MN Fruit & Vegetable IPM News - Vol. 4, No. 6

After a year of testing, I am pleased to formally highlight and introduce the Insect Migration Risk Forecasts (IMRFs), developed by colleagues at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Graduate Student Mike Sandstrom and advisor, Dr. Dave Changnon, Dept. of Geography-NIU, began developing the system in 2006 in response to Midwest Regional needs to better understand the timing and potential source areas for Corn Earworm migration events. As many of you know, CEW is one of our significant, and consistently damaging pests that does not overwinter in the northern U.S., primarily at latitudes >40° N.

In brief, this system is based on our general understanding of insect migration in the northern U.S., where migration events are facilitated by the convergence of HIGH pressure systems moving east to west (towards Midwest region), with LOW pressures coming west to east. Insects traveling on northward jet streams at 500m or higher, are known to “drop out” of the atmosphere when these High/Low systems collide. Experience to date, suggests that Insects can fall out whether the event includes rainfall or not. Last summer, we conducted several “test runs” of the migration forecasts, and found, that for most forecasts in Minnesota, the system worked well for both Potato Leafhopper (PLH), early season (May-June), and for CEW late-season (July-Sept.). You can access the IMRFs via our CEW “ZEA MAP” National Monitoring site for CEW, at: http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/ZeaMap/zeamap.htm or, directly at the NIU site: http://www.maplecity.com/%7Esand/cew/imrf.html

The IMRFs are provided 5 days/week (M-F) throughout the growing season. One caveat, at least for CEW, is that we typically notice a 1-2 day delay between the projected forecast date for a given locale, and the date that trap catches increase. This may be due to some necessary “recovery time” for the moths after dropping from the atmosphere. More on insect migration will be provided in future articles this summer.

Note: The ZEA-MAP site is also host to a new, national CEW flight monitoring system for CEW, that will soon be available for both trap catch cooperators and IPM, Extension staff who use this info for making IPM recommendations (since it is summer in Minnesota, some components of this site remain under construction; thanks for your patience as we get this fully functional this summer).

The authors of the Insect Migration Risk Forecast would like to thank ACCEC (Analytical Center for Climate and Environmental Change) at Northern Illinois University for their financial support.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison (hutch002@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Management and Development Division, and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (woldx018@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

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., Wednesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-201-6217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 625 Robert St. North, St. Paul, MN 55155. 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/plants/pestmanagement/ipm/ipmnews.htm

Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA). These institutions are equal opportunity providers.

DISCLAIMER

Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current manufacturer directions.

Last Revised June, 2007 by woldx018@umn.edu
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