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Bell & Howell Information and Leaming 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMI“ BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND DECISION RULES FOR CARROT WEEVIL, LISTRONOTUS OREGONENSIS (LECONTE) (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) MANAGEMENT IN PARSLEY IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Angel Nolberto Torres, M.S. ***** The Ohio State University 2001 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Casey Hoy, Adviser David Horn Celeste Welty Adviî Department of Entomolog Mark Bennett UMI Number: 9999449 UMI UMI Microform 9999449 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Copyright by Angel Nolberto Torres 2001 ABSTRACT Carrot weevil adults infest early-planted parsley fields in spring, between mid May and the end of June, but most activity is during the first half of June. Adults start laying eggs after parsley plants reach the 4‘*'-true-leaf stage, on average, from about mid May until the end of June, with a peak of oviposition activity in June. Weevil larvae hatch, approximately 5 days after the eggs are laid and feed in parsley roots for about 20 to 30 days, mainly in July. Carrot weevil damage and yield loss are observed mostly at the second cutting, by the end of July in parsley planted before the 4*** week of April. Sampling for oviposition scars is easier than finding adults in parsley fields. Carrot weevil infestations ranged from 0.1% to 20.8% plants infested with oviposition scars in commercial parsley fields and these observed populations fit the Poisson distribution when the infestation was below 0.047 oviposition scars per plant and the negative binomial distribution when the infestation was above 0.06 oviposition scars per plant. One oviposition scar per plant causes significant damage either by reducing yield or killing the plant no matter the plant size as a ftmction of planting date. The relationship between carrot weevil infestations and parsley yield is best described as a linear ftmction; Yield=l64.9-103*INF%, and based on this relationship the economic injury level (EEL) was found to be about 1% plants having larval feeding in the roots or oviposition scars in the petioles. An economic threshold (ET) of 1% plants infested with carrot weevil oviposition scars is recommended for control decision making. Because the ET is so low, binomial or presence/absence sampling is the most convenient way to sample oviposition scars in parsley fields. A decision rule for carrot weevil management is: if 148 plants can be inspected without finding any oviposition scars, there is a 95% chance that the percentage of infested plants is less than 2% and no treatment is needed. On the contrary, if one infested plant is found before all the 148 plants are examined, then the scout can stop and decide to treat. An X-shaped transect was found to be the best path for sampling carrot weevil oviposition scars in parsley fields. This transect results in the most correct decisions and the fewest incorrect decisions compared to other transect patterns. Ill Dedicated to my parents, Angel Onistes and Maria Ricarda; my children, Mariangel and Jorge Andrés; and my wife, Genova Maria IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the first place I want to thank my adviser, Casey Hoy, for teaching me how to do sound research, for helping me to understand statistics, for supporting me intellectually, for his patience in correcting my English style and grammar, and for many other things. I would like to express my gratitude to the members of my graduate committee: David Horn, Celeste Welty, and Mark Bennett for their guidance in my career as a graduate student, as well as to the entire Entomology faculty for inspiring me with their teaching and fiiendly attitude. I am very thankful to Mike Dunlap for all the wonderful help provided in my lab, greenhouse, and field research, as well as to the summer workers: Deanna Skelton, Jennifer Bicker, Nick Fioritto, T. J. Tausch, Joe Dunlap, and Penny Howman; their help in my field research was absolutely invaluable. I thank also Tim Miklasiewicz, for his great help in my greenhouse experiments, and Bill Evans and his crew at the Muck Crops Branch of OARDC for their cooperation in my field research. I wish to give special thanks to Bruce Buurma, Rich Danhoff, Dick Zellers, Cecil Kene, and Tom and John Brenckle for allowing me to sample their parsley fields. I would like to thank Liyang Zhou for helping me with my simulation studies. I appreciate the spontaneous help given to me by post docs, visiting scientists, technicians. janitors, and support staff at OARDC. I thank also my fellow students who shared with me all or part of this doctorate program. Special thanks to Mabel Kirchner and Shirley Holmes for their kindness, to Ken Chamberlain and Margaret Latta for the pictures, Bonnie Bing for the posters, and the library staff: Connie Britton, Della Bardall, and Pat Sword, for their assistance in the library, and to many people who made Ohio feel like home to me. I’d like to express my appreciation to the Ohio Vegetable and Small Fruit Research and Development Program for the funds provided to do this research, and my eternal gratitude to INIA (FONAIAP), Venezuela, for paying my tuition, fees, and living expenses through the PRODETEC H Program. Many thanks to Richard Lindquist and Casey Hoy for supporting my stay during the 2001 winter quarter of my program. Finally, I am indebted to my wife, Maria for accompanying me in this mission, and for encouraging me all this time, as well as to my children, Mariangel and Jorge, who make my life wonderful. VI VITA February 28, 1955 ......................................Bom - Târiba, Tâchira, Venezuela 198 0 ............................................................Ingeniero Agrônomo, Universidad del Tâchira, San Cristobal, Venezuela 1981 — 1987 ...............................................Researcher, National Fund for Agricultural Research (FONAIAP), Valle de la Pascua, Guarico, Venezuela 1987 - 1990 ...............................................M.S. Entomology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA 1990 — 1993.............................................. Researcher, FONAIAP, Valle de la Pascua, Guarico, Venezuela 1994 — 1997.............................................. Researcher, FONAIAP, Bramon, Tâchira, Venezuela 1997 - 2000 .............................................. Graduate Research Assistant, The Ohio State University 2001 — present Graduate Research Associate, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS Research Publication 1. Torres, A. and C. Yanez. Evaluacion de técnicas de control de babosas en firesas y hortalizas en zonas altas del Estado Tâchira. Agronomia Trop. 48(3): 291-303. 1998 2. Torres, A. and C. Mufioz. Insectos plagas del sorgo granlfero. FONAIAP. Estaciôn Experimental Guarico, Sub-Estaciôn Valle de la Pascua. Serie B: no. 2-07. Valle de la Pascua, (1986) vii 3. Torres, A. and C. Mufioz. Principales insectos plagas del sorgo granifero. FONAIAP-DIVULGA, Caracas 2(16):21-25, (1984) FIELDS OF STUDY Agronomy Major Field: Entomology vm TABLE OF CONTENTS Page A bstract ......................................................................................................................................ü Dedication .............................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... v V ita......................................................................................................................................... vii List o f Tables ...........................................................................................................................xii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... xiv Chapters: 1. Literature Review .....................................................................................................