Incorporating biotic and abiotic factors of population regulation to the decision-making model for integrated management of soybean aphid

• Grant number: 05/00263-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: June 16, 2007
• End date: October 15, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Odair Aparecido Fernandes
• Grantee: Odair Aparecido Fernandes
• Host Investigator: Léon G Higley
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), United States

Abstract

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, was introduced into the USA back four years ago and has caused serious soybean yield reduction. Several natural enemies were observed attacking such a pest. Despite this observation, only economic threshold level was developed for pesticide use. In other words, pesticide is still the main strategy used to control the pest. Thus, the objective of this project is to incorporate biotic (e.g., natural enemies) and abiotic (e.g., temperature) mortality factors that affect the soybean aphid population dynamics into decision making models. Lifetable will be developed and analyzed using temperature dependent studies. Natural enemies will be evaluated in caged soybean experiments. Plant response to injury will also be analyzed. The information obtained will be grouped in a population dynamics model. The system will be further used for implementating decision making for both whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, and fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, integrated pest management . (AU)