Browsing by Author "Philips, Christopher R."

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    Fifty Years of Cereal Leaf Beetle in the U.S.: An Update on Its Biology, Management, and Current Research
    Philips, Christopher R.; Herbert, D. Ames Jr.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Reisig, Dominic D.; Thomason, Wade E.; Malone, Sean M. (Entomological Society of America, 2011-10-01)
    Cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus L., is an introduced insect pest of small grains first recorded in the United States in the early 1960s. Since its introduction from Europe or Asia into Michigan, cereal leaf beetle has rapidly spread and can now be found in most states. Cereal leaf beetle feeds on numerous species of grasses and is considered a major pest of oats, barley, and wheat. Although several studies have investigated cereal leaf beetle biology and population dynamics, numerous gaps remain in understanding the mechanisms that influence its spread and distribution, which makes predicting pest outbreaks difficult. Because of the difficulty in predicting when and where pest outbreaks will occur many growers in the southeast apply insecticides on a calendar basis rather than using a threshold-based integrated pest management approach. Our challenge is to develop new information and procedures that will encourage growers to reevaluate the way they are approaching spring-time insect control in wheat, and consider adoption of the integrated pest management approach. This article is a review of cereal leaf beetle biology, past and present management practices, and current research being conducted.
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    Floral Plantings in Large-Scale Commercial Agroecosystems Support Both Pollinators and Arthropod Predators
    Middleton, Eric G.; MacRae, Ian V.; Philips, Christopher R. (MDPI, 2021-01-21)
    Beneficial insect populations and the services that they provide are in decline, largely due to agricultural land use and practices. Establishing perennial floral plantings in the unused margins of crop fields can help conserve beneficial pollinators and predators in commercial agroecosystems. We assessed the impacts of floral plantings on both pollinators and arthropod predators when established adjacent to conventionally managed commercial potato fields. Floral plantings significantly increased the abundance of pollinators within floral margins compared with unmanaged margins. Increased floral cover within margins led to significantly greater pollinator abundance as well. The overall abundance of arthropod predators was also significantly increased in floral plantings, although it was unrelated to the amount of floral cover. Within adjacent potato crops, the presence of floral plantings in field margins had no effect on the abundance of pollinators or predators, although higher floral cover in margins did marginally increase in-crop pollinator abundance. Establishing floral plantings of this kind on a large scale in commercial agroecosystems can help conserve both pollinators and predators, but may not increase ecosystem services in nearby crops.
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    Insect pest management in hemp in Virginia
    Britt, Kadie Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2021-04-13)
    For the first time in many decades, a hemp pilot program was initiated in Virginia in 2016. Outdoor surveys were conducted in the 2017 and 2018 field seasons to record insect presence and feeding injury to plants. Multiple insect pests were present, including corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea [Boddie]) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys [Stål]) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). In 2019, indoor production surveys revealed that cannabis aphid, twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) (Acari: Tetranychidae), and hemp russet mite (Aculops cannabicola [Farkas]) (Acari: Eriophyidae) would likely cause production issues. Very little is known about the impact of insect defoliation in hemp so studies were conducted in 2018-2020 to determine impacts on yield and cannabinoid content of grain and cannabinoid variety hemp due to leaf surface area loss. In Virginia over two growing seasons, manual removal of leaf tissue in grain and CBD cultivars did not significantly impact observable effects on physical yield (seed or bud weight) or cannabinoid content (CBD or THC) at time of harvest. Corn earworm is the major pest of hemp produced outdoors and studies occurred to evaluate monitoring and management strategies. Pheromone traps may be valuable in determining when corn earworm moths are present in the vicinity of hemp fields but are not useful in predicting larval presence in buds or final crop damage. Larval presence and final crop damage are related. Brown marmorated stink bug does not appear to be a concern in hemp, at least at this time.