National Program 304: Crop Protection and Quarantine United States Department of Agriculture ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007-2012 Research, Education, and Economics AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE Office of National Programs NOVEMBER 2013 Captions of front page photos, clockwise from upper left: 1. The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, is an invasive insect pest of hardwood trees (particularly maples) and a $670 billion threat to the United States. The research of ARS scientists is improving survey and detection of the beetle, the most costly and important 1 component of successful management. Photo by Matt Smith/ARS. 2. The paperbark tree, Melaleuca quinquenervia, is an 2 invasive species that significantly decreases natural diversity. ARS scientists in the United States and overseas discovered three biological control agents that eat the paperbark tree and released them as part of a successful integrated management plan that led to a nine-fold increase in native plant species richness. Photo by Albert (Bud) Mayfield, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org, Center for 4 Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. 3. This adult female (top right) and immature 5th instar nymph (lower right) of the beneficial predatory spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say), are displaying biological control of insect pests as they feed upon a 4th instar of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner). Photo by Tom Coudron/ARS. 4. The invasive spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) threatens the ability of growers in the Western United States to export California grown table-grapes and sweet cherries to Australia. ARS scientists developed a combination of 3 sulfur dioxide fumigation and cold-treatment as a postharvest alternative to methyl bromide fumigation for controlling this pest, retaining and expanding market access to Australia estimated at $55 million annually. Photo by Hannah Burrack, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. National Program 304 Crop Protection and Quarantine ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007–2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 1 NP 304 Component I – SYSTEMATICS AND IDENTIFICATION Problem Statement IA: Insects and Mites . ................................................................................. 12 Problem Statement IB: Weeds ..................................................................................................... 20 Problem Statement IC: Microbials .............................................................................................. 22 NP 304 Component II – PROTECTION OF AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL CROPS Problem Statement IIA: Biology and Ecology of Pests and Natural Enemies ...................... 27 Weeds: .............................................................................................................................. 27 Insects: ............................................................................................................................. 33 Problem Statement IIB: Control .................................................................................................. 47 Weeds: .............................................................................................................................. 47 Insects: ............................................................................................................................. 52 NP 304 Component III – PROTECTION OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS Problem Statement IIIA: Insects .................................................................................................. 91 Problem Statement IIIB: Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Wetland Weeds ....................................... 96 NP 304 Component IV – PROTECTION OF POST-HARVEST COMMODITIES AND QUARANTINE Problem Statement IVA: Insect Pests of Fresh Commodities ............................................... 115 Problem Statement IVB: Insect Pests of Durable (Stored/Processed) Commodities ......... 120 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................. APPENDIX 1 – Research Projects in National Program 304 ............................................................ APPENDIX 2 – Publications by Research Project ............................................................................. APPENDIX 3 – Selected Supporting Information and Documentation .............................................. APPENDIX 4 – Research Accomplishments in Brief .......................................................................... i [THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.] ii United States Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE National Program 304 Crop Protection and Quarantine ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007–2012 BACKGROUND AND GENERAL INFORMATION The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Program 304, Crop Protection and Quarantine, is the Nation’s cornerstone for protecting agriculture and natural ecosystems from insect, mite, and weed pests. Management of these pests is critical for maintaining a safe, high-quality supply of food and fiber and for providing healthy urban landscapes, forests, wetlands, and aquatic ecosystems. The vision of National Program 304 (NP 304) is to develop sustainable pest management systems, with pests defined as both insects and weeds. Justification for this program is based on major challenges that U.S. crop production and natural ecosystems face from both native and invasive pests. Food and fiber crops worth more than $237 billion and natural ecosystems with incalculable value must be protected from these pests. Challenges are dynamic due to the adaptations of traditional pests to control measures, frequent emergence of new pests, unknown effects of climate extremes on pest development, and public pressure to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. Also, increased global trade and travel have led to increasing numbers of invasive species, causing major environmental damage and losses totaling approximately $137 billion per year. Pest management and control systems must adapt to these challenges to maintain the productivity and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture and the viability of natural ecosystems. The 204 scientists on the 93 projects associated with NP 304 conduct fundamental and applied research with the aim of improving strategies for the cost-effective management and control of pests while minimizing impacts on the environment and human health. They work in 46 laboratories located in 23 States and the District of Columbia in the United States and at the five ARS Overseas Biological Control Laboratories located in Montpellier, France; Thessaloniki, Greece; Hurlingham, Argentina; Brisbane, Australia; and Beijing, China. The overseas laboratories serve as bases for discovery and development of biological control agents and work closely with ARS scientists in the United States on approximately 50 projects to categorize, evaluate, and test insects and pathogens that might restore Office of National Programs 5601 Sunnyside Avenue ● George Washington Carver Center Beltsville, Maryland 20705 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER ARS NP 304 CROP PROTECTION AND QUARANTINE ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007-2012 – INTRODUCTION balance between an invasive species and natural controls. Those projects are supported by seven ARS quarantine facilities that allow scientists to test the safety and potential efficacy of biological control agents before they have been approved for release. This ongoing collaboration and coordination among ARS scientists helps to maintain a robust program for the development of biological control agents as sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally compatible solutions to important invasive weeds and pests. The principal strategy of NP 304 is to employ integrated pest management (IPM) approaches that utilize cultural, biological, physical, and chemical methods. Although, some pests are still best managed with synthetic chemicals, there is a need to develop and use more sustainable control methods, with emphasis on biological and cultural controls and plant-incorporated protectants. Many of the insect pests studied by NP 304 scientists are well known to the general public and often newsworthy. For example, the brown marmorated stink bug—in addition to being a serious pest of vegetable crops, fruit trees, and ornamentals—is a nuisance pest that commonly aggregates in homes. The invasive tree pests—emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle—threaten to decimate the biodiversity and the vitality of urban landscapes and forest systems. The Asian citrus psyllid transmits citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing), which threatens to eliminate the citrus industry in the United States. Noxious weeds are no less problematic. A small minority of weeds cause disproportionately large problems in agriculture and ecosystems, with estimated loses of at least $100 billion dollars per year in the United States. Farmers are constantly challenged with weeds, especially those resistant to herbicides. Terrestrial weeds such as Old World climbing fern, saltcedar, and paperbark tree wreak havoc on ecosystems, and aquatic weeds such as hydrilla and water hyacinth degrade fish and waterfowl habitats and restrict the movement of recreational and commercial vessels. Overall, the weed and insect