A National Program Workshop for Crop Protection and Quarantine (NP 304) was held jointly with the Crop Production National Program (NP 305) in San Diego, California on October 30 – November 2, 2000, to obtain input from ARS customers, stakeholders, and partners on high priority crop protection problems and research needs.  Approximately 90 non-ARS attendees joined 80 ARS scientists and research managers to discuss high priority issues and research needs.  Participants were broken out into a number of broad commodity oriented sessions covering: (1) fiber, oilseed, and oil crops, (2) grain and forage, (3) vegetables, (4) ornamentals and turf, (5) tree fruits and nuts, (6) small fruits, and (7) citrus/tropical/subtropical fruit and sugar.  An additional session with breakout groups was held for all participants that focused on a number of overarching issues covering (1) sustainable agriculture, (2) economics of production, (3) greenhouse, (4) rganic farming, (5) Integrated Pest Management (6) small farms, and (7) regulatory mandates.  The results of the workshop sessions have been used to develop the action plan for the Crop Protection and Quarantine National Program. 

 
Crop Protection and Quarantine (Insects and Mites) National Program Workshop   (Hanalei Hotel, San Diego, California, October 30 – November 2, 2000 )

Listed below is a summary of the results of the Workshop sessions.

Breakout  Session II
Priority Issues Summary

Fiber, Oilseed, and Oil Crops

• Changing pest control needs
• Cost-competitive alternatives to biotech plants
• Refugia validation and management
• Genomics information for plant protection
• Continued research for nematode control
• Additional research on application technology (aerial application, adjuvants, reduced rates, formulation, drift mitigation, and worker protection) 

Grain and Forage

• Evaluation of transgenics
• Identify compatible control strategies (biocontrol, cultural controls, host plant resistance, and integrating new technologies into production systems)
• Optimization of pesticide use
• Action thresholds
• Emerging problems – exotic pests, changing behavior traits, etc.
• Influence of insect pests on other pests in production systems.

Vegetables
Group A

• Vectored plant diseases
• Insects, mites, nematodes
• Integrated system management (discovery and adoption)
  • Improved field scouting methods and interpretation
• Pesticide use problems
• Soil insect and nematode problems
• Mite problems

Vegetables
Group B

• Mega-pests (exotic and hard-to-control pests)
• Efficient use of resources
• Integration of pest management tactics and production practices into efficient and economical pest management systems
• Arthropod-vectored diseases
• Biology and ecology of pests and beneficials
• FQPA alternatives 

 Ornamentals and Turf

• Traditional pest species
• Emerging pest species
• Potential pest species
• Continued support for IR4
• IPM

 Tree Fruits and Nuts

• Application technology
• Pest detection and monitoring
• Organic and sustainable farming practices
  • Need for continued support
  • Impact on beneficial and pest insects
  • Economics
• More environmentally sound pest control programs and related issues

Small Fruits

• Pest list
• Alternatives to traditional pesticides
• Decision support systems
• Trade issues, phyto-sanitary issues
• Professionally-trained ARS rapid response information team for issues of public concern
• Crop protectant delivery systems

 Citrus, Tropical/Subtropical Fruit and Sugar 

• Development of alternative to organophosphate (OPs) and carbamate pesticides as dictated by FQPA
• Basic biology and systematics of pests and biocontrol agents
• Economics of pest control and pest management practices
• Exotic pests
• Develop pest-resistant lines of crop plants
• Models to predict pest population fluctuations

Breakout Session III
Priority Issues Summary

Sustainable Agriculture

•  Crop production and protection issues
• Optimization of inputs and outputs
• Economic and environmental benefits from adoption of sustainable practices
• Knowledge management
• Sociological issues

Economics of Production

• ARS research must recognize changes in agricultural regulatory and trade policy working with affected commodity groups
• Development of new production practices and crop rotation systems that are economically viable in a global economy
  • FQPA                                               
  • All field research requires an economic component
  • Labor issues
  • Free trade
• Hand harvested crops are at a point where revolutionary production systems are needed for economic viability
• Need new economically viable uses for agricultural products such as ethanol, dyes enzymes, etc.
• Need new resources for harmonization between USDA and EPA on pesticide registration processes as a complement to IR-4

Greenhouse

• Comparison of new production technologies
• New germplasm (pest and disease resistance, reduce input)
• Resource management (water, labor, plastic)
• FQPA related issues, and other regulatory mandates
• Alternative products

Organic Farming 

• Develop integrated approach across other national programs, and across whole systems
• Emphasize management-based solutions
• Teach and develop texts for basic and advanced organic methods at all levels
• Develop evaluation and reward systems for scientists for long-term research in organic research
• Dedicated certifiable organic research grounds
• Develop separate National Program on organic systems
• Greater communication between scientists and growers
• Impact of GE on organic production (e.g. contamination)
• Cover crops
• Nutritional value of varieties and organic practices
• Soil biology and ecology
• Breeding optimization for organic systems; promote greater seed availability
• Increase research for organic tree fruit production
• Biology and ecology of beneficial organisms in organic systems
• Methods for assessing soil health and biodiversity
• Assess buffers and borders for organics
• Reduce tillage without herbicides

Integrated Pest Management
Group A

•  Loss of pesticides to FQPA and control tactics to replace pesticides
• Look for pest vulnerabilities (weak links)
• Better monitoring for pests and beneficials tied into action thresholds and used in predictive systems with easy availability to producers
• Tactic integration - look at all pests and production practices as a system, particularly over a region
• Improved genetic resources and diversity, particularly to ARS genetic resource centers
• Improved development of biological control

Integrated Pest Management
Group B

• Develop, protect, expand, and integrate tools
• New and improved decision aids
• Area-wide implementation of IPM
• Basic biology and ecology for IPM foundation
• Technology transfer and feedback loops of IPM

Small Farms

• Marketing
• Continued development of marketable, specialty crops
• Research to improve the economic viability and longevity of small family farms
• Nutrient management
• Effective, economical, and safe pest control methods for small farms

 Regulatory Mandates - Environmental Mandates
Group A

•  Impact of FQPA on crop production and protection                   
  • Risk exposure (occupational and environmental)
  • Develop research and demonstrate chemical and non-chemical alternatives
  • Efficacy and application research for biopesticides
• Invasive pest species
• Labor
  • Worker safety
  • Ergonomics
• Commodity treatment and systems approaches for quarantine
  • Foreign
  • Domestic
• Best management practices — Stewardship
  • Water quality
  • Technology management
• Environment concerns
  • Pesticide residues
  • Buffer zones
• Pest identification & evaluation of impact on agriculture & natural ecosystems

 Regulatory Mandates - Environmental Issues
Group B 

• Pesticide regulatory issues
• Water
• GMOs
• Invasive species
• Food safety, microbial toxins
• Clarify role of ARS in data acquisition, review (residue, food safety, water contamination)
• Endangered species protection
• Build public confidence in regulatory process

Crop Protection and Quarantine National Program
Weed Science Workshop (Holiday Inn Washington Dulles
1000 Sully Road, Dulles, Virginia,  July 10-13, 2000)

During the three-day customeroriented workshop for the weed science component of the Crop Protection and Quarantine National Program (NP 304), 73 customers from around the nation were involved in a progressive series of meetings and discussions that alternated between the general audience and smaller breakout groups.  Only customers participated in the discussions.  ARS administrators and scientists facilitated these deliberations, but otherwise did not contribute to them unless asked specific questions by customers to help clarify ARS’ roles in various research and administrative activities.

The result of these discussions was a series of 16 recommendations by the customers for ARS to consider, and these are listed below in non-prioritized order.  The first recommendation was for ARS to establish a new national program solely devoted to weed science.  This represented an administrative proposal, whereas the remaining 15 recommendations embodied researchable topics.

Customers’ list of high priority issues for ARS (not in order of priority)

•  Establish a Weed Science National Program
• Increase research in weed and seed biology, ecology and physiology, including weed/crop interactions
• Increase research in integrated weed management in all habitats and ecosystems
• Study invasiveness of plant species
• Incorporate risk assessment and environmental impact in ARS weed research programs, including non-target impact and threatened & endangered species.
• Increase biological control of weeds, emphasizing long-term, post-release evaluation of biological control agents on target and non-target species
• Increase research on herbicides, including herbicide-resistant plants, application technology, resistance management, IR-4 and Food Quality and Protection Act chemistries and natural products
• Increase cultural weed control, including restoration, and mechanical weed control
• Study prevention, early detection and eradication as part of a “Rapid Response Team” with Federal, State, Local and international partners
• Increase weed science research in biotechnology and genomics, including crop modification, weed population genetics, molecular diagnostics and gene markers
• Conduct weed science research in support of organic growers, ornamentals, MeBr, small farms, and sustainable agriculture
• Develop emerging weed science technologies, including precision agriculture, long-term, high-risk research, improving/optimizing current technology, and remote sensing/spectral imaging, and nanotechnology
• Incorporate economics in ARS weed science programs
• Increase partnerships to collaboratively develop weed science programs, and to exchange information and encourage technology transfer to end users
• Increase training and education in weed science
• Increase research in weed taxonomy and systematics

At the final general discussion, each customer was allowed five votes for any issues that he or she believed to be the highest priority topics on which ARS should focus its energies.  An individual customer could use all five votes for a single issue or could disperse those votes among two to five issues as desired.  The number of votes for each topic was counted, which permitted a means of ranking the topics.  In a similar manner, ARS employees at the workshop also were allowed to vote for the same 16 topics, but they did so separately from the customers.

The highest priority topic for both the customers and the ARS scientists was the establishment of a separate national program for weed science.  Again, creation of such a program is an administrative matter and does not represent a researchable topic that can be pursued by ARS scientists.

The 15 remaining topics are researchable in one form or another.  The relative rankings of these topics are depicted in the following two charts, the first for customers and the second for ARS scientists.  The abscissa (x-axis) of each histogram represents the rank-order of the topics according to the customers’ voting results.

The rankings of the two groups (customers and ARS scientists) show broad agreement, as can be seen in the following chart where the relative rankings of the two groups are plotted against one another.  The major disparity between the groups is that customers ranked increased research on herbicides more highly than biological control of weeds, whereas the opposite was true for ARS scientists.  Otherwise, the two groups were in surprising unanimity in their perceptions for highest priority research needs.

Exotic Pest Program Workshop
Ilikai Hotel, Honolulu Hawaii
January 24-26, 2000

The following areas were identified by the participants as priorities for research. ARS worked with APHIS to consolidate the list, to inventory current research and regulatory activity, and to prepare an action plan to accommodate as many of these issues as possible.

• Improved lures and formulation
• Improve current traps and develop functional traps for "new" pests
• Look at latest technologies from other disciplines; e.g., biotechnology
• Automated "counters" and data entry mechanisms
• Longevity and weathering of attractants; especially increased longevity of TML dispensers in Florida (3 to 6 wks)
• "Less complicated" (than 3-component lure) female Medfly trap
• Eliminate insecticides from Bactrocera traps
• Sticky traps for "hard-to-capture" insects (those that walk out of Tanglefoot or adhesive paper)

B.   Design and evaluation of detection systems

• Assess the sensitivity of detection systems (what does it mean when no flies are captured?)
• Determine "effective radius" for trap/lure combinations
• Optimize protocols for detection of exotic pests and certification of pest-free zones with reference to exporting commodities; i.e., optimal trap density, trap-servicing intervals, trap relocation intervals, cost-benefit, etc.
• Figure how to "weed out" false positive detections that could otherwise shut down exports and/or create unnecessary quarantines, deployment of delimitation programs, etc.
• Develop model systems using field studies, statistical analyses, computer models, expert systems, etc. with key species such as a tephritid, Anoplophora and a lepidopteron such as a lymantriid
• Incorporate behavioral ecology, regional factors, etc., into trapping strategies
• Evaluate effects of environmental variables on effectiveness of detection traps
• Determine/reassess high-risk areas for trapping

C.  Identification of detected organisms

• Molecular diagnostics to differentiate closely related species and their endosymbionts
• Systematics and identification of "problem" taxa (e.g., Heliothis and others)
• Source of origin determination

D.  Develop a comprehensive database of detection technologies for potentially invasive species

• Known attractants and/or other aspects of biology relevant to detection and delimitation of a wide variety of exotic pests
• Known attractant dispensers, traps, or other relevant detection technology, by species (include commercial availability of detection technology)
• Information should ideally be readily accessible; i.e., on the Internet
• Include information on cross-attractancy
• Database should be developed thru international partnerships (e.g., USDA, IAEA, etc.)
• Mine the database to identify critical gaps in the availability of detection technology

E.  Develop detection systems other than "traps"

• Remote sensing for plant diseases, wood-boring pests (Anoplophora), etc.
• Acoustic devices
• Ultrasound (AQI)
• Electronic sniffers (AQI)
• X-rays
• Immunological techniques (e.g., ELISA)
• Radar

F.  Economic considerations in trapping programs

• Cost of lures and traps
• Effects on total program costs
• Cost/benefit analysis (trapping costs vs. reduced cost of eradication, control, quarantine, etc.

G.  Invasion biology

• Ecology of the pest
• Pathway analysis for prediction and preparation for introductions
• Behavior of pest in "home" environment and predictions for new (invaded) environment
• Alert for "next" target pest

H.  Detection and delimitation – additional high-priority issues

• Develop identifying markers for sterile insects with genetic markers using transformation, paratransgenesis, etc.
• Foreign research on potential pests before they invade; population dynamics and other aspects of ecology and behavior, detection technology, etc.
• Develop detection technologies for insects other than moths and fruit flies, e.g., Heteroptera (and Cerambycids)
• Physiological significance of detected organisms (what is the organism’s age, mating status, etc., and what does that tell us about the population it came from?); eye pigment vs. age, sperm-head length of sterile vs. wild
• Prioritization of trapping activities – based upon AQIM data, pest "intelligence" risk ratings
• Traps and protocols for delimitation – "short-term" specific objective, customize as needed; high potency, may be sex-specific, need better understanding of biology and ecology
• Systematic neural physiological investigations to improve pheromones and parapheromones
• Trapping QC - consistent performance, storage, longevity

I.  Current pests/programs where improved detection and delimitation technology is critically needed

• Exotic fruit flies [Non-programmatic (Anastrepha, Bactrocera, others), Mexfly, Medfly]
• Anoplophora spp.
• Citrus canker
• Citrus leafminer
• Hidden (cryptic) pests
• Plum pox
• Glassywing sharpshooter
• Pink hibiscus mealybug
• Stem borers

J.  Management and related issues

• Development of emergency response capabilities in ARS – currently ARS is slow to respond to emergency needs. It was suggested that there be paired ARS/APHIS teams ready to respond
• More program support/data analysis
• Analysis of intercepted data, focus targeting, disseminate information in a timely fashion
• Avoiding unfocused research demands (better traps and lures for fruit flies)
• Develop systematic approach to collaborations between basic science and implementation.
• Bottom-up research development from basic research to applied research
• More quickly utilize new technologies on old problems
• Focus on a variety of pests (weeds, pathogens, nematodes, etc.)
• Improved collaboration between industry and industries.
• ARS needs to be spread more extensively throughout the geographical areas; example HSGA for sugar cane and other tropical fruits.
• ARS website is a very valuable source of info

• Vapor Heat or Forced Hot-air Treatments
  • Modify quarantine vapor heat or forced-hot-air treatments to maintain fruit quality for heat-sensitive fruits
  • Verify heat treatment efficacy for external pests (green scale, pink hibiscus mealy bug)
  • Hot-water immersion treatments
  • Cut flowers from Hawaii (scale insects, palm thrips, pink hibiscus mealy bug
• Cold (refrigeration) treatment
  • Olive fruit fly
• Fumigants
  • Three potential fumigant alternatives to methyl bromide
  • Methyl iodide (stored products and perishable commodities)
  • Carbonyl sulfide (perishable commodities)
  • Sulfuryl fluoride
  • Cut flowers: CO₂ +PH₃ (slow-release pads or SO₂ gas) (grapes)
  • Alternative treatments for stone fruits and durable commodities
  • Containers and packing materials
• Controlled Atmospheres
  • CA + Heat (may increase treatment efficiency by reducing treatment time), and CA + Cold (may maintain quality in cold-sensitive fruits)
    • Fruit flies
    • Plant pathogens
    • In-transit treatments
    • Walnuts and pome fruits
  • CA alone
    • Grapes
    • Black widows
    • Spider mites
    • Pink hibiscus mealy bug
    • Grape mealybug
    • Glassy-winged sharpshooter
• Other Chemicals
  • Acid-brine (olives, olive fruit fly)
• Physical Treatments
  • Bale compression (rye, rice straws, other hays)
• Irradiation (generally accepted as an efficacious treatment)
  • Review 250 Gy minimum dosage for oriental fruit fly to determine whether dosage can be reduced
  • Determine efficacy of dosages approved for fruit flies against surface pests
  • Identify generic treatment dosages for ranges of pests

• Develop defined ranges of treatment parameters
• Develop non-probit-9 treatment efficacy based on risk
  • Infestation levels
  • Number of units treated (unit = a fruit)
  • Targeted marketing area
  • Colonization potential
• Globalize treatment parameters for other pest species to encourage international trade and reduce/eliminate smuggling
  • Develop database of relative treatment susceptibility for quarantine pests
• Develop remote sensing and communication technology for regulating quarantine treatments
• Improve post-treatment market quality for marginally tolerant fruits
  • Seasonal and cultivar response issues
• Treatments must be commercially practical
  • Industry input during treatment development and when establishing treatment protocols/schedules
  • Scale treatments to logistics and integrated normal practices where practical
• Technical review of APHIS treatment manual
  • Discard impractical, unusable, or obsolete treatments
• Accelerate treatment approval process
  • Use systems approaches, population dynamics, reproductive biology, and other factors that influence survival and establishment to decrease severity of treatment or eliminate need for treatment
• Develop treatments for atemoya and mangosteen
  • Atemoya seed wasp
  • Fruit flies
• Update/re-evaluate host lists
  • Coordinate state, county, and federal host lists and standardize globally
  • Develop host lists for agro-ecosystems
  • Improve/accelerate taxonomic services
  • Taxonomic services should be an ARS responsibility
  • Improve digital imaging services for communicating to identifiers and trading partners
  • Remove mango seed weevil from quarantine pest lists (Hawaii)
• Make setting research priorities and funding transparent to public
• Encourage regulatory agencies and trading partners to embrace the concept of systems approaches to obtaining quarantine security
  • To allow reduction in treatment severity or eliminate the need for treatment
  • Must develop a clear definition for systems
• Improve ARS/APHIS/state/university coordinated efforts to respond to quarantine emergencies (e.g., silver leaf whitefly, karnel bunt)
• Improve methods for determining sources of pest introductions
• Develop methods for packing house infested fruit detection and culling, and quarantine security systems
• Develop clear definition for pest-free zone
• Determine minimum size for pest-free zones (small farms, compact production areas) considering the following criteria:
  • Parameters and limitations
  • Cost effectiveness
  • Levels of monitoring required to permit export
  • Packinghouse procedures
  • Effect of non-economic hosts on developing and maintaining pest free zones and periods
  • Mexican fruit fly, Mediterranean fruit fly, Caribbean fruit fly, walnut husk fly
• Improve baggage and cargo inspection technologies, including x-ray tomography, gas analyzers, and other non-destructive, non-invasive methods
• Improve methods for validating quarantine treatment application (e.g., irradiation, heat, and cold treatments)
• Improve treatment monitoring methods
  • Offshore remote systems
  • Treatment facilities to APHIS to reduce/eliminate need for on-site inspection
• Define ARS role when treatments fail for mechanical or biological reasons
• Need committed long-term, high-risk research on advanced technologies
  • Genetically-modified crops that permit reducing treatment severity or eliminate need for treatment
  • Genetically-modified crops that are resistant to quarantine pathogens, nematodes, insects
  • DOE/DOD high-tech innovations and civilian uses for military technologies
  • Geostatistics for measuring infestation levels and sources
• Increase collaboration between ARS, APHIS-IS, and United States and foreign research institutions to improve trade negotiations
• Integrate IPM programs and in-field controls
  • To minimize damage
  • Impact on security of quarantine treatment

• Increase research efforts to improve SIT methods globally
• Develop better understanding of how SIT functions in the field
• Use information to optimize management decisions
• Develop/improve rearing technologies for key pest species where rearing science is lacking
  • Inventory and identify priorities
    • Anastrepha spp.
    • Melon fly
• Optimize technologies for producing insects for SIT
  • Develop rearing and colonization procedures that maintain "behavioral competence"
  • Evaluation re-inoculation of symbionts
  • Develop defined diets
  • Develop nutritional studies for defined diets
  • Develop/improve methods for larval and pupal collection
  • Develop/improve pupation methods
  • Develop automated rearing facility based on fruit fly biology
  • Evaluate optimum time for colony rejuvenation
  • Bring new genetic material into Hawaii
  • Develop recycling strategies for spent larval diet
  • Develop alternative strains as necessary and the optimum rearing methods for them
  • Optimize adult diets (pre-release feeding) for SIT
  • Determine optimum adult protein requirements
  • Improve dyes/markers and application techniques for ease of use and safety
  • Formaldehyde a problem for both insects and workers
  • Develop rearing methods for fruit flies of quarantine importance in collaboration with foreign countries
  • Basic research on effects of rearing facility adaptation by wild flies on mating ability/competitiveness in the field
• Optimize shipping and handling procedures for SIT that maintain "behavioral competence"
  • Develop alternative methods of sterilizing fruit flies
  • Improve methods for irradiating, handling, and shipping pupae
  • Improve gases and optimize gas concentrations
  • Determine optimum temperatures
  • Adapt to local conditions
  • Automate shipping and handling procedures
  • Explore use of hormones to shorten shipping-to-release and/or release-to-maturity periods
  • Review minimum irradiation dosage used to sterilize pupae to determine whether minimum dosage can be decreased
  • Improve the quality of adults
  • Determine effect of lower minimum dosage on field competitiveness and survivorship
  • Develop sterilization methods for fruit flies of quarantine importance in collaboration with foreign countries
  • Develop shipping, handling, and delivery systems for fruit flies other than Medfly
• Develop/improve quality control tests and methods
  • For comparing mass-reared flies against wild populations
  • Beyond field cages for evaluating sterile flies and wild flies
  • Implement quality control testing reviews
    • Flight capability, mating propensity, etc.
    • For effects of post-irradiation handling procedures before SIT release
    • For effects of field operation procedures on adult fly quality
    • For effects of anoxia on adult fly quality
    • Include behavioral studies with SIT using Medfly TSL strain
• Identify most effective trapping techniques for monitoring SIT programs
  • Improve mating success of SIT males that is cost-effective

• Develop genetic markers for mass-reared insects
• Develop genetic sexing strain for Anastrepha species (especially Mexican fruit fly)
• Develop alternative, novel approaches and methods of producing sterility in wild populations of fruit flies and other key quarantine pest insects
  • "Genetically derived" sterility
  • Strain incompatibility
  • Evaluate F1 sterility for boring beetles (low chance of success)
  • Evaluate spatial factors, e.g., differences in distribution of sterile versus wild males versus females in time and space
• Need treatments to supplement SIT (combination treatments)
  • Biocontrol and SIT
  • Bait-kill and SIT
  • Biocontrol and Spinosad/SureDye
  • Insecticide then SIT
• Need for development of new strains beyond Medfly TSL strain

• Develop and evaluate new male/female annihilation techniques
  • When new/better attractants become available (e.g., Medfly)
  • For non-fruit-fly species
  • Improved formulations
  • Explore the potential for mass trapping as a control measure
  • Improve male attractant suppression for Medfly (similar to Oriental fruit fly and melon fly)
  • Determine through behavioral studies how Medfly male attractants affect males
• Utilize new advances in female fruit fly attractants to develop female annihilation/mass trapping techniques
• Develop improved synthetic attractants for fruit flies
  • Develop useful formulations
• Register the attractants methyl eugenol and cue-lure for fruit flies in Hawaii
• Improve bait station technologies
  • Olive fruit fly
  • Melon fly
  • Fire ant
  • Malaysian fruit fly
  • Asian guava fruit fly (Bactrocera correcta)
• Develop bait station technologies that farmers can use easily in their agricultural situations
• Develop alternatives to Malathion for use in male annihilation programs
• Develop automated methods for processing trap catches

D. Chemical control

• Develop alternatives to Malathion
  • Screen candidate compounds under CRADA with registrants
  • Compare Malathion with mosquito treatment (safety issue)
• Register Fipronil in the U.S. as an alternative insecticide to Malathion
  • Fruit fly male annihilation programs
  • Fire ants
• Register Spinosad in the U.S. for fruit fly suppression
• Explore uses of CO₂ + PH₃
• Develop better baits for fruit fly control systems
• Refine bait stations, bait treatments, and application rates
  • Inexpensive
  • Long-lasting
  • Safe
• Identify and evaluate alternatives to organophosphate insecticides to control pest insects (especially fruit flies)
  • Good for urban and environmentally sensitive areas
  • Non-conventional toxicants
  • Microbial agents
  • Manipulation of gut flora, especially for wood boring insects
  • Develop formulations that improve targeting of insecticides to pests (e.g., baits)
  • Improved semiochemical enhancement of sprays (e.g., attractants, feeding stimulants)
  • Develop baits sprays that repel bees
  • Develop or reformulate so that sprays are user-friendly (e.g., develop ULV Spinosad bait sprays)
  • Staining by SureDye is a limiting factor
  • Develop ground application methods for Spinosad
  • Develop aircraft application methods for Spinosad
    • High volume, large droplet size for formulation and delivery costs a problem
  • Screen candidate compounds under CRADA with registrants
  • Develop replacements for Spinosad and SureDye
• Improve communication/networking with registrants regarding ARS/APHIS needs for treatments and treatment requirements
• Develop female fruit fly lures for use with insecticide
• Develop spot-treatment methods, especially soil treatments related to larval finds

• B.t. for use against fruit flies and other exotic pests
• Transgenic host plants/B.t., Spinosad, targeting in time and space within the plant

• Develop better understanding of parasitoid ecology and behavior
  • Weather effects
  • Host-plant effects
• Commit greater effort/resources to exploration, especially for parasitoids of Medfly and Bactrocera parasites
• Evaluate cost-effectiveness and efficacy of augmentative releases and SIT for eradication
• Research habitat manipulation to enhance effectiveness of parasites and predators
• Reduce cost of rearing parasites by using SIT "waste" insects, in vitro rearing, combined SIT/parasite releases, etc.
• Evaluate decentralized rearing and/or release of parasitoids as an alternative control measure (farm or grower-cooperative level; e.g., coffee bean borer)
• Develop database of hosts and pests including commercial hosts
• Develop classical biocontrol for olive fly in California with potential for augmentative control
• Increase offshore biocontrol research against key pests of quarantine importance (ESA short list)
• Develop quality control methods for biocontrol agents
• Develop cost/benefit analysis for each biocontrol program
• Evaluate cost-effectiveness of biocontrol (suppression scenario) versus SIT (eradication scenario) for fruit flies
• Improve biocontrol agent release methods
• Develop/improve host-specificity tests for biocontrol agents
  • Long-term field evaluation
• Increase support for large-scale testing facilities for biocontrol agents

• Develop and/or review control and eradication protocols to ensure that they’re based on sound, current science
• Incorporate into database on available control strategies for comprehensive list of pests
• Registration of insecticides for minor crops, esp. tropical crops
• Use risk analysis: ensure that control technology is available for critical pests
• Need increased funding commitment mission/development
• Need revitalized APHIS Methods Development program to transfer ARS technology to PPQ
• With respect to Mexican fruit fly, Medfly, and some Anastrepha species, ARS needs to assess the relative resources committed to chemical control versus biological control versus SIT
• Evaluate ratio of ARS research effort (number scientists/cost/locations) in SIT versus male/female annihilation versus biocontrol versus chemical/microbial control
• More ARS research support is needed to improve SIT technology
• The amount of dollars spent on large-scale exotic pest control worldwide dictates that there should be a greater amount spent on research and development
• Support for fruit fly SIT technology
  • Control methods for long-horned beetle
  • Control/eradication methods for key offshore quarantine pests
• Improve public awareness of benefits of ARS/APHIS international programs and activities
• ARS needs to transfer fruit fly eradication technology to Pacific Basin countries
• The needs and capabilities of Pacific Basin countries should be considered when setting research priorities
  • Offshore quarantine pests
  • Technology transfer

• Little Fire Ant
  • Detection
  • Control and eradication
  • Cropland control strategies
• Banana bunch top virus
  • Aphid vectored, problems of getting production when infected
• Asian longhorned beetle and Anophyphora spp.
  • Better detection methods- application of remote sensing etc.
  • Alternative control methods (than tree destruction)
  • Host range
  • Apply chemistry studies to behavior
• Wood inhabiting pest complex (insects)
  • Include agronomic pests (citrus borer etc.)
• Consideration of diseases, non-insect pests- Plum Pox Virus, nematodes of soft pine, pine canker of Monterrey pine
• Fruit pest complexes in Pacific northwest
• PHMB and Papaya mealybug (traps and lures)
• Imported Fire Ant
• Changes in quarantine
  • More control options- containers, field, orange transport
  • White Grubs
  • Possible biocontrol strategies
  • Regulatory treatments
• Citrus canker
  • Alternatives to tree removal
  • Resistant varieties
  • Detection - remote sensing technology (ARS provide more support)
  • Hyperspectral imagery
  • Satellite sensing programs
• Plum pox
  • Host range
  • Detection in dormant plants (now need leaves to surveys)
• German Yellow Jackets
  • Imported into Hawaii from Pacific northwest
  • Detection in shipments
  • Control in production areas.
• Cherry bark tortrix and other exotic fruit tree lepidoptera
  • Control strategies
  • Mating disruption
  • Mass trapping
  • Biocontrol
  • Determine pest potential
• Africanized honey bee
  • Prevent invasion of Hawaii
• White peach scale
  • Hawaii, control
• Hemlock wooly Adelgid
  • Biocontrol
• Sweet potato weevil
  • Control strategy
  • Female attractant
  • Prevention of spread through ornamentals
• Snails and slugs (include aquatic)
  • Control strategies
  • Identification
• Barking frogs
  • Control
• Western yellow jacket in Hawaii
  • Forest problem

• Genetic sequencing pests
  • Very little information on genome of Medfly (template for other tephritids?)
  • Identify and sequence specific genes of interest, e.g., genes that influence behavior, etc.
  • Medfly as focus
  • Tribolium may serve as template for coleopterans, sequencing information is available for Tribolium
• Maintenance of strains
  • Cryopreservation
  • Traditional rearing, slowing colonies down
  • Characterize strains/biotypes
• Transgenesis Research
  • Which genes should be targeted for transgenesis?
• Goals and applications:
  • Sexing strains
  • Autocidal control
  • Conditional lethal genes
  • Reduce fecundity/fertility
  • Markers for released insects
  • Behavioral genes (host/pheromone odor receptors, semiochemical production; could be beneficial for SIT or used to mess up wild insects)
  • Design resistance strains for beneficials
  • Need to identify additional molecular vectors for transgenesis, e.g. Wolbachia system, virus (i.e., other means of transgenesis)

• Traditional Systematics
  • Develop systems for rearing out intercepted material for taxonomic purposes
• Molecular Systematics
  • Molecular identification techniques may also help to id larvae on site without rearing, and avoid rearing/transport of live organisms.
  • Characterize strains/biotypes
  • To determine genetic basis of phylogenetic relationships (e.g., identify species complex, closely related species)
  • Increase emphasis for systematics and diagnosis
  • Diagnostic kits for on-site identification (don’t forget traditional systematics)
  • Systematics of endosymbionts/associated microbes as a taxonomic tool or as site for molecular markers

• Interrelationships among microbial, plants, insects (need endosymbionts lab)
  • Symbionts, associated microbes
  • Improve fitness of laboratory-reared insects as diet additive
  • Develop lures based on microbial-produced volatiles
  • Microbes (plant disease) vectored by insects
  • Bugs and guts, interrelationships
  • Study of endosymbionts/associated microbes in exotic pests
• Determine best bait formulations in different agroecosystems
• Develop protocol for bait handling
• Determine factors that influence bait effectiveness, e.g. environmental factors, formulation, storage
• Determine thresholds for population establishment (triggers, quarantine, regulatory issues) for decision making (2 flies or 200 flies?)
• Obtain as much information as possible from each detection, e.g., pathway of origin, gut contents, physiological state - pure forensic entomology
• Host plant interactions
  • Host finding, development of attractants from host material
  • Host suitability
  • Efficiency of invasive species as vectors of plant diseases for predictive purposes
• Behavior of SIT insects, over flooding ratio, life history parameters of the SIT insects (e.g., how long do they live, dispersal, mating efficiency), biotype of SIT insects
• Life cycle developmental models for invasive species
• Studies of closely related endemic species as models for exotic pest (e.g., walnut husk fly for Medfly)
• Determine risk of introduction and establishment of potential pests. Develop database that includes analysis of invasion pathways, predictions on establishment patterns and distributions in new environment, data on distribution in home/endemic environments, determine environmental parameters, analyze climatic data, plant/host relationships

• Physiology of mating and reproduction
• Behavioral physiology, specifically Coleoptera - representative of invasive species for host finding and mating behavior
• Sensory physiology, e.g. as related to host finding
• Nutritional physiology related to microorganisms and symbiosis and its impact on baits, attractants
• Need novel delivery mechanism for neuropeptides
• Physiological effects of rearing, cold tolerance, irradiation
• Increase neural physiology research capacity (behavior, pheromone receptors)
  • Methods to modify insect response to pheromone
  • EAG analysis

• Bioinformatics
  • Post information on the web
  • Link to Universities as a source for collaborators, e.g., universities may have bioinformatics as a area of research
  • USDA/ARS should provide an Internet site to act as repository/clearinghouse for research results
  • Exotic pest facilities (p20)
• Cooperative agreements - locales where exotics can be studied
• Regulatory need: expanded availability to rear exotic pests under quarantine for other researchers (APHIS issue)
• Expertise base at non-traditional sites (non-agricultural universities)
• Regulatory need - complete regulatory process for permits for release of transgenics into environment
• Electronic imaging for systematic analysis, information transfer
• Onsite port rearing or quarantine facility so that intercepted larvae coming through that site of entry can be reared to adult for taxonomic identification, may only need to rear through one time to get adult for identification.
• Problems encountered with transport of potential pest from port to quarantine facility

Postharvest, Pest Exclusion, and Quarantine Treatment, Stored Product Entomology Workshop
(Ramada Plaza Hotel, Manhattan, Kansas, October 12-14, 2000)

The following areas were identified by the participants as priorities for research, which were used by ARS to prepare an action plan as part of the overall action plan for the Crop Protection and Quarantine National Program.

• Basic Biology
• Chemical Alternatives
• Non-chemical Alternatives
• Technology Transfer

• Basic biology (common to all Sys in unit), behavior, ecology and population dynamics
• Trapping/recycling of fumigants
• New fumigants
  • Sulfuryl flouride
  • Phosphine (new uses)
• Temperature Treatments
• Detection systems
• Extension - better 2-way communication with industry

• Identification of insect pests
• New fumigants
  • Propylene oxide
  • Ozone
• Pheromone/mating distruption
• Controlled atmosphere
• Pathogens/pathogen derived toxins

• New fumigants
  • methyl iodide
  • carbonyl sulfide
  • others
• Space/surface treatments (chemical)
• Natural chemicals (botanicals)
• Ionizing radiation
• Microwaves/radio frequency
• Silicates (DE)
• GMOs
• Host plant resistance
• Beneficial insect

• Alternative controls: biological, GMO, physical, evaluate effectiveness of management practices
• Insect detection: moving grain, static grain, railcars, etc.
• Implementation of outreach programs and cost analysis of storage strategies

Specific Research Areas of Medium Priority

• Methods to destroy insects rapidly in large grain streams
• Non-toxic headspace treatment and repellents
• Detection of quality deterioration: insects, fungus, etc.
• Producer desire for uniform standards for grading grain
• Effective methodology for using phosphine
• Origin of infestation, development of insect resistant storage transportation structures
• Cooperation between ARS and regulatory agencies to evaluate action levels of insects in standards as control methods change

• Research to identify GMO’s
• Insect resistance to controls: strategies and monitoring
• Emerging pests: psocids, grain mites, allergens
• Pesticide residue detection methods

• Fast track new technology
  • EPA registration
  • Commercialize pest control methods
  • Publish results in popular press (Tech Transfer)
• Methyl Bromide Alternatives
  • Heat (integration with fumigation/cost effectiveness)
  • Sulfuryl Fluoride
  • Modified Atmosphere
  • Engineering solutions
• Existing pesticides
  • Retain quarantine use of methyl bromide
  • Expand pk 3 label to include botanicals/herbs
• DDVP use - risk assessment
  • Maximize effectiveness of pest control

• IPM
  • Heat and fumigants
  • Building design
• Packaging
  • Repellents
  • Odor barriers
• Genetically-engineered crops - Biotechnology
  • Nutritional factors
  • Expression of toxins in seeds
  • Use of resistant varieties
  • Consumer acceptability