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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #186159
Title: Non-invasive techniques for investigating and modelling root-feeding insects in managed and natural systems

Author
item JOHNSON, SCOTT - SCOTTISH CROP INST, U.K.
item CRAWFORD, JOHN - UNIV ABERTAY DUNDEE
item GREGORY, PETER - SCOTTISH CROP INST, U.K
item GRINEV, DMITRY - UNIV ABERTAY DUNDEE
item Mankin, Richard
item MASTERS, GREG - CABI BIOSCIENCE, U.K.
item MURRAY, PHILIP - NORTH WYKE RES ST, U.K.
item WALL, DIANA - COLORADO ST UNIV.
item ZHANG, XIAOXIAN - UNIV ABERTAY DUNDEE

Submitted to: Agricultural and Forest Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/21/2006
Publication Date: 10/31/2006
Citation: Johnson, S.N., Crawford, J.W., Gregory, P.J., Grinev, D., Mankin, R.W., Masters, G.J., Murray, P.J., Wall, D.H., Zhang, X. 2006. Non-invasive techniques for investigating and modelling root-feeding insects in managed and natural systems. Agricultural and Forest Entomology. 9:39-46.

Interpretive Summary: Scientists at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE), Gainesville, FL, the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee, UK, CABI Bioscience, Surrey UK, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Devon, UK, and the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University have investigated new technology and mathematical tools for detecting, monitoring, and analyzing the behavior subterranean insects that feed on root systems of important crops. This paper presents results of studies to analyze the movement of small grubs towards a plant root systems. Ultimately such studies may result in development of methods to protect plants by interfering with the mechanisms by which the grubs locate roots.

Technical Abstract: The aim of this paper is to widen participation in research on root-feeding insects and enable agricultural and forest entomologists to consider new approaches to existing questions. We focus on two examples of empirical techniques that have recently been developed to study root-feeding insects (X-ray tomography and acoustic detection in soil), before presenting a recent example of a mathematical model that addresses host plant location by below-ground insect herbivore. We widen the discussion to consider modeling that could contribute to our understanding of the consequences of these complex processes for managed and natural ecosystems as a whole.