Project Number: 6202-22320-001-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 01, 2003
End Date: Aug 31, 2005

Objective:
Develop ecologically-based tactics, which emphasize complex pest interactions with the biotic and physical environment, for more efficient management or suppression of boll weevils and other pests of field crops. Improve available methods or develop new techniques for population estimation and monitoring of dispersal of key field crop pests, and elucidate and exploit the effects of dispersal on the population dynamics of boll weevils, bollworms, cotton fleahoppers, corn rootworms and secondary-emergent pests in boll weevil eradication zones. Evaluate efficacy of existing neuropeptide mimics in disruption of critical life functions of dipteran livestock pests. Develop mimetic analogs of new, unexplored classes of neuropeptides. Determine sites of synthesis and release of neuropeptides, and migration patterns of mimics within pests. Evaluate topical analog parameters such as penetration rates and time-release properties through various pest cuticle types. Develop new mimics using rational combinatorial libraries and expressed receptor systems.

Approach:
Factors influencing the onset and termination of boll weevil diapause will be determined using a variety of techniques ranging from field cage studies to histological examination of the diapause characters. These results will increase the knowledge of boll weevil reproductive physiology and will facilitate application of this knowledge towards development of improved implementation of diapause sprays in eradication programs. Impacts of environmental factors on short- and long-range dispersal, survival strategies, and spatial and temporal distributions of boll weevils, bollworms, corn rootworms, cotton fleahoppers, and secondary/emergent cotton pests including plant bugs, stink bugs, and beet armyworms will be determined. Studies of survival strategies, emergence, and population interchanges of pests between crop and weed hosts will be enhanced by development and use of improved or novel sampling technologies, meteorological instrumentation, radar, satellite and other remote sensing technologies, geospatial technologies including GPS and GIS, natural and applied markers including pollen, and identification and formulation of kairomone-based attractants. Use HPLC methods to determine the specific peptide linkages of insect neuropeptides susceptible to degradation of peptidase enzymes within insect pests of man and animals. Use structure-activity releationships, NMR spectra and computer assisted molecular modeling to design pseudopeptide/nonpeptide mimetic analogs of existing and previously unexplored classes of critical insect neuropeptides to enhance peptidase resistance and cuticle penetrability characteristics. Utilize cutting edge techniques such as rationally-directed combinatorial libraries in conjunction with expressed receptors to develop new mimics. With immunocytochemical techniques, determine sites of synthesis, storage, and release of neuropeptides and the migration patterns of mimics through the cuticle and within pest inesects. Evaluate the effects of neuropeptide structural mimics, which insects cannot readily deactivate, on the physiology and behavior of pests of man and animals.