In this Issue:
VEGETABLE NEWS
Rapid Response Fund Supports Research on the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle in Grapes
Minnesota Vegetable Insect Overview for 2004
APPLE NEWS
Trap Catches for 2003 and 2004 at Selected Orchards by Region
| Vol 1 No. 15 | September 20, 2004 |
From Beneficial Insect to Economic Pest: New UofM Rapid Response Fund Supports Applied IPM Research on the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle in Grapes
Bill Hutchison, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
The Rapid Response Fund of the UofM College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (COAFES), via the State Legislature, recently agreed to fund our proposal to support applied research and management solutions for the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) as a pest of Grapes. In addition, we received a small grant from the North Central Sustainable Agric. Research and Education (SARE) program to provide partial support for complementary research by a Graduate Student, Ted Galvan. In addition, Eric Burkness (Senior Scientist), Bob Koch (Ph.D. Student), and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (Research Fellow), have also been assisting with the 2004 research.
Although the Asian lady beetle is now known to be a serious late-season pest of grapes throughout the eastern U.S., very few states have conducted the research necessary to develop sound integrated pest management (IPM) recommendations. As noted by the objectives below, we have been active this summer initiating several avenues of research to develop an IPM program that is based on the biology and movement of the beetle, and the spatial pattern of infestation in grapes. The research also includes an assessment of multiple control tactics, within a narrow window of time, to account for the beetle’s ability to colonize grapes just before harvest and the limited conventional insecticides available for use once grapes are near harvest. Specific Goals and Research Objectives, currently include:
A—Beetle Monitoring and Timingof Infestation
B—Assess potential for a Predictive Model; Early Warning System
C—Varietal Susceptibility to Lady Beetle Attack
D—Insecticidal Timing and Control (conventional, organic)
E—Impact of Harmonia on Juice/Wine Quality
As indicated, this is a multi-faceted study requiring broad expertise. We have therefore enlisted the help of several co-investigators and cooperators, including: Dr. Jim Luby, Senior Research Fellow, Anna Katharine Mansfield, Peter Hempstad, and Dr. Zeta Vickers, UofM Sensory Center, Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition. We also have Bob Olson and Rod Elmstrand, UofM Extension Service, who plan to assist with beetle monitoring and/or educational products.
We especially thank all of the growers who provided letters of support and agreed to provide sites for cooperative research on selected project objectives. Growers who wrote letters of support, and/or plan to participate in various aspects of the research, this summer, include: Paul Quast, President, MGGA, Nan Bailly, John Falconer, Terry Henry, Gary and Jan Hahn, and Tom Martell.
Although beetle infestations in grapes have been noted in previous years, particularly high infestations were observed in nearly all Minnesota vineyards during Sept. 2003. The beetle has a unique ability to locate ripening fruit, with infestations in grapes building just before harvest. A recent study in our laboratory provides the first confirmation of Harmonia feeding and mechanism of damage to grapes. This finding supports the possibility that field observations of beetles feeding in relatively large holes (>2 mm diam.), were likely taking advantage of feeding entries created by physiological breaks, or other fruit feeders, including yellow-jackets, and possibly birds. In the same study we also confirmed a significant preference for sugar water vs. water alone. The beetles are likely moving from senescing soybean and corn to nearby vineyards (and apple orchards), as prey populations (e.g., aphids) in field crops decline, to build sugar and fat reserves in preparation for overwintering. With ca. 14 million acres of corn and soybean throughout MN, this creates a massive reservoir of beetles that can disperse to vineyards.
The extremely high numbers of beetles in 2003 likely developed from unusually high soybean aphid populations in southern MN during the summer. Thus far, in 2004, we have had very few soybean aphid infestations develop, statewide. Hopefully, this will result in lower lady beetle numbers dispersing to grapes this year. However, selected vineyards could still receive high numbers of beetles. One of our research objectives is to better understand the relationship between source populations in field crops and subsequent movement and infestation levels in grapes. Please forward any observations of first beetle occurrence at your vineyard to: Tederson Galvan at: galva008@umn.edu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison, Department of Entomology,
University of Minnesota, hutch002@umn.edu
Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Division,jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us
Suzanne Wold-Burkness, Department of Entomology, University of
Minnesota, woldx018@umn.edu
The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Tuesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-297-3217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107-2094. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm. format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf. format at: www.mda.state.mn.us/biocon/fruitreports/default.htm
Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the RMA Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program. These institutions are equal opportunity providers.
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Last Revised September 17, 2004.
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