The codling moth is a serious pest of apples in most regions of the world where this fruit is produced. The sterile insect technique is one strategy used to control this pest and is employed as part ...of an area-wide integrated pest management program for the codling moth in British Columbia, Canada. Modified fixed wing aircraft are the most common method for the release of sterile insects in large area-wide pest management programs. However, aerial release with a full-size aircraft can be prohibitively expensive. We evaluated the use of small, uncrewed aircraft systems (UASs) for the release of sterile codling moths. Sterile codling moths released from greater altitudes were more broadly distributed and drifted more in strong winds, compared to those released from lower altitudes. Most of the released insects were recaptured in a 50 m wide swath under the release route. Recapture rates for aerially released insects were 40-70% higher compared to those released from the ground. UASs provide a promising alternative to ground release and conventional aircraft for the release of sterile codling moths.
Breeding pairs of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) were introduced into freshly cut bolts of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. ...latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson) in the laboratory. Brood adults emerging from the bolts were collected and galleries were dissected to compare reproductive success, brood production, and adult condition between the two pines. Beetles were more likely to establish egg galleries that produced brood in lodgepole pine than in whitebark pine. Larval gallery density per centimetre of egg gallery was significantly higher in whitebark pine than in lodgepole pine; however, egg galleries also tended to be shorter in whitebark pine bolts, and consequently, brood adults emerging production per gallery did not differ between the two host species. Female body size, mass, and fat content of brood adults and survival from larva to adult did not differ between beetles reared in the two hosts. Though this no-choice assay did not simulate the sequence of events occurring during host selection, these results are consistent with other data suggesting that beetles could be less likely to attack whitebark pines in southwestern Alberta. Whitebark pines that are attacked will produce brood in similar numbers and condition as those from lodgepole pines.
•Degree-day models are often used to time the activity of key pest life stages.•Farmers also often collect pest data as counts that are not easily interpretable.•Our model predicts pest abundance ...based on field data and phenology models.•This model will allow for more informed pest management decision-making.
Sustainable pest management in crop systems requires that producers target control tactics to key periods of pest activity. To accomplish this, producers often sample pests to estimate abundance and use degree-day models to predict timing of discrete pest phenology events. However, there are few examples of management tools that link phenology models with sampling data to make predictions of pest abundance. Here, we propose a method to predict pest captures by linking trap count data collected in-season with models that predict the cumulative emergence of insects from heat accumulation. Specifically, we used a 20-year dataset of codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.) pheromone trap captures to build and validate a model that produces a prediction band of cumulative captures until the end of the overwintering generation, assuming constant sampling and no migration or controls. Uncertainty was calculated as a function of the predicted mean, sample size, prediction length, and model variance. Model validation revealed that > 75 % of the tested moth capture trajectories fell within prediction bands when they were produced at or after 350 degree-days. The model provides a tool for codling moth management that integrates sampling data with an established phenology model to produce sound within-season population predictions. Producers can use such tools to make decisions on pesticide applications that are both timed to the proper pest life stage and informed by population dynamics predictions.
Background Few trials of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in the United States have been reported. Objective This randomized, placebo-controlled feasibility SLIT study compared the safety and ...physiologic effects of high- versus low-dose Dermatophagoides farinae vaccine. Methods Thirty-one D farinae –sensitive adults with allergic rhinitis with or without mild intermittent asthma were eligible for randomization to high-dose maintenance vaccine (n = 10, 4200 allergen units approximately 70 μg of Der f 1/d), low-dose maintenance vaccine (n = 10; 60 allergen units approximately 1 μg of Der f 1/d), or placebo (n = 11) over 12 to 18 months. Medication-symptom scores and adverse events were monitored, serum D farinae –specific IgE and IgG4 levels were measured, and bronchial reactivity to D farinae was determined at baseline and 6-month intervals. Results Of the 31 randomized subjects, 6 withdrew because of non–treatment-ascribed events. Four withdrew because of treatment-ascribed effects: high-dose group, 1 of 10 (gastrointestinal symptoms); low-dose group, 1 of 10 (gastrointestinal symptoms); and placebo group, 2 of 11 (headache and increased nasal symptoms). Thus 21 subjects completed the study: high-dose group, 9; low-dose group, 7; and placebo group, 5. Eleven of the 21 subjects experienced mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal symptoms, throat irritation, or both (high-dose group, 5/9; low-dose group, 4/7; and placebo group, 2/5). No severe systemic reactions were noted. No differences in symptom-medication scores were found. High-dose SLIT increased the bronchial threshold to allergen challenge and increased serum D farinae –specific IgG4 levels, whereas low-dose SLIT and placebo had no significant effect. Conclusions High-dose D farinae SLIT was generally tolerable, increased serum D farinae –specific IgG4 levels, and improved the bronchial threshold to allergen challenge. Larger US trials are warranted.
Nutrient enrichment can simultaneously increase and destabilise plant biomass production, with co‐limitation by multiple nutrients potentially intensifying these effects. Here, we test how factorial ...additions of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium with essential nutrients (K+) affect the stability (mean/standard deviation) of aboveground biomass in 34 grasslands over 7 years. Destabilisation with fertilisation was prevalent but was driven by single nutrients, not synergistic nutrient interactions. On average, N‐based treatments increased mean biomass production by 21–51% but increased its standard deviation by 40–68% and so consistently reduced stability. Adding P increased interannual variability and reduced stability without altering mean biomass, while K+ had no general effects. Declines in stability were largest in the most nutrient‐limited grasslands, or where nutrients reduced species richness or intensified species synchrony. We show that nutrients can differentially impact the stability of biomass production, with N and P in particular disproportionately increasing its interannual variability.
Nutrient enrichment can simultaneously increase and destabilise plant biomass production, with co‐limitation by multiple nutrients potentially intensifying these effects. Here, using data from 34 grasslands over 7 years, we show prevalent destabilisation with fertilisation was driven by single‐nutrient effects on the temporal standard deviation of biomass production but was not influenced by synergistic interactions among multiple nutrients. Declines in stability were largest in the most nutrient‐limited grasslands, or where nutrients reduced species richness or intensified species synchrony.
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