of project.
Both the CRI and ARS in Manhattan are expanding research in genetic aspects of pest management, and collaboration on those aspects will also be undertaken in cooperation with Scientists in the Stored Products and Engineering Unit. In addition, the CRI is conducting research on ecology and control of stored product beetles, which will provide additional opportunities for collaboration.
