Location: Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit
Project Number: 8010-22000-031-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jul 2, 2020
End Date: Jul 1, 2025
Objective:
Objective 1: Investigate key biotic factors influencing the spatial and temporal dynamics of wood-boring pest (including ALB and EAB) populations in their native range, focusing on exploration and quarantine service for effective, host-specific natural enemies (parasitoids) for biocontrol.[NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A, 3B, and 3C]
Objective 2: Conduct field releases and evaluate impacts of extant (indigenous) and previously introduced parasitoids on populations of wood-boring beetles such as EAB and ALB in the United States, while elucidating factors that influence successful establishment of introduced biological control agents, such as climate adaptation, release methodology, genetic variation in founder populations and risk-spreading (diapause) strategy.[NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A, 3B, and 3C]
Objective 3: For newly discovered parasitoids of ALB, EAB and other invasive pests, and based on studies of life histories and reproductive biology, develop effective rearing technologies for these natural enemies, focusing on optimizing host stage, host substrate complex, temperature, photoperiod and relative humidity.[NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A, 3B, and 3C]
Objective 4: Discover, identify, characterize the biology, evaluate the efficacy (using native-range studies and host-range specificity testing in quarantine), and determine the physiological, behavioral, and ecological basis of the host range of exotic predators and parasitoids as classical biological control agents of invasive arthropod pests of agricultural crops, with a focus on BMSB and SWD. [NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A, 3B and 3C]
Objective 5: Improve understanding of biological and environmental factors and processes that influence the successful establishment of introduced biological control agents, such as climate adaptation, release methodologies, genetic variation in source and founder populations, using natural enemies of current target pests as model systems. [NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A, 3B and 3C]
Objective 6: Prepare (with collaborators when appropriate) petitions to regulatory agencies for field release of candidate agents, conduct field releases for establishment of new agents, and monitor and evaluate the impact of the natural enemies on target populations and on non-target species in the field. [NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A 3B and 3C]
Objective 7: Determine the genetic basis of the host ranges and climatic tolerances of pest herbivorous insects and parasitoids of these pests with a focus on using molecular genetic methods to elucidate factors responsible for the evolution of host specificity, to predict responses to climate change, and to develop methods for management of pest impacts. [NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A, 3B and 3C]
Objective 8: Determine interactions between biological control, plant resistance, and aphid virulence in their effects on virulence frequencies. [NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A and 3B]
Objective 9: Determine molecular phylogenetic relationships, test host specificity, and introduce parasitoids for biological control of target aphids. [NP304, C1, PS1A; C3, PS3A and 3B]
Approach:
Using the approaches relevant to the knowledge base of the targeted pests and their natural enemies, we will conduct foreign explorations for new natural enemies from the pests’ native home (Northeast Asia) and construct life tables of the target pest populations to evaluate the impact of the natural enemies on the pests’ population dynamics in Northeast Asia. After selecting the most promising (or efficient) natural enemies, we will test the selected natural enemies against non-target wood-boring insects in North America to delineate their host range for biological control introduction against the target pests. Upon regulatory approval for environmental releases of the discovered natural enemies in North America, we will conduct field experiments to assess their establishment, dispersal and impacts on the target pests’ population in the U.S. Laboratory studies will also be conducted to collect information on the parasitoid’s biology, risk-spreading and reproductive strategy and life history and to develop efficient rearing methods for mass-production of the introduced natural enemies for biological control releases. In addition, this project will provide quarantine services, host range data and mass-rearing technologies for natural enemies of high priority plant pests to state and federal agencies. This project will also investigate the genetic basis of host ranges and climatic tolerances of parasitoids and target pest insects; interactions between biological control, plant resistance, and aphid virulence; the molecular phylogenetic relationships among natural enemies of pests; and develop predictions on how impacts of introduced parasitoids are likely to be affected by climate change. This research will improve both the safety and efficacy of biological-control introductions against foreign, invasive pests, and thus benefit agriculture in the United States.
