Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Minutes of the NC-205 Meeting
Ecology and Management of European Corn Borer and Other Stalk-Boring Lepidoptera
January 27-29, 2001 -- Indianapolis, IN

Administrative Advisor: Chair: Secretary:
Dr. Steve Pueppke Dr. Rick Hellmich Dr. Dennis Calvin
Associate Director USDA, ARS Department of Entomology
Ag. Research Programs Iowa State University Pennsylvania State University
Purdue University Ames, IA 50010 University Park, PA 16802
West Lafayette, IN 47907

Participants: (*designates state or USDA representative, otherwise cooperators)
Chuck Mason* - Delaware; Charles Guse, Dave Onstad* - Illinois; Larry Buschman, Randy Higgins*- Kansas; Paul Preckel* ? Indiana; Galen Dively* - Maryland; Dave Andow* ? Minnesota; Tom Hunt* and Blair Siegfried ? Nebraska; Phil Glogoza* - North Dakota; Art Schaafsma & Mark Sears* - Ontario; Dennis Calvin* - Pennsylvania; Billy Fuller* - South Dakota; Greg Cronholm*, Pat Porter* - Texas; John Wedberg* - Wisconsin; Rick Hellmich* - USDA/ARS; Dennis Kopp* - USDA/CSREES; Elson Shields* ? New York; Les Lewis*, Marlin Rice, Jon Tollefson, and Brad Coates - Iowa.

Guests:
Nick Storer - Dow AgroScience, Alan Reynolds - EPA

Adopted Agenda - See attached pages.

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting
Chairman Rick Hellmich called the meeting to order at 1:20 p.m. on January 27, 2002. He noted that the day?s session would focus on insect resistance management (IRM) models. The group went around the table and introduced themselves. Nick Storer discussed his involvement with ABSTC. Paul Preckel discussed issues related to local arrangements. Approximately nineteen people attended this session.

Models related to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn insect resistance management were discussed during this session. Presentations were made by 1) David Onstad (IL), who discussed his two species, European corn borer (ECB) and Southwestern corn borer (SWCB), resistance management model, 2) Dave Andow (MN) who discussed his new model, 3) Dennis Calvin (PA) who discussed his ECB phenology modeling efforts and Tom Hunt (NE) who discussed the results of the consultant survey for high-spray areas.

Tom Hunt discussed the methodology used in the consultant survey, which will be implemented in 2002 across high spray areas. This information is required to extend Bt-corn registrations by EPA.

Dave Onstad and Charles Guse discussed high-spray modeling developments. Dave Andow discussed his new model based on matrix algebra and movement probabilities.

The meeting was resumed at 8:15 a.m. on Monday (Jan. 28). A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the 2001 NC-205 meeting. The motion was approved unanimously. Dr. Hellmich appointed Chuck Mason and Lance Meinke (NC-46) to the Time & Place committee to plan next year?s meeting. John Wedberg and Mark Sears were appointed to a nominating committee to recommend a chair and secretary of NC-205 for 2003. Dr. Dennis Kopp, CSREES representative, briefed the committee on new leadership within the USDA, and discussed CSREES budgets, and funding opportunities. Les Lewis, ARS representative, briefed the committee on changing leadership and the status of budgets. Doug Sumerford was hired at the USDA/ARS lab at Iowa State to conduct research on population genetics of European corn borer. Steve Pueppke, NC-205 Administrative Adviser, briefed the committee on indirect cost recovery by universities and the reaction of industry. Intellectual property is becoming an extremely difficult and important issue for universities.

Chuck Mason updated the committee on the status of the next edition of the NCR-327 publication, ?European Corn Borer: Ecology and Management? which was last published in 1996. Julie Todd of Iowa State will edit the publication. The publication will require the addition of a new section on insect resistance management.

State reports were provided by each state. Next year, state reports will be done electronically and sent out as a CD. Pat Porter will take the lead on developing the CD with reports. Some funding will be necessary to cover the cost of making the CD?s. The suggestion was made to use 602 publication funds to cover costs. Rick Hellmich will check with the University of Minnesota about using these funds. Rick Hellmich also indicated that the NC-205 impact statement was still under development by Eldon Ortman.

Objective #5 - Activities of NC-205 Committee: Mark Sears reported that the group met to plan publication of monarch research papers and that the EPA was provided with drafts of the manuscripts. These publications are being looked at as model of how high profile issues should be addressed. Randy Higgins reported that the Science Advisory Panel (SAP) finished their IRM, gene flow, and non-targets report. Four meetings in D.C. for comment on resistance management were attended by a number of NC-205 members. Larry Bushman discussed a biotech meeting he attended in Kansas. Marlin Rice discussed a CAST project that was put together to look at overall benefits of biotechnology. Dave Andow discussed his involvement in a standing committee of the National Academy of Science organized to look at issues surrounding animal biotechnology. He mentioned that APHIS policies to regulate biotechnology are being considered. It was also mentioned that a big study is being conducted on food safety issues. NAS is looking at the future of biotech in agriculture. The Ecological Society of America has developed a position paper on biotechnology. Dr. Andow is on the committee. Pat Porter reported on economic benefits analysis of Bt corn in Texas. It was mentioned that 22 scientists, many from this committee, signed off a ?Bioscience? letter-to-editor response to John Obrycki?s ?Bioscience? article on Bt corn. The pesticide use survey in high-spray areas will be implemented this year as a consultant survey (Tom Hunt reported).


Collaborative Grants:
? Dave Andow discussed a grant on how social systems interact with biological systems. How is resistance evolution influenced by social behaviors of compliance?
? Elson Shield is collaborating on a grant to look at corn pollen movement in upper air currents and longevity.
? Dennis Calvin reported on Bt-corn hybrids in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
? Mike Hoffman reported on the multi-state project on release T. ostrinia in fieldcorn.