The Spatiotemporal Distribution, Abundance, and Seasonal Dynamics of Cotton-Infesting Aphids in the Southern U.S.

Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is an emerging aphid-borne pathogen infecting cotton, L., in the southern United States (U.S.

Evaluation of Stagonospora Nodorum Blotch Severity and Population Structure and Genetic Diversity Across Multiple Locations and Wheat Varieties in Virginia.

is a necrotrophic pathogen that causes Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) in wheat. Wheat varieties grown in Virginia vary in susceptibility to SNB, and the severity of SNB varies across locations and years. However, the impacts of wheat genetic backgrounds and environments on SNB severity and the structure of populations in the region have not been well studied.

Is Associated with Necrotic Lesions in the Tar Spot Disease Complex? A Culture-Based Survey of Maize in Mexico and the Midwestern United States.

Tar spot, caused by , is an emerging disease of corn in the United States. Stromata of  are sometimes surrounded by necrotic lesions known as fisheyes and were previously reported to be caused by the fungus  . The association of  with fisheye lesions has not been well documented outside of initial descriptions from the early 1980s.

Removing neonicotinoid seed treatments has negligible effects on refuge function and crop protection in transgenic maize targeting western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Nearly all maize seed sold in the United States includes a neonicotinoid seed treatment (NST), meant to protect seedlings against early-season insect pests. For key pests, including western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) (D.v.

Multi-locus genome-wide association studies reveal genomic regions and putative candidate genes associated with leaf spot diseases in African groundnut ( L.) germplasm.

Early leaf spot (ELS) and late leaf spot (LLS) diseases are the two most destructive groundnut diseases in Ghana resulting in ≤ 70% yield losses which is controlled largely by chemical method. To develop leaf spot resistant varieties, the present study was undertaken to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and putative candidate genes underlying both ELS and LLS. In this study, six multi-locus models of genome-wide association study were conducted with the best linear unbiased predictor obtained from 294 African groundnut germplasm screened for ELS and LLS as well as image-based indices of leaf spot diseases severity in 2020 and 2021 and 8,772 high-quality SNPs from a 48 K SNP array Axiom platform.

Standardized Field Trials in Cotton and Bioassays to Evaluate Resistance of Tobacco Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) to Insecticides in the Southern United States.

Foliar-applied insecticide treatments may be necessary to manage thrips in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under severe infestations or when at-planting insecticide seed treatments do not provide satisfactory protection. The most common foliar-applied insecticide is acephate.

Evaluating invasion risk and population dynamics of the brown marmorated stink bug across the contiguous United States.

Background: Invasive species threaten the productivity and stability of natural and managed ecosystems. Predicting the spread of invaders, which can aid in early mitigation efforts, is a major challenge, especially in the face of climate change. While ecological niche models are effective tools to assess habitat suitability for invaders, such models have rarely been created for invasive pest species with rapidly expanding ranges.

RGB-image method enables indirect selection for leaf spot resistance and yield estimation in a groundnut breeding program in Western Africa.

Early Leaf Spot (ELS) caused by the fungus Passalora arachidicola and Late Leaf Spot (LLS) also caused by the fungus Nothopassalora personata, are the two major groundnut ( L.) destructive diseases in Ghana. Accurate phenotyping and genotyping to develop groundnut genotypes resistant to Leaf Spot Diseases (LSD) and to increase groundnut production is critically important in Western Africa.

Row crop fields provide mid-summer forage for honey bees.

Honey bees provide invaluable economic and ecological services while simultaneously facing stressors that may compromise their health. For example, agricultural landscapes, such as a row crop system, are necessary for our food production, but they may cause poor nutrition in bees from a lack of available nectar and pollen. Here, we investigated the foraging dynamics of honey bees in a row crop environment.

Comparison of Current Peanut Fungicides Against Through a Laboratory Bioassay of Detached Plant Tissues.

Southern stem rot of peanut, caused by , is an important fungal disease that impacts peanut production worldwide. Foliar-applied fungicides are used to manage the disease, and several fungicides have been recently registered for southern stem rot control in peanuts. This study compared fungicidal, residual, and potential systemic activity of current fungicides against using a laboratory bioassay.

Meta-Analysis of the Field Efficacy of Seed- and Soil-Applied Nematicides on and Across the U.S. Cotton Belt.

Meta-analysis was used to compare yield protection and nematode suppression provided by two seed-applied and two soil-applied nematicides against and on cotton across 3 years and several trial locations in the U.S. Cotton Belt.

Economic Injury Levels for Bt-resistant Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Cotton.

Thresholds for Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) in cotton Gossypium hirsutum L. have been understudied since the widespread adoption of Bt cotton in the United States. Our study was possible due to the widespread presence of H.

Fusarium Hardlock Associated With (Hemiptera: Miridae) Injury in Southeastern Cotton.

The tarnished plant bug, (Palisot de Beauvois), is an important insect pest in cotton that feeds on reproductive fruit, contributing to yield loss. Economically damaging infestations of have doubled in Virginia since 2013. Escalation of abundance may increase Fusarium hardlock disease observed in this region, compounding economic losses.

Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation and Dietary Protein Level on Growth Performance, Serum Chemistry and Immune Response in Weanling Piglets Fed Differing Concentrations of Aflatoxin.

Effects of folic acid and protein levels on growth and serum chemistry in pigs fed aflatoxin were determined in two experiments. Increasing aflatoxin (250 to 800 ppb) decreased ( < 0.05) weight gain and feed intake for both of the 35-day trials.

Occurrence of Quinone Outside Inhibitor Resistance in Virginia Populations of Infecting Wheat.

Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) of wheat, caused by , is managed using cultural practices, resistant varieties, and foliar fungicides. Frequent fungicide use can select for fungicide resistance, making certain chemistries less effective; this may in part explain the increasing severity of SNB in the mid-Atlantic United States. Quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) resistance has been documented for a diversity of fungi, but it has not been reported for in the United States.

Reevaluating the Economic Injury Level for Brown Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) at Various Growth Stages of Maize.

Economic yield loss and reduction in grain quality from brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), feeding injury in early and late stages of maize, Zea mays (Poales: Poaceae, Linnaeus), development was assessed in Virginia and North Carolina in 2018 and 2019. Varying levels of stink bug infestations were introduced to seedling maize (V2-early stage), and a range of late-stages of maize, including 1) the last stage of vegetative development (V12/V14), 2) prior to tasseling, 3) at tasseling (VT), and 4) across all tested late growth stages. Euschistus servus infestation levels included 33, 67, and 100% of maize seedlings, and 25, 50, 100, and 200% of plants during later stages.

Effects of group-size-floor space allowance during the nursery phase of production on future litter size and retention of sows through three parities.

We previously reported that reduced floor space allowance caused by increasing the number of gilts per pen decreased growth and affected blood chemistry and immunology. The current objective was to determine effects of nursery group-size-floor space allowance on future litter sizes and retention in the breeding herd through three parities in sows. A 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was employed with 2,537 gilts classified as large (6.

A cooperative study assessing reproductive performance in sows fed diets supplemented with organic or inorganic sources of trace minerals.

Sows from three university research facilities ( = 245) were stratified by parity and initial body weight (BW), and within outcome groups, randomly assigned to fortified corn- and soybean meal-based control or organic trace mineral-supplemented, gestation (3,339 kcal/kg ME; 0.62% standradized ileal digestible [SID] lysine), and lactation (3,374 kcal/kg ME; 0.97% SID lysine) diets.

Systems Approach to Evaluate Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) Management Practices in Virginia and North Carolina Cotton.

Economically damaging infestations of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), tarnished plant bug, were sporadic in Virginia and North Carolina cotton before 2010. Given the sudden rise of L. lineolaris as an economic pest in these states, regionally specific management practices (i.

Resistance monitoring to four insecticides and mechanisms of resistance in Lygus lineolaris Palisot de Beauvois (Hemiptera: Miridae) populations of southeastern USA cotton.

Background: Economically damaging infestations of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), have become more frequent in Virginia and North Carolina cotton since 2013 and 2010, respectively. Foliar insecticide use has increased dramatically in response. Efficacy data (LC ) are needed to evaluate L.

Peanut Yield Loss in the Presence of Defoliation Caused by Late or Early Leaf Spot.

Late and early leaf spot, respectively caused by and , are damaging diseases of peanut () capable of defoliating canopies and reducing yield. Although one of these diseases may be more predominant in a given area, both are important on a global scale. To assist informed management decisions and quantify relationships between end-of-season defoliation and yield loss, meta-analyses were conducted over 140 datasets meeting established criteria.

Multiyear Regional Evaluation of Foliar Fungicide Applications for Cotton Target Spot Management in the Southeastern United States.

Fungicide programs for managing target spot of cotton caused by were evaluated over 15 site-years in the southeastern United States between 2014 and 2016. Two cultivars, hypothesized to vary in target spot susceptibility, PhytoGen 499WRF (PHY499) and Deltapine 1137B2RF (DPL1137), and four fungicides (azoxystrobin, flutriafol, pyraclostrobin, pyraclostrobin + fluxapyroxad) plus nontreated control, were compared. Fungicide programs consisted of 1) a single application at first flower or disease onset and 2) the first application followed by a second 14 days later.

Effects of Aggregation Lure and Tree Species on Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Seasonal Oviposition.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is a polyphagous pest that feeds on a wide variety of agricultural commodities including tree fruits, berries, vegetables, field crops, and ornamental trees and shrubs. Accurate knowledge of where H. halys lays eggs is critical to optimize the potential release of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead), a scelionid egg parasitoid native to the same host region as H.

Relationship Between Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug () and Fumonisin Contamination of Field Corn in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.

Brown marmorated stink bug ( Stål) is an invasive agricultural pest that causes severe damage to many crops. To determine potential associations between feeding damage, infection, and mycotoxin contamination in field corn, a field survey was conducted in eight counties in Virginia. Results indicated an association between feeding damage and fumonisin contamination.