Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research
Project Number: 6036-30400-003-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Oct 13, 2025
End Date: Oct 12, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Develop methodologies and strategies to improve aquatic and terrestrial weed biological control programs with chemical and behavioral ecology by understanding plant-insect interactions and metabolic impacts from herbivory.
Sub-objective 1.A.: Determine plant and insect produced olfactory cues that drive behavioral responses and interactions within and among aquatic weed biological control agents.
Sub-objective 1.B.: Determine response and interaction of the air potato leaf beetle and air potato bulbil beetle to attractive semiochemicals and develop field deployable formulations.
Objective 2: Improve biologically based pest management tactics and strategies for commercial and organic vegetable and small fruit production through enhanced understanding of insect chemical and behavior ecology of pests and natural enemies.
Sub-objective 2.A.: Determine host utilization, demography, and phytochemical attraction of the sweet potato pest complex to native and invasive Convolvulaceae.
Sub-objective 2.B.: Determine the efficacy of companion plants such as sweet alyssum and marigolds in attracting natural enemies in organic hoop house strawberry production.
Approach:
This project plan describes research to improve the implementation of biologically based control programs for invasive weeds and insects. Specifically, this project plan focuses on increasing the understanding of how the disciplines of chemical and behavioral ecology can be utilized to improve the outcomes of biological control programs. The first objective of the project plan will relate to improvements of weed biological control programs. Research will be conducted on both aquatic and terrestrial weed systems and will be focused on improving the understanding of agent-weed interactions. Research will address improvement to release techniques, field monitoring, and potentiating agents. Weed species studied will be those with approved biocontrol agents, but where there is still inadequate control, such as water hyacinth, alligator weed, salvinia, air potato, and Brazilian peppertree. The second objective will focus on the improvement of biologically based pest management strategies for vegetable and small fruit production through greater understanding of insect chemical and behavioral ecology. Research will be focused on the response and behavior of both pest and beneficial insect species. The utilization of alternative native and invasive host plants as pest reservoirs and sources of plant resistance will be investigated utilizing sweet potatoes and their belowground pest complex. The impact of companion plants on beneficial natural enemies and pollinators will be investigated utilizing strawberry production systems. Through these two objectives, the plan is expected to serve stakeholders across both agricultural and ecological systems in the southeastern United States. Additionally, research will have global implications for the development and implementation of weed biological control systems and biologically based management strategies for cropping systems. The outcomes of this research project will improve the sustainability of agricultural production, reduce reliance on pesticides, and reduce the environmental degradation caused by invasive pest species.