Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Meeting was held on April 8-9, 2003 in Indianapolis, IN. Comments on 2002 meeting in Kansas City Participating in and meeting in conjunction with other organizations was considered an important aspect of the 2002 meeting in Kansas City. Meeting with NCC 148, Movement of Biota, provided some unique opportunities for WCC-60 participants. Mark Whalon helped to develop the meeting and Rick Weinzierl suggested NCR 148 contact weed scientists especially those interested in invasive species and GM crops. There was some interest in meeting in conjunction with this group as part of future WCC-69 meetings. Comments from Tom Holtzer, Administrative Adviser for WCC-60 Election of new chairs and secretary was conducted. We need to consider how to attract new members for WCC-60. Tom has sent an email to other Experiment Station directors but received little response. The national multi-state reporting system is web based and involves the commitment of time. The duration of coordinating committees has increased for 3 to 5 years. Tom indicated that being a co-sponsor of a CAST meeting is good activity of the WCC-60. Rick Weinzierl suggested that we do some self promotion and have a handouts about the group when ever we present a poster at national or regional meeting. Resistance work is somewhat different with new insecticides that are growth regulators that have not developed resistance yet. Tom suggested that Mark Whalon make a pitch at the opening of a CAST meeting to increase interest in the subject matter of WCC-60. Plant Health Progress, an online journal, is a broad spectrum grower oriented journal. It was suggested that the group put together an article for this journal such as a Pesticide Outlook. Meg commented on a draft or outline of an article for general article that also included case history is one idea. This topic would fit under the plant health review section for the website. The article could make the case for the cross disciplinary aspects of resistance management. It was suggested that our group work on a single crop like potatoes. General aspect of resistance is a very large area and difficult to handle in one article. First article could be a setup article. Rick has volunteered to be the entomologist, Carol will help with general, Meg will work on with general and potatoes, Scott would help with the potato component. Rick suggested that we look at the objectives listed to the minutes from 2002. Would there be any other thing to add to the objectives. National reporting of resistance on Resistance Pest Management Newsletter from Mark Whalon (MSU) that will be announced at the CAST meeting. If the publication is successful that will fit under objective 4. Carol suggested that resistance has fallen off the map for chemical companies, IRAC (insecticide resistance action committee), was addressed by objective 2. Mark suggested that there be a database for susceptible insect species. For work on resistance management, you need a good susceptible species. Rick called for state reports to be given at 7:09 pm, Rick called for all members to send Nissen emails to cut and paste into minutes. Ideas for next years meeting were discussed: Meeting with migratory people in 2004 or 2005; meet with professional society; meet with NC148; meet in Washington DC.

Cornell Report Meg McGrath (NY) reported on detecting resistance to QoI fungicides in isolates of the cucurbit powdery mildew fungus collected from fungicide efficacy experiments conducted in research fields in GA, NC, and NY where QoIs used alone on a weekly schedule did not provide effective control in 2002. This is the first report of resistance to this new fungicide group in the US. Most isolates from QoI-treated plots (80%) tolerated high concentrations of trifloxystrobin in a bioassay (qualitative resistance). They also exhibited reduced sensitivity to DMI fungicides, the other group of systemic fungicides registered for this disease in the US. The recommended resistance management program has been to apply QoIs in alternation with DMIs mixed with a multi-site protectant fungicide. The first QoI (Quadris) and the DMI Nova were first used commercially in the US in 1998 under Section 18 registration granted because of widespread resistance to benzimidazoles and the DMI fungicide Bayleton. At that time there was greater concern of resistance developing to Nova than Quadris because the pathogen population had already been shifting towards reduced DMI-sensitivity (quantitative resistance) and this shift was shown to impact control achieved with Nova applied at the lowest label rate. However, monitoring since 1998 has not revealed further decline in sensitivity to DMIs and Nova has continued to be effective in fungicide evaluations. One suggested change to the resistance management program for 2003 is to apply a contact fungicide with strobilurins as well as DMIs. Sulfur and mineral oil are recommended for resistance management because they were found to be more effective than other protectant fungicides for powdery mildew on the lower leaf surface. Sulfur is the least expensive fungicide for powdery mildew. Illinois Report, R.A. Weinzierl Researchers in Illinois continue to investigate pest resistance problems of a wide nature. Work is ongoing to monitor the spread of western corn rootworm populations that are resistant to crop rotation as a result of their altered egg-laying behavior, and faculty members at the University of Illinois and the Illinois Natural History Survey have contributed to decisions on refuge requirements for recently registered rootworm Bt corn hybrids. Weed scientists continue to work on ALS-resistance issues and on the potential for glyphosate resistance in the states Roundup-Ready soybean acreage. Plant pathologists are investigating soybean cyst nematode virulence to resistant cultivars. My research on the management of the codling moth in apples centers on managing insecticide-resistant populations. Insecticide failures across the lower Midwest in 2001 and 2002 prompted entomologists from five states to submit a grant proposal to the USDA CSREES Crops at Risk program. Participating states and investigators are: Illinois, R. Weinzierl; Indiana, R. Foster; Missouri, B. Barrett; Kentucky, R. Bessin and K. Haynes; Ohio, C. Welty. The summary page of the proposal follows: Growers and entomologists in the lower Midwest need detailed, regionally specific information on the field effectiveness of alternatives to organophosphate insecticides for codling moth management in apples. Field observations suggest that the reduced-risk insecticides recently registered by the US EPA may not be effective where organophosphate resistance has evolved. Additionally, male codling moths from some resistant populations are not responding normally to commercial pheromone lures. We propose the following objectives for developing alternative practices for codling moth management in Midwest apple orchards. (1) Evaluate the effectiveness of alternative insecticides for codling moth control in field trials in problem orchards where codling moth resistance to organophosphates has been confirmed or suspected and in orchards where organophosphate insecticides have remained effective; (2) Evaluate (a) sprayable formulations of codling moth sex attractants and (b) attractant-and-kill formulations of codling moth sex attractants as partial-season controls for codling moth in field trials in commercial orchards; (3) Determine whether or not pheromone communication is altered, and if so, how it is altered in codling moths from orchards where commercial lures and traps have failed (and organophosphate resistance is suspected) versus codling moths from orchards where lures and traps are functioning (and organophosphates are providing effective control); (4) Make collections of codling moth larvae for establishing colonies for use in insecticide bioassays as part of a national resistance monitoring survey currently in the planning stage and; (5) Inform entomologists around the nation and growers in the North Central region of our findings on codling moth management. To meet these objectives we will conduct coordinated, replicated field trials of alternative, reduced-risk insecticides and mating disruption products in IL, IN, MO, OH, and KY. State-of-the-art laboratory methods will be used to study pheromone chemistry and pheromone-mediated behavior at the University of Kentucky. We will communicate our results to fellow researchers via journal publications and professional meetings and to growers via Extension programs and publications. Our findings will aid growers immediately in making decisions on the implementation of alternative pest management practices for codling moth.