In this episode, Matt and Erin transition from providing weekly field crop pest updates to other topics of interest. They discuss the new assessment form provided by the Xerces Society to help farmers understand the value of beneficial insect conservation. Find the form here: http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HAG_BeneficialInsects_June2015_web.pdf
In this episode, Matt and Erin break down a recent ruling to vacate the unconditional registration of sulfoxaflor. In other words, the EPA registration for sulfoxaflor, in products like Transform and Seeker, was overruled in U.S. court.
Read more about the court decision here: http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/sulfoxaflor-opinion.pdf
Read more about why EPA approved the registration of sulfoxaflor here: http://pesticides.supportportal.com/link/portal/23002/23008/Article/35618/Why-did-EPA-register-sulfoxaflor-I-heard-it-harms-bees
Learn more about insecticide groups here: http://www.irac-online.org/documents/moa-classification/
Today, Matt and Erin ask our 2015 Gunderson Memorial Lecture speaker, Dr. Dominic Reisig, a few questions about his research and extension program. Dominic is a field crop entomologist at North Carolina State University and has a wide range of responsibilities, for pest management including corn, soybean, cotton and wheat. Topics include stink bugs, kudzu bug, caterpillars (like Old World bollworm and corn earworm), and even soybean aphid.
In this episode, Matt starts by sharing some of the night life stops in Dubuque, Iowa. Erin talks about common nuisance invaders moving into homes during this extended fall weather. Learn more about how to manage these pests here: http://bit.ly/1P3KcX2. For most of the time, Matt and Erin talk about a recent editorial letter in Nature Biotechnology (October 2015). The author(s) share a story of a recent scientist that accepted funding from industry and the unexpected implications from the public. Read the letter here: http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v33/n10/full/nbt.3384.html.
Today, Matt breaks down a technical publication to Erin. This study evaluated the effect a lady beetle had on diamondback moth in Bt broccoli. Turns out, the presence of natural enemies can slow down the rate of Bt resistance. They talk about implications for this research in Iowa, specifically for corn rootworm in corn. Read the full article here: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0090366.
Today, Matt and Erin talk about the recent EPA proposal to revoke all tolerances to chlorpyrifos. This insecticide is an option in corn and soybean in Iowa and restricting or removing the use could have potential implications for field crop pest management. Matt shares a paper that shows a decrease of chlorpyrifos in corn but relatively steady use in soybean (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094016). He isn't sure if revoking the use would have an immediate impact, but Erin offers a Coke analogy to say otherwise. To learn more about the EPA proposal and leave a comment, go here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-11-06/pdf/2015-28083.pdf.
In this episode, Matt and Erin summarize a symposium they moderated at the national ESA meeting in Minneapolis. The topic was about the cost and benefits of neonic seed treatments from several different perspectives.
Matt and Erin recap a presentation made at ICM Conference this week. Bob Koch (University of Minnesota) talked about bifenthrin failures to soybean aphid in southern Minnesota in 2015. He performed bioassays and detected resistance. The level of resistance was low, but provides the first example of this pest overcoming a pyrethroid in the field. Bob's ICM proceedings article summarizes highlights how resistance happens and strategies for prolonging insecticide efficacy. Find the proceedings free here: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ (search for publication AEP 0302 - 2015, pages 75-76).
In this episode, Matt and Erin talk about the recent news of Dow AgroSciences and Dupont merging and possibly becoming three companies. Also, Erin talks about Crop Advantage Series, a reoccurring event for the ISU Crops Team. You can find more information, including dates, locations, speakers and more here: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/cas/.
Today, Matt and Erin talk about EPA's review of a popular neonic called imidacloprid. This and other active neonic ingredients have been blamed for declines in honey bee health. They share their thoughts on implications for cancellation, bee health and non-target insects.
