This collection provides a detailed overview of the management strategies available for controlling arthropod pests in cereals, focussing primarily on pests affecting wheat and corn/maize production. Chapters explore the use of insect monitoring technologies as a means of managing future infestations.
This collection features three peer-reviewed reviews on managing arthropod pests in cereals.
The first chapter discusses key arthropod pests of cereals, including Hessian fly, orange wheat blossom midge, bird cherry oat aphid, greenbug, Russian wheat aphid, sunn pest, wheat stem sawfly and wheat curl mite. The chapter provides a detailed case study for each arthropod pest, exploring the pests life cycle, its host plants and status as a wheat pest, best practices for managing populations, as well as our current understanding of plant susceptibility and plant resistance.
The second chapter highlights the economic importance of corn/maize to the United States economy, citing that around 37.7 million hectares of land was used to grow the crop in 2021. As a result of its economic contribution, farmers are required to have an informed understanding of important pest species affecting the crop. The chapter considers recent advances in monitoring of native and invasive pests of corn and includes case studies on the European corn borer, corn earworm, western bean cutworm and corn rootworm to demonstrate the effective implementation of insect pest monitoring systems.
The final chapter reviews the recent emergence of the Fescue aphid/grass aphid as an invasive pest of small grains outside of its native range of western Europe and the British Isles. The chapter considers the biology and management of the pest, its appearance and identification, its pest status and damage, as well as its potential for host plant resistance.
- Emphasises the dominance of corn production to the US economy, as well as the potential economic risks which can arise as a result of arthropod infestations
- Provides a comprehensive overview of the key arthropod pests affecting cereal production in the US and Europe through the inclusion of several detailed case studies
- Reviews the impact of invasive pests of small grains and considers the role of insect pest monitoring technologies in mitigating future reoccurrences
Chapter 1 - Wheat pests: insects, mites, and prospects for the future:
Marion O. Harris and Kirk Anderson, North Dakota State University, USA;
Mustapha El-Bouhssini, ICARDA, Morocco; Frank Peairs, Colorado State
University, USA; Gary Hein, University of Nebraska, USA; and Steven Xu,
USDA-ARS Northern Crops Institute, USA; 1 Introduction2 Arthropods
(disciplines Entomology and Acarology): introduction3 Hessian fly
(Mayetiola destructor Say)4 Orange wheat blossom midge (Sitodiplosis
mosellana Géhin)5 Bird cherry oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.)6 Greenbug
(Schizaphis graminum Rondani)7 Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia
Kurdjumov)8 Sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps Puton)9 Wheat stem sawfl y
(Cephus cinctus Norton)10 Wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer)11
Prospects for wheat resistance to pests12 Conclusions and prospects for new
pest management technologies13 Where to look for further information14
Acknowledgements15 References
Chapter 2 - Advances and challenges in monitoring crop insect pests: the US
experience: Erin W. Hodgson and Ashley N. Dean, Iowa State University, USA;
Anders Huseth, North Carolina State University, USA; and William D.
Hutchison, University of Minnesota, USA; 1 Introduction2 Primary crops in the
United States3 Corn (Zea mays L.)4 Soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr]5 Cotton
(Gossypium spp. L.)6 Conclusion and future trends7 Where to look for further
information8 References
Chapter 3 - Fescue aphid (Metopolophium festucae): Sanford D. Eigenbrode,
Subodh Adhikari and Arash Rashed, University of Idaho, USA; 1 Introduction2
Appearance and identification3 Native and invaded ranges4 Reproductive
biology and host range5 Pest status and damage6 Potential for host plant
resistance7 Management8 Future trends in research9 Conclusion10 Where to look
for further information11 References
Dr. William (Bill) Hutchison is a Professor and Extension Entomologist at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA. His expertise is applied insect population ecology, as it relates to the development of innovative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for a variety of fruit and vegetable crops. He has also been active in evaluating the long-term sustainability of insect-resistant, genetically engineered (GE) maize, and implementing GE crops into IPM programs. He is also active in international IPM research, with a current US-AID project in East Africa. Dr Sanford D. Eigenbrode is University Distinguished Professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho, USA. A Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, Professor Eigenbrode is internationally known for his research on the chemical ecology of insect-plant interactions, particularly in the context of vector-borne plant pathogens and cropping systems under climate change. Dr Arash Rashed is Associate Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech, USA. He is well known as an expert in the ecology of insect-borne plant pathogens and integrated pest management. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of zebra chip disease ecology and management, as well as managing important subterranean pests such as wireworms in organic and conventional production systems.
