MARK F. O'BRI EN NEWSLETTER Michigan Entonlologica I Society Volume 12 Number 3 19 October 1967 UPJOHN'S APPROACH TO ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH * On January I, 1966, the Upjohn Company began a ing areas of the country. Included in this Support research and development program which is a distinct Group are Biochemistry and Residue Analysis, Formula­ departure from the general agricultural chemical re­ tion and Pharmacy, Technical Extension, and the Farm search and development effort. Teams of scientists Facil ities. The Support Group along with Pathology capable of carrying a candidate compound from the syn­ and Toxicology work together with both the Plant and thetic chemist to the salesman were formed. These Animal Health groups. teams are known as Product Oriented Project (POP) Groups. PO p Groups are organized according to spe­ The Technical Extension unit acts as I iaison be­ cif ic discipl ines. The Plant Health Products unit tween Research and Development and Sales, and is the consists of three POP Groups: 1) Herbicides and group involved in the on-farm demonstrations . This Growth Regulators; 2) Fungidices, Bactericides, and group also has the responsibil ity of ~eeping uni ver­ Viricides; and 3) Insecticides, Miticides, and Nemat­ sity extension people and county agricultural agents ocides. Similar POP Groups comprise the Animal Health informed of developments on our products. This is Products Uni t. done in cooperation with the POP Groups, These POP Groups are integrated teams of chem­ Once a compound has reached the marketing stage Ists, formulators, and laboratory and field biologists. the POP Groups continue development of label claims As compounds are synthesized, they are sent to the for the purpose of extending the util ity of the ma­ Entomology group for screening. A variety of insects, terial. Upjohn's entomological activities are there­ reared in the Upjohn laboratories or obtained from fore truly a continuing team effort. outside sources, a're used for testing, includ ing the housefly, Mexican bean beetle, boll weevil, t obacco The Insecticide Group, headed by Price Parham, budworm, cricket, yellow mealworm, and others, After includes three Michigan State University graduates: screening, compounds are put through confirmation and two from entomology and one from chemistry. The ento­ evaulation tests to determine the degree and spectrum mologists are Ed Gemrich, who went on to graduate of activity as compared to standard insecticides . school at the Uni versity of 111 inois, and Gary Brady . Once a compound has passed these evaluation tests and Eugene Snow graduated from MSU with a degree in chem­ shows promise , it is formulated and entered in trials istry and is the group's formulator . All but the by the field biologists at the Kalamazoo facility and chemists are located at the Upjohn Agricultural Ex­ at the Upjohn Agricultural Experiment Substation near periment Station on G Avenue off Gull Road between Delray Beach, Florida. The Kalamazoo station consists Kalamazoo and Richland. The physical plant includes of a total of nearly 3,000 acres, of which 50 acres offices, laboratories, insect rearing rooms, a prepa­ are used entirely for Plant Health Products research. ration lab, holding room (where treated insects are The recently purchased Florida substation is a 160­ held away from rearing areas), and greenhouses. In acre tract which opened last December. These two addition to insects held in continuous culture, some farms are used for both large and small scale plot species are received from outside sources, ~uch as work. Initial field trials are small rep1 i.cated plots boll weevils and tobacco budworms, which are shipped using natural and introduced insect populations. In­ in under government permit from the south, while field sects such as cotton boll weevils and tobacco bud­ crickets are purchased locally. Field and 1ight trap worms, which do not naturally occur in these areas, collections are occasionally used for activity spec­ are caged on treated plants. Insects from the labora­ trum determinations . tory cultures are used as well. Aside from the search for contact/stomach poi­ If a compound continues to be of interest as a sons, which comprises the major research effort, Up­ result of the field trials, the chemist prepares pro­ john scientists are also devot i ng a considerable por­ duction cost estimates and procedures . The field bi­ tion of their efforts to the investigation of new and ologists enter the candidates in USDA trials and con­ novel means of controll ing insects. As an example, a tact cooperators, such as Michigan State University, compound currently under investigation in several for the purpose of entering the compound in state states controls mites by preventing egg laying. It trials. Compounds showing high activity and/or fill­ has no other known effect on mites. Also of interest ing a specific need are then considered for marketing. are diapause agents, hormones, and sex attractants. Before marketing, large scale on-farm demonstra­ (continued on page 4, column 2) tions, advanced residue analyses, and formulation studies are carried out by another Agricultural Re­ search & Development unit known as the Support Group. *Prepared by Plant Health Products R&D, The Upjohn This group includes personnel with training in all Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Upjohn Company is discipl ines stationed in various important crop grow­ a Sustaining Member of the Society. The Executive Secretary's Page THE ENTOMOLOGISTS' CALENDAR NEW NEWSLETTER FORMAT. At a recent meeting, the Governing Board of the Society authorized the pub 1 ica­ 27-30 NOVEMBER 1967, Entomological Society of Amer­ tion of the NEWSLETTER by this new means. Formerly, ica, Annual Meeting, New York City. Deadl ine for you will recall, the NEWSLETTER was mimeographed by entry of color sl ides in photo salon: 4 Nov. 1967. yours truly, from stencil to machine to addressing. For information on photo salon write James A. Cox, But, in the interest of providing you with a better­ Pennsylvania State University, Research Laboratory, looking NEWSLETTER (and in the interest of saving North East, Pennsylvania 16428. some of my precious time), the NEWSLETTER is now typed and composed by me, but everything else is being done 23 MARCH 1968, Saturday, 14th Annual Meeting, MICH­ by a commercial mailing concern: 25% reduction, off­ IGAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, Grand Valley State College, set printing, folding, addressing, and mail ing. We Al lendale, Michigan. Watch the NEWSLETTER for more hope you are pleased--your comments will be appreci­ information at a later date. ated. Several changes will probably be made before a final format is selected, so don't hesitate to make 27-29 MARCH 1968, 23rd Annual Conference, North your suggestions known. Despite the fact that we Cen tral Branch, Entomological Society of America, Den­ have only 8 pages, there is plenty of room: for ex­ ver, Colorado. ample, a 3-page typed, double-spaced article, con­ denses to only one page of the NEWSLETTER. SPR ING 1969, 20th Annual Meeting, The Lepidopter­ ists ' Society, Michigan State University, East Lan­ So you can see that if the NEWSLETTER is to con­ sing . Date and program will be announced later. ti.nue in its present di me nsions we will have to have a lot of member feedback: articles, short features, *** news of you rself and wh at you are doing (somebody else TH E MICHIGAN ENTOMOLOGIST-- progress repo r t. The may be do ing t he same or related thing, and will be long delay since the No.4 (Apri l) i ssue is the regret­ pleased to find someone with similar interests), etc. t abl e result of an unforeseen c i rc um stance. The No.5 issue is in press, and will be mailed a bou t 31 October . If you are a rti s tically inclined, how about sub­ mi tting some sketches (pen-and -i nk )--if they are 4t" Th e No.6 issue is being set in t ype no~ , and will be mai led in late November or ear ly December . With luck , or less i n di ame t er t hey can be inserted in the typed t he No.7 issue will be publ ished under a Dec emb er copy without d iff icul ty; larger drawings can also be da te. used. Black and whi te PHOTOGRAPHS can also be used. *** How about photos of your favorite collecting spots, WATCH YOUR MAIL for a deluge of correspondence unusual insects, visiting entomologists, etc.? £Lom the SocieW a oUlld_ Chrjstmas time. The tim.l1.1 g_ is poor , but it is the best we could do, since we have *** progressed from mimeographed forms to snazzy printed on es. You will receive the fol lowing in a single IN THE NEXT ISSUE letter: Th e next issue of the NEWSL ETTER wil l fea tu re re­ ~ 1. Dues Notice, in a s el f-re turn envelope. Re­ ports of the 1967 Soci ety-sponso red Field Tri ps and memb er that dues are payable in advance, so the not ice season su mma ri es of our member s. wil l be for 1968. Yo u are urged to conside r advanc ing yo ur membership status from Ac tive to Susta ining Mem ­ If you partic i pated in one of the field trips, ber , to provide your Society with more financ ia l sup­ please be compil i ng your notes of ra r e o r un usual po rt to underwrite more servi ces and publica ti ons. species collected--the coordina tor will be con tacting you soon for your report. If you are a coo rd inator, ~ 2. Decal. The Society emblem has been embodi ed please be contacting yo ur pa rticipants and ge t t ing i n a 3~' diameter dual-purpose decal , royal blue on their reports.