Grant Information
| Knowledge Area | Subject of Investigation | Field of Science | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 2110 - Ornamental trees and shrubs | 1130 - Entomology and acarology | 34% |
| 211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants | 999 - Citrus, general/other | 1060 - Biology (whole systems) | 33% |
| 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants | 1099 - Tropical/subtropical fruit, general/other | 1070 - Ecology | 33% |
In 2010, California was ranked first in the USA with cash farm receipts worth $37.5 billion in revenue. The state accounted for 16 percent of national receipts for crops. California's agriculture is diverse with more than 400 commodities. The state produces nearly half of U.S. grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture nine of the nation's top 10 producing counties were in California. This productivity is under constant threat from unwanted pest incursions and it is estimated that invasive pests and diseases cost CA $3 billion per year in lost productivity and increased management costs. California's citrus industry (worth ~ $1.2 billion annually) has been threatened by the invasion of the Asian citrus psyllid (detected in 2008), while the $30 million per year date industry, and $70 million per year ornamental palm industry may be affected by the recent detections of two giant palm weevils in southern California, the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrgunieus[detected 2010]) and the South American palm weevil (R. palmarum [detected 2011]). The avocado industry in California is worth ~$280 million per year and is under perpetual threat of invasion by avocado pests native to Mexico (e.g., leaf galling psyllids and fruit infesting moths, weevils, and fruit flies). Addressing these specific crop related issues through the development of control strategies that are based on improved understanding of pest and natural enemy biology and ecology not only leads to sustainable management programs but also enhances knowledge driving invasion processes (e.g., delimiting areas of origin and identifying incursion pathways) which may enable the development of more effective incursion monitoring programs (e.g., proactive use of pheromones for pests with high invasion potential.)
The objectives of this project are
(1) Invasive pests will be studied to quantify their population dynamics and the factors which promote or reduce population growth. This will be achieved by combining field sampling of pest populations in the absence and presence of natural enemies, quantifying age structures of pest populations and densities, identifying causes of mortality, and the significance of mortality attributable to natural enemies. Additional laboratory studies will be conducted to quantify pest and natural enemy longevity, fecundity, and development rates. Methods previously utilized include direct field sampling, and counts using microscopes to record changes in pest and natural enemy numbers. (2) Foreign exploration and introduction of natural enemies will be employed to find and establish new natural enemies in California for the suppression of invasive pests. This will only be done should the targets be thought to be amenable to biological control. Natural enemy introductions will be made through the I & Q facility at UCR where biocontrol agents will be quarantined, subjected to safety testing, identified, and mass reared prior to liberation. (3) Laboratory studies will be used to unravel: (a) the developmental biology, (b) demographic parameters (fecundity, longevity, host stage preferences for feeding or reproduction) and, (c) behaviors associated with host searching, host handling, and reproduction of natural enemies. (4) Natural enemy impact will be experimentally quantified post-establishment in replicated field trials using exclusion techniques (e.g., cages, insecticide applications, or non-release sites.) In addition, these experiments will also attempt to address some fundamental questions on the invasion biology of natural enemies that are still unresolved: (a) how many natural enemies should be released at a given site to guarantee establishment (b) How frequently should releases be made and what size should releases be to ensure natural enemy establishment (c) How many natural enemy species should be established to ensure successful biological control occurs Proposed work will take place in the lab at UCR, the I & Q facility, selected field sites in Southern California, and in various countries overseas. These procedures are well developed and have been used frequently with excellent success. The approaches employed here are flexible and readily adaptable to any new invasive pest that needs urgent research attention.
Target Audience
Target audiences for the research products resulting from this work include: 1) Commodities affected by invasive insect pests that are targets of classical biological control (e.g, Asian citrus psyllid for the California citrus industry) 2) Professional pest managers (e.g., California Association of Professional Pest Control Advisers [CAPCA], Pesticide Applicators Professional Association [PAPA]) 3) University of California Cooperative Extension personnel and UC Master Gardeners 4) The public (via TV, radio, and newspaper interviews, web-base resources) and California legislators and regulatory agencies (e.g., California Department of Pesticide Regulations and the California Department of Food and Agriculture)
Changes / Problems
Nothing Reported
Training & Professional Development
This project has trained three Ph.D. students, 1 MS student, provided research and project management experience to about 5 post-doctoral researchers. Additionally, at least 7 undergraduate students have been employed (either paid or worked for undergraduate research credits) to work on aspects of the Asian citrus psyllid or palm weevil projects. Ph.D., M.S., and post-docs contributed to professional meetings, gave talks at numerous extension events (e.g., CAPCA, PAPA, UC Master Gardener, California Rare Fruit Growers, and Commodity Board [e.g., Citrus and Dates) meetings. Further, numerous web pages (about 5) were prepared for www.bicontrol.ucr.edu and www.cisr.ucr.edu and articles (around 15) were written for trade magazines (e.g., Citrograph, CAPCA Adviser). Personnel involved with this project also contributed to media interviews with aspects of our work being shared with the public via radio, TV, newspaper, and trade magazines (about 50 interviews).
Dissemination Streams
This project has aggressively disseminated pertinent research findings to end users via a variety of conduits, including but not limited to: 1) Web pages on websites that this project maintains: www.biocontrol.ucr.edu and www.cisr.ucr.edu An example of this effort on the Asian citrus psyllid biocontrol project is available here:https://biocontrol.ucr.edu/asian_citrus_psyllid.html 2) Personnel associated with this project have given talks (n = 8) at professional meetings (e.g., the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America) 3)Personnel associated with this project have given talks (n = 20) at extension/grower meetings. 4)Personnel associated with this project have written articles (n = 15) for trade magazines (e.g., Citrograph, CAPCA Adviser) 5)Personnel associated with this project have given interviews (n = 50) to various media outlets (e.g., Radio, TV, newspapers, trade magazines)
Next Reporting Steps
Nothing Reported