A Crop Protection and Quarantine National Program Workshop has been scheduled for November 30-December 2, 1999, in Laurel, Maryland, as a joint workshop effort with the Crop Production National Program. The workshop will provide an opportunity for ARS National Program Staff and the agency’s scientists to meet with stakeholders, customers, and partners to assess the appropriateness of ARS’ research program activities, improve ARS’ understanding of customer needs, and promote coordination of research activities among ARS scientists and other public and private groups. The workshop will help ensure relevance of the research planned for the national program and its components. Consequent to the workshop deliberations, concepts will be developed that will be important in the process of producing a final version of this national program and for creating a 5-year national program action plan.

ARS has made significant progress in 1998. A number of taxonomic keys, databases, and catalogues have been developed for both indigenous and invasive crop and quarantine pests. Mass rearing technology for biological control agents has taken a major leap forward. There is a better understanding of metabolic and physiological processes in key pests and their natural enemies, including how chemical signals from plants attacked by insect pests can be used to lure natural enemies of the offending pests. Numerous new biological control agents have been identified and released for control of noxious insect, mite, and weed pests. Molecular biology has been used to understand the genetics of pests and has begun to lead the way for the use of genetic engineering in pest control. New quarantine treatment technologies have been developed to aid producers with exported products. New varieties of pest-resistant crops have been developed, both through traditional breeding programs and through genetic engineering. Biorational technologies, such as pheromone mating disruption, attract and kill technologies, and pesticidal natural products have added to the customer’s pest control toolbox, both with preharvest and postharvest commodities. IPM and areawide pest management strategies have been initiated and demonstrated on large acreage in on-farm partnership programs for control of insect and weed pests. The importance of insect, mite, and weed pests has been acknowledged through a new invasive species initiative.

ARS has recently assembled an inventory of its program activities on production of alternatives to the organophosphate and carbamate pesticides that could be phased out during implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). This inventory may be accessed at http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov/sites/fqpa. Several 5-year research action plans have been implemented to control pests such as the bollweevil, corn earworm, and cotton bollworm. A progress review of the Interagency Silverleaf Whitefly Research and Technology Transfer Plan was held in 1998 and the proceedings were published. These materials can be obtained from the ARS National Program Staff in Beltsville, Maryland.

Some selected examples of progress are listed below under each component, representing a few of the many accomplishments that have been reported from the more than 180 in-house projects that are assigned to this national program. ARS plans, in the near future, to link all of the annual project progress reports, both in-house and those funded extramurally, to this National Program Annual Report. This will allow the reader to obtain additional information on the Program’s progress and accomplishments.

Selected Accomplishments for Fiscal Year 1998 (listed by Component)

Movement of genes into fruit flies and moth pests now possible with newly identified transposable elements. Indicator genes have been successfully inserted into the genome of the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the codling moth was transformed using a “piggyback transposon” with a green fluorescent protein marker gene by ARS scientists at Gainesville, Florida. The transformations have remained stable over three generations. The absence of transposons capable of inserting genes into insects severely limited the ability of scientists to bring the power of genetic engineering to help solve insect pest problems. The identification of new effective transposons could open the door to new insect control and eradication tactics.

Inhibiting pest insect carbohydrate metabolism to control silverleaf hitefly on cotton may prove to be a novel strategy. The silverleaf whitefly causes crop loss and damage to crop plants in California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona, affecting a variety of major crop species including cotton, melons, tomatoes, and others. ARS scientists in Phoenix, Arizona, have discovered that whiteflies contain an enzyme which does not generally occur in a number of other insects and in animals. This enzyme, which enables whiteflies to survive in high temperatures, can be a target for the development of a new class of biorational control compounds to interfere with the pests ability to tolerate heat stress.

Knowledge about hostspecificity, phenology and reproduction of weeds aids in the development of biological control of aquatic and wetland weeds. Exotic aquatic wetland weeds have invaded natural ecosystems, causing significant ecological and environmental damage to waterways in the U.S. by interfering with drainage and irrigation, flood control, and recreational activities, as well as by displacement of native plant species. ARS scientists at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a result of studies on basic biology, hostspecificity, phenology, and reproduction of melaleuca, water hyacinth, hydrilla, Eurasian milfoil, water lettuce, hydrilla, egeria, and other invasive aquatic weeds, have been able to implement effective biological control measures through the recent release of the weeds’ natural enemies.

Insect midgut organ cultures have been developed for determining host-pathogen interactions and pest responses to host chemicals. Cultures containing differentiated mature insect cells are needed to determine pest physiological responses to host chemicals (and pesticides) and to determine host-pathogen interactions. While there are many insect cell-culture systems available, few organ-culture systems exist. ARS scientists at Beltsville, Maryland, have isolated two peptide factors that cause undifferentiated insect stem cells to differentiate to mature gut epithelial cells. The ability to cause maturation of gut cells has application in studying the physiology of insects and their responses to host chemicals, which might then be exploited in development of novel insect control techniques.

New lures for potentially invasive Asian moth species. ARS scientists at Newark, Delaware, in cooperation with Simon Fraser University, have developed lures that can be used in the detection of six Asian species closely related to the gypsy moth: Lymantria monacha (nun moth and the most important conifer pest in Eurasia); L. mathura (the pink gypsy moth); and L. fumida; L. lucescens; L. minomonis; L. xylina (pests of Casuarina in Taiwan). Lures are now available for survey and detection of these potentially invasive nonindigenous species that destroy forest and shade trees.

Early detection of fruit flies with a novel trap protects U.S. fruit and vegetable exports. The Mediterranean fruit fly and the Mexican fruit fly are pests of major economic importance that continue to threaten U.S. fruit and vegetable production and exports. ARS scientists at Gainesville, Florida, have developed a new fruit fly trap based on natural lures that are highly specific in the capture of economically important pest fruit flies. APHIS and state action agencies in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, and Hawaii have conducted evaluations of the trap and lures for use in their detection programs. The joint USDA, Mexico, and Guatemala Mediterranean fruit fly program (MOSCAMED) uses the synthetic lures in monitoring for fruit flies in Guatemala and Mexico.

A hot water dip for limes to prevent foreign pest mealybugs from entering the United States has been developed. ARS researchers at Miami, Florida, have determined that immersing limes for 20 minutes in water at 120 degrees Fahrenheit kills all stages of the mealybugs. This treatment provides the necessary quarantine security, without reducing the quality of the limes. This is an example of technology that will allow continued shipment of high-quality produce consistent with General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) treaty obligations, while preventing new destructive pests from entering the United States.

Patent issued for novel biopesticide used in stored grain and processed cereal products. ARS researchers at Manhattan, Kansas, in cooperation with researchers at Kansas State University, received a U.S. patent for a recombinant chitinase. Chitinase is an enzyme that degrades chitin, a component of both the guts and exoskeletons of insects and of the cell walls of fungi. The scientists are working with several biotechnology companies to develop cereal varieties for commercial use that incorporate the chitinase gene. Use of this biopesticide should reduce levels of insect pests and diseases in stored grain and processed cereal products, decrease the use of chemical pesticides, and increase market quality longevity of cereal products.

Microbial control agents of annual and invasive weeds developed. ARS scientists at Frederick, Maryland, and Stoneville, Mississippi, have identified a number of fungal pathogens for use as potential biological control agents for kudzu, dodder in tomato, cocklebur, Canada thistle, morning glory in sugarcane, and hemp sesbania in cotton, rice, and soybean. The scientists have also developed a broad-spectrum mycoherbicide for control of a wide range of other weeds. Potential agents were tested for their effectiveness and hostspecificity, and formulations were developed to facilitate application or to increase effectiveness in the field. One patent has resulted from this work, along with a number of cooperative research and development agreements and material transfer agreements with industry. These advances are facilitating commercialization of effective microbial agents for weed biological control.

Genetically-engineered corn possessing both natural and bioengineered genes is tolerant to the fall armyworm. In laboratory and field studies, ARS scientists at Starkville, Mississippi, evaluated fall armyworm against resistant and susceptible corn hybrids developed by DeKalb Genetics Corporation. The company used germplasm that ARS had developed and released as a source of the naturally resistant hybrids, and they added Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes to both susceptible and naturally resistant hybrids. The genes command cells to produce worm-killing protein. In research with DeKalb, ARS scientists found that combining Bt and natural resistance resulted in less damage to the crop than using either the same Bt or natural resistance factors alone. Fall armyworm larval survival and growth were reduced in field tests and in laboratory bioassays.

A sex attractant to foil the mating of cranberry fruitworms is patented by ARS. The cranberry fruitworm is the most destructive insect of cranberries in the United States and Canada. ARS scientists at Wapato, Washington, found two compounds that, mixed in the right ratio, strongly attract males by mimicking the female’s mating pheromone. The mixture could be used to bait traps that will snare the pests, preventing them from mating, as well as giving growers a simple way to monitor cranberry bogs for the pests’ presence to eliminate unnecessary insecticide use.

New natural product clays show promise as substitutes for chemical pesticides. ARS scientists at Kearneysville, West Virginia, have discovered that a natural product derived from kaolin clay possesses high repellency properties against insect and mite pests and disease-causing microorganisms of plants. The technology has been shown to be particularly effective against orchard pests such as leafhoppers, pear psylla, mites, aphids, leafrollers, thrips, plum curculio, codling moths, Japanese beetles, and others. Kaolin particles are expected to serve as an effective alternative pest control technology for field, horticultural, and ornamental crops upon which at-risk chemical pesticides impacted by FQPA are largely used. The materials recently received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration and exemption from tolerance as a result of the research.

Powerful new lure for rootworm control developed. The corn rootworm is the primary pest of corn in the United States. ARS scientists at Beltsville, Maryland, have discovered and isolated an insect feeding stimulant, cucurbitacin-E, from a bitter mutant of the Hawkesbury watermelon. Having developed an extraction method that produces high cucurbitacin yields, the scientists mixed the chemical with D&C Red Dye #28 and Sevin, Spinosid, or Admire insecticides and found it to be highly effective in reducing southern corn rootworm and stripped cucumber beetles on cucumbers in Maryland and western and northern corn rootworms in South Dakota. A patent has been granted.

Corn inbreds have been developed with resistance to european corn borer. Estimates of economic losses due to the European corn borer exceed $1 billion annually. ARS scientists at Columbia, Missouri, developed and released three inbred lines of maize which are resistant to first- and second-generation corn borers. Corn yields using these lines were not reduced in spite of heavy insect infestations. Corn lines transformed with the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene also were evaluated for European corn borer and southwestern corn borer damage. Lines with Bt genes were effective in controlling both insects throughout the growing season.

A soft winter wheat variety was developed with resistance to an economically important special biotype of hessian fly. For the past 40 years the primary method of control of the Hessian fly has been through development of genetically resistant wheat. Unfortunately, fly populations are continually adapting to resistant varieties, necessitating the identification of new sources of resistance for use in future breeding programs. ARS scientists at West Lafayette, Indiana, have developed and released a new soft winter wheat variety (INW 9811), in cooperation with Purdue University. This is the first wheat variety to demonstrate resistance to biotype L of the Hessian fly. The INW 9811 variety will be particularly useful to growers in southern Illinois and Indiana, northeastern Arizona, northern Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, and southern Virginia where there is a high frequency of Hessian fly biotype L.

Natural enemy biological control has been developed for control of leafrollers that attack apple trees in Washington State. Leafrollers are the second most important pests in apple production in Washington State, both in terms of pesticide use and in losses to the apple crop. ARS scientists at Wapato, Washington, in cooperation with colleagues at Washington State University, have developed a natural enemy, Colpoclypeus florus, for biological control of leafrollers on apple trees. The parasite has established itself in all experimental sites and the populations are active throughout the growing season in most of the commercial apple orchards evaluated. Assuming that this parasite, in combination with other species, could eliminate one chemical treatment on 20% of the apple acreage each year, the resultant savings is estimated at between $500,000 and $1 million annually.

Mating disruption/trap crop technology developed for control of the beet armyworm, diamondback moth, and cabbage looper. Present methods of controlling caterpillar pests on field and vegetable crops rely heavily on chemical pesticides. ARS scientists at Gainesville, Florida, have developed mating disruption technologies using insect phenomones for control of the beet armyworm, diamondback moth, and cabbage looper. The mating disruption technology is being commercialized by the Shin-Etsu Chemical Company, Tokyo, Japan. In addition, collards were successfully used as trap crops around the edge of cabbage fields for control of the diamondback moth. Growers in three northeast Florida counties are using the trap crop strategy to manage diamondback moth in commercial cabbage.

Areawide pest management of corn rootworm in America’s Corn Belt continues to reap benefits. Corn rootworms are the targets of almost half of the insecticides used in row crops. ARS’ 5-year areawide IPM program in the midwest states of South Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa, as well as in Texas, using an adult corn rootworm attract-and-kill technology has yielded corn rootworm reductions of more than 3-4 fold in the test sites after 3 years. A number of corn growers have expressed interest in undertaking their own programs using this new technology. A 90% reduction in the amount of prophylactic soil insecticide applied to U.S. corn grown in the Midwest U.S. could result in $300 million estimated savings. The program is led by ARS out of Brookings, South Dakota.

Areawide Suppression Program for Codling Moth in the Pacific Northwest Virtually Eliminates the Reliance on Guthion Insecticide. This is the fourth year of a five-year ARS-led study out of Wapato, Washington, to suppress codling moth populations and reduce damage below economic thresholds with a minimum use of pesticides. In Washington, Oregon, and California use of pheromones to disrupt mating reduced populations of codling moth to almost undetectable levels at some of the project sites. The cost of control was less in the mating disruption-treated orchards than in orchards treated with conventional pesticides. The number of pesticide sprays were reduced in all mating disruption orchards and were entirely eliminated at most of the project sites. In 1994, before the areawide program was initiated, only 11,000 acres were treated with the mating disruption technology in Washington State. In 1998, more than 60,000 acres were under the technology. It is estimated that orchard growers realize a savings of $400 per acre using mating disruption, since the use of the primary insecticide, Guthion, is no longer needed. Guthion is one of the organophosphate insecticides that could be impacted and lost as a result of FQPA.

Millions of flea beetles delivered to ranchers as part of an ARS leafy spurge areawide pest management partnership program. Leafy spurge, an exotic weed that costs millions of dollars in losses each year, infests over 1 million acres of rangeland. ARS at Sydney, Montana, has led an effort to design an areawide integrated pest management program to deal with this noxious weed. Field days, tours of control sites, and demonstrations of research technology have increased since the initiation of the program 3 years ago. Program managers and cooperators (TEAM Leafy Spurge) have been devising and demonstrating practical leafy spurge management strategies that can be applied to common habitats and land being utilized in the upper Great Plains. During the 1998 field season, TEAM Leafy Spurge coordinated and provided timely collection and delivery of a total of 1.9 million Aphthona species beetles to TEAM Leafy Spurge researchers and weed managers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

ARS minor-use (IR-4) activities continue to help support registration of individual pesticides for use in IPM programs. There are few approved pesticides for use in minor crops because most pesticides were originally registered for use on large acreage crops. The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 requires reregistration of all pesticides registered prior to 1984 by EPA. Therefore, it is critical to assess the effectiveness and residue of pesticides on minor crops for the purpose of registering them for use on fruits, nuts, vegetables, ornamentals, and herbs. The IR-4 program involves federal and state partners, as well as growers and the EPA in eight states, including 10 ARS locations and three ARS residue study laboratories. Research was performed to identify minor-use pesticide needs and the data needed to obtain clearance for use of these pesticides on minor crops. Between 1994 and 1998 data for approximately 670 field trials, 300 residue trials, and 940 ornamental trials were submitted to IR-4 headquarters to support registration of individual pesticides that control insects, mites, weeds, and/or pathogens. Of these submissions, IR-4 has received clearance for approximately 428 food uses and 1,989 ornamental uses.