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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 #410535
Research Project: Improved Biologically-Based Methods for Management of Native and Invasive Crop Insect Pests

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Title: Past, present, and future applications of molecular tools in landscape scale IPM: Fall armyworm as a case study

Author
item Meagher, Robert - Rob
item TESSNOW, ASHLEY - Texas A&M University
item SWORD, GREGORY - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/11/2024
Publication Date: 9/5/2024
Citation: Meagher Jr, R.L., Tessnow, A.E., Sword, G.A. 2024. Past, present, and future applications of molecular tools in landscape scale IPM: Fall armyworm as a case study. Book Chapter. 263-281.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Molecular tools can have many uses in pest management systems across landscapes of various scales. Molecular identification of indistinguishable life stages or closely-related species, either in the field or intercepted at ports of entry, plays a key role in agricultural biosecurity. Identification of within-species types, such as biotypes, host forms, host strains, or cryptic species, can help growers and consultants determine crop varieties to plant and the best management strategies to use once pests are present. Molecular tools can identify dispersing, migrating, or invasive insect pests which have types that originate from different geographic sources. Molecular tools can be used to determine the population source if types have different pathways. Finally, molecular approaches can provide important insights into the evolution of insect resistance to management approaches such as Bacillus thuringiensis-engineered plants or chemical insecticides. These approaches can range from detecting the genetic variance resulting from the mechanisms underlying resistance to monitoring the frequency and movement of resistance alleles across the landscape . The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a worldwide noctuid pest of maize and many other crops that has been shown to have two host strains. Genetic analysis of seasonal migrations in the United States (US) led to the development of diagnostic markers for one of the strains that could be used to identify migratory pathways. The source of migrants that establish new populations annually in the northern US can be identified as originating earlier in the season from populations in either southern Texas or southern Florida. These same tools have been used to assess the recent invasion of this species in the Eastern Hemisphere. Future applications of molecular tools in pest identification and management will be discussed.