Project Number: 5430-43000-024-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Dec 17, 2003
End Date: Aug 31, 2005

Objective:
Insect contamination in storage, processing, distribution, and retail facilities can result in serious economic consequences when products become infested. Further research is required to develop reduced-risk insecticides and physical control methods to replace conventional insecticides and fumigants which may soon be lost to users in the US, and to develop effective integrated pest management programs that will maintain quality of stored-foods.

Approach:
Sanitation methods to prevent infestation of commercial facilities will be investigated on laboratory and operational scales. Controlled laboratory tests and simulated field testing of low-risk chemicals, mechanical and physical controls, and natural products will be used to develop integrated control strategies. Prevalence of introduced and naturally occurring disease organisms and their impact on pest populations will be determined to aid in discovery and development of new insect pathogens to control pests. Compatibility of entomopathogens with other control strategies will be determined. Insect immune responses will be characterized to identify targets for increasing efficacy of entomopathogens. Strategies for enhancement of IPM systems in stored grain and processed commodities will be developed.

Project Team

Arthur, Franklin Baker, James - Jim Lord, Jeffrey

Related National Programs

Crop Protection & Quarantine (304)

Related Projects

Determine Physiological Effects of Insect Growth Regulators for Major Pest Species    Controlled Ambient Aeration As a Pest Management Strategy in Stored Rice    Alternatives to Organophosphates As Stored Grain Protectants and for Use in Food Processing    Characterization of Protein Interactions That Occur During Initiation of the Immune Response in Insects