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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #222547
Title: Using haplotypes to monitor the migration of fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) corn-strain populations from Texas and Florida

Author
item Nagoshi, Rodney
item Meagher, Robert - Rob
item FLANDERS, KATHY
item Gore, Jeffrey
item Jackson, Ryan
item Lopez, Juan De Dios
item Armstrong, John - Scott
item BUNTIN, G
item SANSONE, CHRIS
item LEONARD, B

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Regional Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2008
Publication Date: 3/3/2008
Citation: Nagoshi, R.N., Meagher Jr, R.L., Flanders, K., Gore, J., Jackson, R.K., Lopez, J., Armstrong, J.S., Buntin, G.D., Sansone, C., Leonard, B.R. 2008. Using haplotypes to monitor the migration of fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) corn-strain populations from Texas and Florida. Entomological Society of America Regional Meetings.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fall armyworm infestations in most of North America north of Mexico arise from annual migrations of populations that overwinter in southern Texas and Florida. Mapping the pattern of migration and the relative contributions of the Texas and Florida populations would contribute both to our understanding of Lepidopteran migration as well as efforts to control and predict the severity of infestations by this important economic pest. A comparison of haplotype profiles within the fall armyworm corn-strain, the subgroup that preferentially infests corn and sorghum, identified significant differences in the proportions of certain haplotypes between the Texas and Florida populations. These proportional differences were preserved as the populations migrated, providing a molecular metric by which the source of a migrant population could be identified. The migratory pattern derived from this method for several southeastern states was shown to be consistent with predictions based on analysis of historical agricultural and fall armyworm infestation data. These results demonstrate the utility of haplotype proportions to monitor fall armyworm migration and also introduce a potential method to predict the severity of cotton crop infestations in the short-term.