Location: Southern Insect Management Research
2016 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Population genetic analysis. A population genetics analysis of Helicoverpa zea revealed asymmetrical immigration from peripheral source populations that maintained high genetic diversity, but low genetic divergence in the species. These findings highlight the importance of assessing peripheral population structure in relation to ecological and evolutionary dynamics of this and other highly reproductive and dispersive species such as invasive old world bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera.
2. Genotype System. A genotyping system using high-throughput sequence analysis that is suitable for conducting population genetic analysis and detection of invasive old world bollworm was developed for Helicoverpa species.
3. Microbial insecticides. Microbial insecticides were evaluated in laboratory and production-level environments to produce environmentally sound management of heliothines in cotton. These findings provide benchmark comparisons for insect resistance management with microbial and chemical insecticides in Bt and non-Bt cottons and strategic optimization of the need to spray transgenic Bt cotton in IRM programs.
Review Publications
Perera, O.P., Allen, K.C., Jain, D., Purcell, M., Little, N., Luttrell, R.G. 2015. Rapid identification of Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) using ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 1. Journal of Insect Science. 15(1):155. doi:1093/jisesa/iev137.
Luttrell, R.G., Teague, T.G., Brewer, M.J. 2015. Cotton insect pest management. In: D. D. Fang and R. G. Percy (Eds.) Cotton. Agronomy Monograph 57, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. Book Chapter. Pp. 509-546.
Shirk, P.D., Perera, O.P., Shelby, K., Furlong, R.B., LoVullo, E.D., Popham, H.J. 2015. Unique synteny and alternate splicing of the chitin synthases in closely related heliothine moths. Gene. 574(1):121-139.
Perera, O.P., Walsh, T.K., Luttrell, R.G. 2016. Complete mitochondrial genome of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and expression profiles of mitochondrial-encoded genes in early and late embryos. Journal of Insect Science. 16(1):40. 1–10. doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iew023.
Seymour, M., Perera, O.P., Fescemyer, H.W., Jackson, R.E., Fleischer, S.J., Abel, C.A. 2016. Peripheral genetic structure of Helicoverpa zea indicates asymmetrical panmixia. Ecology and Evolution. 6(10):3198-3207. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2106.
