Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Chair M.O. Way. The participants introduced themselves. As our new administrative advisor, Dr. Crickenberger introduced himself and gave the group a brief background summary. Chairman Way apologized profusely to Dr. Crickenberger for some lapses of protocol. As he explained on bended knees, previous chairman Michael Boyd unexpected left his position at the University of Missouri without preparing a report for activities in 2004. A report for activities in 2004 will be prepared by John Bernhardt and a report for activities in 2005 will be prepared by M.O. Way. Selection of Officers: The second item of business was the selection of chairman for the next meeting. John Bernhardt will assume the chair. 2007 Meeting Site: The group discussed a site for the 2007 meeting. The site chosen was the Holiday Inn Express in Arlington, TX. A tentative date of Sunday February 11, 2007 was also chosen. Roger Crickenberger had a few comments about proposed funding changes. In the new federal budget the USDA portion has again become a target for changes. A large portion of formula funds may be moved to competitive funds. Experiment station directors are opposed to reallocation of funds in this manner. Following our advisors comments, participants presented state reports. Arkansas, Max Meisch: (a) no mortality of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes was noted after adults fed on Japanese quail that had been fed seed treated with spinosad; (b) undiluted sumethrin in a cold aerosol generator was significantly more effective in controlling adult Anopheles quadrimaculatus than were oil-dilute formulations thereby reducing costs and mixing errors for mosquito abatement programs; (c) by increasing droplet size without increasing the application rate, a natural pyrethrin (PyGanic) gave very good initial knockdown at 1 hour post-treatment, but at 24 hours recovery reduced the overall effect below acceptable levels. Arkansas, John Bernhardt: (a) a procedural problem may have been the cause of poor performance of etofenprox against rice water weevils (RWW) in a small plot test; (b) application of etofenprox 7 days after flood gave better control than did an application at 3 days after flood and the former would allow monitoring of RWW adults to assess population levels; (c) in a seed treatment test, fipronil gave better control of RWW than did A14006 and thiamethoxam (Cruiser); (d) clothianidin (Poncho) gave excellent control of grape colaspis; (e) acephate (Orthene) and methyl parathion had excellent initial knockdown of rice stink bugs (RSB), but methyl parathion had very little residual activity whereas acephate had activity up to 7 days after treatment; (f) a 7 day after flood 62 application of lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate Z) effectively controlled RWW and reduced nontarget beneficial predators for 3 to 4 days before some recovery was noted. California, Sharon Lawler: (a) a three-year project on how rice straw and winter flooding showed that mosquito populations increased in response to one-site decomposition of rice straw, even though beneficial predators also became more abundant; (b) from the same study, draining fields for herbicide applications may lead to unusually dense mosquito populations upon re-flooding; (c) completed an on-line extension publication Managing mosquitoes on the farm that addresses how to manage mosquitoes in many agricultural settings; (d) lambda-cyhalothrin (Warrior) was found to impact mosquitoes and beneficial predators; (e) a second year of research was completed on how ultra-low volume pesticide fogs for mosquito control affect the invertebrates of seasonal wetlands. California, Larry Godfrey: (a) etofenprox and indoxacarb only at the higher rate when applied at the 3-leaf stage provided very effective control of RWW, but both were ineffective when applied preflood; (b) dinotefuron was less effective than the previously mentioned insecticides; (c) an experimental V10170 provided nearly 100% control of RWW at the rates and application timings tested; (d) a granular formulation of azadirachtin (Neemazal) gave ineffective RWW control; (e) a liquid formulation of azadirachtin (Aza-Direct) gave moderate control; (f) greenhouse tests confirmed results of field tests with Neemazal and Aza-Direct; (g) the mode of action of azadirachtin on RWW is sterilization of females by feeding on treated foliage; (h) pyrethroids Warrior, Proaxis and Mustang applied 4 days before flood provided good control of RWW; (i) preflood applications of Warrior had minimal effects on aquatic invertebrates, while postflood applications of five insecticides had detrimental effects on aquatic insects for 2 to 3 weeks after application then the populations recovered; (j) a mid-July application of Warrior as a representative insecticide that would be applied against armyworms was quite damaging to aquatic insect populations; (k) when compared to other years RWW flights in 2005 were found to be delayed because of the cool wet spring; (l) there were significantly more RWW larvae in M-206 and M-205 than in Calhikiri-201; (m) the impact of tillage practices and rice production methods on RWW were compared and larval populations were significantly higher in the delayed spring till water-seeded treatment than in the stale seedbed no-till drill-seeded treatment; (n) armyworms had higher populations in plots with no weed control when compared to plots with few weeds, grasses or broadleaf weeds alone; (o) pheromone traps monitored population changes in armyworms but did not appear to forewarn of armyworm infestations. Louisiana, Boris Castro: (a) a survey of 15 parishes did not yield any specimens of the panicle rice mite, Steneotarsonemus spinki; (b) a survey of 15 parishes yielded several specimens of dephacids which were sent to the Plant Pest Quarantine to identify for Tagosodes orizicolus; (c) a survey of 15 parishes yielded 45 vials containing fly specimens which were sent to the USDA, ARS, Systematic Entomology Laboratory to identify for South American rice miner, Hydrellia wirthi; (d) H. wirthi was collected in 8 parishes and caused localized economic losses in 5 parishes in SW Louisiana; (e) no preference for a rice variety was noted; (f) 2 parishes in NE Louisiana did not have economic damage; (g) in a demonstration trial with three locations, lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate Z) impregnated on urea fertilizer had larval densities of RWW comparable to densities in rice treated with a foliar application of Karate Z. Louisiana, Mike Stout: Louisiana submitted a section to the EPA for use of granular formulations of carbofuran and etofenprox for control of RWW. With the loss of fipronil seed treatment for RWW and the reliance on foliar pyrethroids for RWW control, rice growers have experienced more drift problems from rice into ponds for crawfish production. Granular formulations have a tendency to drift less. Other research: (a) several seed treatments gave good to excellent control of RWW in drill-seeded rice tests; (b) a numbered compound as a seed treatment also controlled RWW in a water-seeded test; (c) split applications of dinotefuran provided excellent control of RWW; (d) a single application of dinotefuran at 21 days post-flood controlled larvae indicating activity on larvae; (e) lambda-cyhalothrin and zeta-cypermethrin impregnated on fertilizer applied preflood and 1, 2 and 6 days postflood gave only adequate control of RWW in an early season test; (f) a late season of the same insecticides and rates failed to control weevils; (g) a procedural problem may have been the cause of poor performance of etofenprox in a small plot test; (h) 3 large plot sites gave control of 31 to 43% of RWW with etofenprox; (i) the relationship between densities of adult RWW and densities of larvae was evaluated in the greenhouse; (j) control of Culex quinquefasciatus larvae assessed by using floating cages with larvae was better with lambdacyhalothrin than with WS-BTI or BTI (Aquabac); (k) adult C. quinquefasciatus placed on leaves from lambda-cyhalothrin treated plots had higher mortality than adults on leaves from untreated plants; (l) laboratory evaluations of WS-BTI gave efficacy similar to that of commercial BT products; (m) planting rice before April in SW Louisiana escaped heavy infestations by RWW; (n) several lines from a group of breeding lines when assessed for RWW resistance were found to have greater tolerance than others in laboratory and field tests. Mississippi, Jim Robbins: (a) several tests were impacted by the heavy wind and rain of the two hurricanes; (b) pyrethroids and methyl parathion were tested for control of RSB and gamma-cyhalothrin (Prolex) at one gallon to 85 acres gave control comparable to lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate Z) at one gallon to 66 acres; (c) test fields with a new seed treatment with a fungicide and an insecticide had higher yields than fields with foliar treatments for RWW and RSB and the highest yield was where both a seed treatment and foliar applications were used. A grant preproposal for monitoring mosquito species, population levels, presence of West Nile virus, and biocontrol options in the Stoneville, MS area was being developed by researchers. Any advice and participation in identifying species of mosquitoes was solicited. The grant may be expanded to other states in the future. Texas, J. Olson: (a) in 2005, increased levels of tolerance to insecticides were detected in adult Culex quinquefasciatus populations; (b) insecticide resistance management strategies were recommended in two locations of Jefferson Co. for high tolerance to malathion, in several locations in Harris Co. for high tolerance to resmethrin and sumithrin, and for a continuation in Orange Co. where no tolerances were detected; (c) only two species of the Anopheles quadrimaculatus complex, A. quadrimaculatus and A. smaragdinus, were confirmed to be in TX; (d) A. smaragdinus was confined to woody wetland areas of east and southeast TX and A. quadrimaculatus was the most widely distributed; (e) Aedes albopictus dominates and outcompetes Aedes aegypti in moist areas (east TX), but Ae. aegypti competes better in dry areas (west TX); (f) a survey was conducted in neighborhoods of Bryan and Houston to assess what citizens are doing to protect themselves from mosquitoes and West Nile virus and to assess the 64 effectiveness of public information programs designed to inform people how to protect themselves; (g) mosquito control recommendations were made on the basis of a continuing survey in Brazos Co. where 14 samples of Culex quinquefasciatus adults, many bird blood samples, one horse and three humans were found positive for West Nile virus. Texas, M. Way: (a) a regional section 18 for acephate in rice for RSB control was submitted to the EPA; (b) in a seed treatment test for RWW, Cruiser gave the best control (95%) compared to A14006 and Icon and Cruiser had a 1133 lb/acre yield increase over the untreated; (c) Aza-Direct and Neemazal applied before flood gave 35 and 32% control, respectively, of RWW; (d) etofenprox applied 2 days after flood gave excellent control of RWW and a yield increase of 602 lb/acre over the untreated; (e) etofenprox applied immediately before flood gave excellent control (97%) of RWW and 1081 lb/acre yield increase over the untreated; (f) two applications gammacyhalothrin gave 94% control of whiteheads caused mainly by the Mexican rice borer and gave a 1819 lb/acre yield increase over the untreated; (g) one application of acephate at PD reduced whiteheads by 38%; (h) RiceTec hybrids had 5 to10 times fewer whiteheads caused by the sugarcane borer and the Mexican rice borer than two conventional check lines; (i) in a planting date study, the latest planted rice had more damaged from rice borers than did the earliest or middle dates; (j) Mexican rice borers were found in pheromone traps in Jefferson Co. near the eastern edge of the TX rice area and near the western border of LA; (k) a new method of RSB sampling using a sweep stick was developed and tested; (l) a survey in all rice areas in TX produced evidence of the South American rice miner, but no fields were judged to have economic losses. Following state reports, the group had a lively discussion on the future direction of the S-300 project. The group was somewhat split on the direction for the new project. Most of the discussion was centered on a general procedure for evaluation of the impact of chemicals used for rice water weevil control, stem borers and rice stink bugs on non-target organisms, especially beneficial predators of mosquitoes. A brief comment introduced the idea of retaining all four objectives from the existing project. Most participants agreed. Finally, the participants thanked S. Lawler for coordinating the project proposal development committee. The meeting was adjourned near 5:30 pm on February 26, 2006. Respectfully submitted by S-300 2006 Secretary, John Bernhardt.