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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #126111
Title: DISTRIBUTION OF THE RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT, SOLENOPSIS INVICTA BUREN (HYMENOPTERA:FORMICIDAE) UNDER VARYING CROPPING PRACTICES

Author
item MANLEY, D - CLEMSON UNIV.
item Bauer, Philip
item Busscher, Warren
item FREDERICK, J - CLEMSON UNIV.

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The agroecology team at Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center set out to determine the effects of various cropping practices on the environment by splitting a 14 acre field down the middle and farming one half using conventional practices and the other half using innovative practices. Conventional practices included disking and cultivating, bulk soil sampling, wide rows, and conventional varieties. Innovative practices included no surface tillage, precision soil sampling and fertilizer application, narrow rows, and transgenic varieties. One portion of this project was to determine the effects of the various cropping practices on mound size and distribution of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. By mapping all mounds in the field using GPS, over time, preliminary results show that the innovative cropping practices, while beneficial to the environment, result in increased fire ant density. Colony size is also larger under the innovative practices, as determined by soil disruption.