Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

S-1049 Meeting Spring Hill Suites Marriott, Ardmore, OK February 13, 2011 Attendees: Mike Hall (LA), Phil Mulder (OK), Jim Dutcher (GA), Jonathan Edelson (OK), Randy Sanderlin - plant pathologist (LA), Ted Cottrell (GA), David Shapiro-Ilan (GA), Alejandro Calixto (TX), Bill Ree (TX) and Aaron Franzen(OK) Mike Hall served as acting chairman in place of Mark Muegge (TX) First order of business was the election/appointment of Dr. Alejandro Calixto as the new secretary. The next order of business was to discuss and meeting site for 2012. One possible meeting location for 2012 will be in Little Rock, Arkansas in conjunction with the combined Southeastern and Southwestern Branches of the Entomological Society of America meeting. A date for this meeting has not been decided. The S-1049 chairman or designee will coordinate with the branch meeting's local arrangement committee for obtaining a meeting room. Dr. Edelson reported to the group concerning possible reduction of funds but that everything was still up in the air concerning the Hatch funds. Objective # 1: Improved Management of Arthropod Pests Dutcher (GA): Pheromone was not available for Prionus root borers in 2010. Put out malaise traps for Prionus root borers study. Hall (LA): Continued working on a degree day model for pecan phylloxera, Phylloxera devastatrix that would give producers a possible treatment decision window. Past work has shown an approximate 60 day emergence period with peak emergence occurring around April 6-9 and gall formation occurring around mid-April. This information can be used with a bud break model that will be launched soon on http://pecan.ipmpipe.org. Calixto (TX): A draft of a pecan scab prediction model is close to being ready for posting on the pecan information site, http://pecan.ipmpipe.org. Continued working to improved pecan pest profiles for states and regions. The pecan ipmPIPE system has been improved so producers can direct enter data. Conducted a pecan.ipmPIPE seminar at the national ESA meeting in 2010 where it received a lot of visibility. The pecan ipmPIPE system/program is looking for producer/industry champions from all states for system input for their respective states. New additions to the pecan.ipmpipe web site for producers include a searchable fungicide data base and a library. Cottrell (GA): Conducted monitoring in pecan orchards for 2 exotic weevils: Fuller-rose beetle and the two banded Japanese weevil. Both are flightless and grubs feed on roots. Continued monitoring pecan orchards for the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys which has already been found in GA. Ree (TX): Worked with volunteer pecan growers across the state in monitoring and interpreting pecan nut casebearer pheromone trap data. Trap data from volunteer producers are sent to Dr. Marvin Harris for posting on the pecan nut casebearer prediction site on http://pecan.ipmpipe.org. Shapiro-Ilan (GA): No report Objective # 2: Improved Control Systems for Pecan Arthropod Pests Dutcher (GA): Reported that soil applied imidacloprid is not working very well against pecan aphids in GA. Reported that Nexter Miticide/Insecticide (AI - pyridaben; Gowan company) is effective against mites and aphids. Also, he is working with a new material from Dow. Hall (LA): Working on improved methods (soil drench, trunk injections) of applications of insecticides for homeowners for improved phylloxera control. Soil applied treatment methods did not show much promise in 2010 however, more tests are planned for 2011. Ree (TX): Insecticide efficacy studies were conducted against pecan nut casebearer, hickory shuckworm and stink bugs. The hickory shuckworm tests were non-productive either due to lack of HSW pressure or the producer applying insecticides too late. Stink bug insecticide efficacy studies were done in collaboration with Hall and Cottrell plus assistance from Dr. Juan Lopez, USDA-ARS Southern Plains Station, College Station, TX where his lab conducted adult vial tests with the brown stink bug, Euschistus servus. An imidacloprid/blackmargined pecan aphid study was conducted with Dr. Lopez to look at resistance/susceptibility to this active ingredient. Preliminary studies show a wide range of susceptibility between an organic orchard and a "trouble orchard". A two year EPA funded project which will start in 2011will continue this investigation. Sharpiro-Ilan (GA): Continuing to look at nematodes as a control method for pecan weevil. Has observed 81 per cent control in studies. and will be looking at the number of applications needed for economic control. Will be looking at August applications of nematodes with a fungus. Applications of Metarhizium and Bavaria fungus achieved about 75 percent control of weevils. BioWorks has an organic formulation of Beauveria bassiana fungus. Studies have shown that clover under that canopy seems to enhance the efficacy of nematodes and fungi for pecan weevil management. Cottrell (GA): Conducted insecticide efficacy studies on stink bugs in collaboration with Hall (LA) and Ree (TX). Conducting a host plant resistance study in collaboration with Dr. L.J.Grauke, USDA-ARS Pecan Breeding and Genetics Station, College Station, TX and will be looking at IGR materials for black pecan aphid management. Objective #3: Integrate Pecan Arthropod Pest Control Methods with Pecan Production Methods Cottrell (GA): Looking at black pecan aphid biology. A grad student working with BPA observed 50% of the population on the lower surface of the leaf and 50% on the upper surface. This population distribution is thought to be a possible defense or avoidance strategy to escape natural enemies. Dutcher (GA): Reports that exto-parasites and natural enemies are catching up with the harmonia lady beetle. There is one strain of fungus that affects harmonia and another strain that attacks Olla-v nigrum. Shapiro-Ilan (GA): In lab studies carbaryl and cypermethrin were synergistic with nematodes while Beauveria bassiana was antagonistic with cypermethrin .Objective #4: Develop real-time Decision Aids for Delivery on the internet Discussions centered on the http://pecan.ipmpipe.org. web site. The pecan.ipmpipe web site is a growing platform that is transferring real time pest information to stake holder to the pecan industry. The platform has the ability to receive input from all disciplines - horticulture, plant pathology, weed science and entomology to provide and deliver information across the pecan belt. New additions to the platform will include a bud break model and a scab prediction model. Bill Ree, Secretary