Western Plant Diagnostic Network 1

First Detector News A Quarterly Pest Update for WPDN First Detectors Winter 2014 edition, volume 7, number 1

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In this Issue Dear First Detectors, The Winter 2014 newsletter is all about Page 1: Editor’s Note resources. Where does one find information and identification help for an insect pest, a plant disease, or a Pages 2 - 3: Lucid keys for “Bug Busting” snail or slug? The first article by Greg Koob introduces the concept of Lucid keys , a user friendly software program for Page 4: 100th anniversary of identification of insect pests, plant pathogens, and slugs and Cooperative Extension snails. Lucid identification keys are currently being used by a wide range of end-users, from high school and university Page 5: NPDN & WPDN Resources students to taxonomists, quarantine identifiers, biodiversity scientists and conservation managers. The Lucid keys are a wonderful replacement of the dichotomous keys where the Page 6: Western IPM sequence and structure of identification steps is fixed by the

Page 7: CAPS Pest Tracker author of the key. At each point in the decision process, multiple alternatives are offered, each leading to a result or Page 8: What is This Bug? a further choice.

Pages 9 – 10: Pest Updates If one finds a suspect pest, where does one send or bring it?

The next series of articles has sources of information about Contact us at the WPDN Regional the state and territorial departments of agriculture, the

Center at UC Davis: nearest Cooperative Extension office, and the many Phone: 530 754 2255 resources offered on the NPDN and WPDN websites. Email: [email protected] Web: https://wpdn.org Please find the NPDN family of newsletters at: Editor: Richard W. Hoenisch @Copyright Regents of the University of California Newsletters All Rights Reserved

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USDA-APHIS Web-Based Tools for “Bug Busting” by Gregory A. Koob, State Biologist, USDA-NRCS - Pacific Islands Area

Insect and other invertebrate pests can be hard to identify. They can be a big problem for farmers or any other land manager. Sure, you can direct folks to an extension agent but USDA-APHIS has some nice web-based keys and other tools available if someone wants to try to identify a problem on their own. Created by USDA-APHIS’ Identification Technology Program (ITP), ID Tools helps to quickly identify pests, including insects, diseases, harmful weeds, and more, through an efficient, online database system. ID Tools currently includes more than 30 websites covering a vast array of pests and pests associated with specific commodities. ITP’s ID Tools web site receives about 12,000 visitors a month and is not only for experts. Using identification key software called “Lucid,” users select a specimen’s distinguishing characteristics (e.g., color, shape, size) with the aid of illustrations and photographs; they don’t need to know the scientific terms for the specimen’s anatomy. Each characteristic chosen can eliminate up to hundreds of possibilities and quickly narrows the search to the exact species. Users will find Lucid keys in the majority of the tools. For example, if you wanted to use ID Tools to identify a terrestrial mollusc (think slugs and snails) that you believe is a pest species, you would first choose whether the creature has a shell. This choice immediately narrows down the possibilities, making the system vastly more efficient than a text version. Some of the tools are specific to Mainland issues and crops, but most have some applicability in the Pacific Islands area. There is even one dedicated to identifying invasive ants in the Pacific Islands (PIA key – Pacific Invasive Ant Key). If you feel that identifying characteristics is not your style, ID Tools offers users a wonderful diversity of other media to support the identification process. Many of the tools contain an image gallery, glossary, visual dictionary, and species fact sheets with descriptions and diagnostic images. A screen shot of the ID Tools home page is located at http://www.idtools.org/ Try out ID Tools by clicking this link to explore ITP’s many digital pest identification pest products. A Hawaii-centric set of tools can be found at Starr Environmental under “Free Resources”. This web page includes photo galleries of plants, birds, and insects of Hawaii, identification help for insects and plants (native and nonnative) found in Hawaii and several other identification guides. Article content is the sole responsibility of the author. For more information about this article, contact Gregory A. Koob, email: [email protected] .

http://www.idtools.org/ Once again! This is an excellent site and also Human Impacts Pollen Database just in time for allergy season

Western Plant Diagnostic Network News Image courtesy of Wikipedia Creative Commons

3 Here are three examples from the many sites found on the Lucid site. The Lucid key philosophy is to make identification easy and straight forward. The keys are designed for the diagnostician, as well as for the grower, horticulturalist, PCA, and hobbyist.

LepIntercept

Just released! – LepIntercept is one of the largest and most economically important orders of plant eating insects. Thousands of Lepidoptera are considered pests, and each year large numbers of these species are intercepted at U.S. ports of entry as larvae. LepIntercept is a comprehensive resource for identifying intercepted Lepidoptera larvae.

Citrus ID, Edition 2 Citrus Diseases Citrus Pests

Visit the Resource

Citrus Resource, a commodity-based identification resource, was created to provide growers, the industry, and those associated with citrus pest and disease detection an easily accessible site to assist with their identification needs.

Terrestrial Mollusc Tool

TerrestrialTerrestrial MolluscMollusc ToolTool was was specifically specifically designed designed to to assist assist in in the the identification identification of of adult adult terrestrial terrestrial slugs and snails of agricultural importance. The tool also includes species of quarantine significance as slugs and snails of agricultural importance. The tool also includes species of quarantine significance wellas well as invasive as invasive and andcontaminant contaminant mollusc mollusc species species commonly commonly intercepted intercepted at U.S. at U.S.ports ports of entry. of entry.

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100th Anniversary of Cooperative Extension

May 2014 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, legislation that created Cooperative Extension, a nationwide system of community- based education, established as part of each state’s land grant university. Cooperative Extension was started to help farmers, homemakers, and youth use the latest university research to improve their lives. At first geared towards strengthening rural areas, Cooperative Extension became integral to urban and suburban communities as well. A century later, Cooperative Extension continues to provide a vital link between public universities and communities. Today, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) partners with more than 100 land-grant universities in pursuit of openness, accessibility and service through Cooperative Extension. NIFA supports both the universities and local offices of the Cooperative Extension System to bring science direct to the regional and county level. The successes of Extension in the past 100 years lay the groundwork for another 100 years of extending knowledge and changing lives through its many current programs. The Smith–Lever Act of 1914 is a United States federal law that established a system of cooperative extension services, connected to the land-grant universities, in order to inform people about current developments in agriculture, home economics, public policy/government, leadership, 4-H, the Master Gardener program, economic devel opment, coastal issues (National Sea Grant College Program), and many other related subjects. It helped farmers learn new agricultural techniques by the introduction of home instruction. Here are the WPDN region sites for CE:

University of Alaska Cooperative Extension

American Samoa Community College

Arizona Cooperative Extension

University of California Cooperative Extension

University of Guam Cooperative Extension

University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service

University of Idaho Extension

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service

Oregon State University Cooperative Extension

Utah State University Extension

Washington State University Extension

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NPDN and WPDN Resources

The Western Plant Diagnostic Network http://www.wpdn.org/ is based at the University of California at

Davis. On the webpage, one can access pest alerts and Power Point presentations in English and Spanish without needing a password. Please use these resources for invasives education with your respective groups and organizations.

o FD Training Docs . Español The five o Pest Alerts regions of . Español the NPDN o Presentations . Español

The specific purpose of the National Plant Diagnostic Network https://www.npdn.org/ is to provide a cohesive, distributed system to quickly detect and identify pests and pathogens of concern. NPDN laboratories immediately report their findings to appropriate responders and decision makers. To accomplish this mission, the NPDN has invested in diagnostic laboratory infrastructure and training, developed an extensive network of first detectors through education and outreach, and enhanced communication among public agencies and stakeholders responsible for responding to and mitigating new outbreaks. Information available to the general public resides on this home page. Additionally, each of the 5 regions has their own regional website that may contain regionally specific information.

The NPDN has developed many education modules on invasives at this site http://firstdetector.org or by clicking on the blue box below. Once one signs on (getting a password is easy), one can complete one module at a time. When you return to the site your progress is noted and you can resume where you left off. It is a good challenge and very educational!

It is good to know who is minding the agricultural store. On both the NPDN and WPDN websites you may find these links:

Find your State Plant Health Director (SPHD) (USDA)

Find your State Plant Regulatory Official (SPRO) (state dept of Ag)

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Western Integrated Pest Management Center 6

by Jim Farrar, Ph.D., Western IPM Center Director

The Western IPM Center is one of four regional centers funded by the USDA to promote IPM principals by building multi-state partnerships and communication networks linking a diverse audience that includes researchers, growers, commodity organizations, regulators, environmental groups, pest control professionals and others. From our office located at the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis, California, we serve 13 Western states and the Pacific Island territories. Our region stretches from Colorado to the Northern Mariana Islands and from Alaska to American Samoa.

The Western IPM Center promotes the application of IPM principals to pest-management problems in agriculture, communities and natural areas throughout the West. We encourage this science-based approach to pest management that uses pest biology, environmental information and all available technology to reduce pest damage to acceptable levels by the most economical means, while posing the least possible risk to people, property, resources and the environment. Invasive species pose serious threats to established IPM programs, agricultural production, natural resources and urban communities. The annual losses from these invasive species and their management across the United States may exceed $140 billion, much of it in the West. A successful invasive species response process - planning, prevention, detection, identification, mitigation and recovery - requires well-tuned coordinated cooperation among many organizations and individuals. The role of integrated pest management in this continuum is significant but has not always been well included. IPM researchers, extension specialists and practitioners have important roles from engagement in planning through mitigation. And when eradication is not possible, IPM becomes a key to recovery as IPM practices help manage the newly established species with minimum detrimental impacts over the long term. Please see Western Region Pest Alerts , Info for Pest Managers, National County Extension offices, Pesticide Safety, and Western IPM News Items

The Western IPM Center promotes IPM principals by providing funding, promoting collaboration, leveraging resources and creating publications. Please see Mission of Western IPM . Our goal is to bring the right people together with the necessary resources to solve the important and emerging pest problems in the West. We support Signature Programs in Climate- and Weather-based Decision Support Tools, Crop Pest Loss and Impact Assessment, and Protocols for Responding to Invasive Species in the West. We fund an IPM grants program, support the production of Pest Management Strategic Plans and coordinate replies to federal requests for comment on pest management practices. We communicate through a regular Western Front e-Newsletter, blog at http://ipmwest.blogspot.com/ , Twitter feed, and our website at www.wripmc.org

The four IPM regions Jim Farrar, Western IPM Director Western Plant Diagnostic Network News

7 Pest Tracker

Exotic Pest Reporting

The Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) pest detection program supports APHIS’ goal of safeguarding U.S. agricultural and environmental resources by ensuring that new introductions of harmful plant pests and diseases are detected as soon as possible, before they have a chance to cause significant damage. The Pest Tracker website is a compilation of the CAPS surveys in the US. A rigorous domestic agricultural pest detection system is an essential element in providing a continuum of checks from offshore preclearance programs, domestic port inspections, and surveys in rural and urban sites across the United States. The program uses a multi- pronged strategy to accomplish its mission, involving: CAPS Logo from A structured, transparent assessment process to identify pest threats, Phoenix AZ meeting Development of scientifically sound pest diagnostics and survey protocols, by Joel Floyd, USDA-PPQ Providing survey materials (traps, lures, etc.), Conducting the actual pest surveys, Timely reporting of pest survey results through an approved database, Ensuring that the data collected is valid and of high quality, and

Notification of significant pest detections through established protocols

The Pest Tracker website is on the Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems (CERIS for short). It is home to a collection of databases of information on pesticides, plant export/import requirements, and exotic pest tracking. Data is received or derived principally from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States state agencies, and the NPDN. Pest Tracker is full of important information for the First Detector. There is a list of pests in the US with their survey status, a US map that gives the exotic pest detection by state , by clicking on your state, you can see the state plant health regulatory officials and their contact information, pest related news items, videos , and web pages, and the CAPS survey information. And to test your knowledge and skill at diagnosis and identification, there is an exotic pest quiz page. This site is full of plant health and exotic pest information. It is a must for First Detectors and Master Gardener diagnosticians.

Can you name these insect pests?

OK State Steven R. Kutcher Stephen Ausmus Steve Seybold Cornell

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The “What is This Bug” project was developed from Farm Bill monies after the need for increased citizen help was recognized in the nationwide fight against invasive species. Modern lifestyle and expectations have helped the spread of invasive species. Worldwide, the number of invasive species findings are increasing and the frequency of the finds are increasing. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) staff is developing these web sites. It is a work in progress by Susan Sawyer and Lisa Serrano of CDFA.

To help in the world wide fight and make it easier for our interested citizen scientists, farm bill monies in the last three years have developed two mobile phone apps available for a free download for either an iPhone or in a Windows web based version that works across platforms and is compatible for almost all smart phones and can work on desktops, and tablets, even the iPhone, using their browser. To help citizens know what is being looked for, there are two (soon to be three!) web sites available that have California based information. The sites are: www.whatisthisbug.org and www.whatisthisplant.org . The newest site,” What is this Animal” will be appearing in August 2014, and is being developed in cooperation with Food and Agriculture’s sister agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Images submitted that are species of interest will be further investigated. Unfortunately , workloads do not permit identification of more common species, but there are links to other web pages with information and to non-official identification services that can help. Of equal importance to our site visitors are the links to the Agricultural Commissioner’s Offices and to our Extension Offices, always the local source for help and information. For CA and most of the states and territories of the WPDN, all of the following sites are applicable for ID and learning.

Native Species

Invasive Species

Beneficial Insects

Western Plant Diagnostic Network News

David Hall, USDA 9 Pest Updates

Photo CDFA Asian Citrus Psyllid

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, is the vector for a bacterial disease called Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, which affects citrus and other members of the family Rutaceae. The ACP originated in Asia but it is now also found in parts of the Middle East, South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. In the United States, this psyllid was first detected in Florida in 1998 and is now also found in Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. HLB emerged in 2005 in Florida citrus and has had a devastating impact on that industry. In southern California, where the psyllid first appeared in backyard citrus in 2008, an eradication program has been instituted in an attempt to prevent it becoming established. However, the psyllid has been found recently in Tulare and Ventura counties in the Central valley. HLB was detected in 2012 in a pummelo tree in a yard in Los Angeles County. In the whole of the United States and its territories, areas where the ACP is found are under quarantine restrictions. The quarantine map for CA and AZ can be viewed at: CDFA ACP Quarantine Map . For more go to: ACP/HLB at UC IPM; for commercial growers: Information for Growers/Managers Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) now in Hawaii The Navy, along with the State of Hawaii Departments of Agriculture (HDOA) and Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), as well as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine (APHIS-PPQ), is engaged in efforts to eradicate the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) (Oryctes rhinoceros) from the island of Oahu. The coconut rhinoceros beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle belonging to the Scarabaeidae family. CRB attacks the developing fronds of coconut, oil, and other palms in tropical Asia and a number of Pacific islands. Damaged fronds show typical triangular cuts. The beetle kills the palms (particularly newly planted ones) when the growing point is destroyed during feeding. The larvae do not damage crops, but instead grow in dead, decaying trunks and other organic matter. Immediately after the discovery of the beetles on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (JBPHH) property on Dec. 23, 2013, military service members and civilians at the joint base joined with state and federal agencies to combat the spread of the invasive threat. Please view Honolulu television news about the CRB. CRB is already present in Guam. Please see Guam CRB Strategies. Four breeding areas were located in mulch piles along the Mamala Bay Golf Course on JBPHH. To effectively eliminate the invasive pest, APHIS and program cooperators must survey and remove all life stages of the CRB from the compost piles and other vegetative debris. A total of 119 adult CRB have been captured near the Hickam golf course and beach, along with more than 250 larvae and 16 pupae. More than 300 traps have been deployed in a two-mile radius, and thousands of surveys have been conducted by state and federal personnel in search of the large beetle. It is possible the CRB could have come on either military or civilian flights from many possible locations. Photos from University of Guam From the left the adult, pupa, and grub of CRB. Note the size of the grub.

Adult CRB

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Cereal Leaf Beetle found in California

In August 2013, the Cereal leaf beetle (CLB), Oulema melanopus (Coleoptera), was detected in commercial small grain fields for the first time in California, in Modoc and Siskiyou counties. Native to Europe and Asia, CLB was first discovered in southern Michigan in the early 1960s and has become one of the primary pests of small grains.CLB larvae consume nearly all cereal crops; however has a strong affinity for oats, barley, rye, and its favorite host is wheat. Alternatives are corn, sorghum and sudangrass for adults, and wild oats, quackgrass, timothy, canary grass, reed canary grass, annual and perennial ryegrass, foxtail, orchard grass, wild rye, smooth brome, and fescues for the whole lifespan. The physical symptoms of the plant caused by the CLB are thin long lesions where the upper epidermis of the leaf has been eaten. Since the beetle is migratory when it eats, it is not consistent within a field. There may be spots where higher concentrations of beetles reside and another where few live. It is reported in Michigan that entire fields are rarely affected and the situation is most likely the same in the Midwest. A field of plants looks weathered and old, but is never completely destroyed. Damage is usually no more than 40% total. The CLB is highly parasitized by hymenopterous parasitoids and several predators including ladybird beetles that feed on the eggs and larvae, reducing field populations. See Oregon CLB Pest Alert and CDFA CLB Pest Alert

Photo by J. Delonge WSU WSU Virginia Tech

CLB severely damaged Adult CLB Larvae of CLB Larvae of CLB feeding and damaging the wheat field leaf

Castor Hairy Caterpillar on Saipan

On December 23, 2013, the castor hairy caterpillar , Olepa ricini (order Lepidoptera , family Arctiidae ), was found on the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands (see CHC Pest Alert). This moth is native to India and Sri Lanka where its caterpillars attack cotton, castor (Ricinus), sunflower, maize, ivy gourd, eggplant, sweet potato, banana, and cucurbits. These invasives often island hop to Guam, then to Hawaii, then onto the mainland. Photo by Arnold Route Far right; the castor hairy caterpillar, and right; the adult CHC, Olepa ricini.

Western Plant Diagnostic Network News Photo courtesy of Oil Seeds Agropedia