The Oriental Fruit Fly Host Database

Événement(s) lié(s) : - Réunion annuelle de la Société canadienne de phytopathologie; Québec (FRA) - (2006)

Ensuring Equitable Access to School Meals

Abstract:Alpha‐chloralose (AC) has been used as an anesthetic since 1897 to capture or sedate wildlife, including waterfowl, wood‐pigeon (Columba palumbus), and black bear (Ursus americana). The first use of AC in the United States was for the capture of house sparrows (Passer domesticus), red‐winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in 1964. Prior to the 1990s, AC was not registered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an immobilizing agent in the United States for wild animals that might be used for human consumption. In 1992, the FDA granted the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS) an Investigative New Animal Drug for AC to capture waterfowl, American coots (Fulica americana), and pigeons (rock doves, Columba livia). During the late 1990s, ravens (Corvus corax) were added the species list on which AC could be used. In 2004, the FDA authorized the addition of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) to the list. Knowing that AC had been used on turkeys, the Arizona Game and Fish Department requested WS assistance in reintroducing Gould's turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) to southeastern Arizona. To reduce stress on the birds during handling and testing, we sedated turkeys at the rate of 2.04 g of AC per 1 cup of cracked corn for up to 3 turkeys. In 2003 and 2004, wild turkeys were sedated during quarantine trials, fully recovered from the sedation and were available for relocation. Based on these data and a review of the published literature, we recommend that AC should be considered for future sedations of wild turkeys and that wild turkeys be considered for inclusion on the current Investigative New Animal Drug (INAD) label for AC.

The number of adult fruit flies that can emerge from one kilogram of fruit is termed the Host Reproduction Number (HRN). HRN can be used to determine the level of host suitability, or the Host Suitability Index (HSI), is revolutionary because HRN makes assessment of incursion risk, risk of establishment or spread potential of tephritids easier. The HSI is a useful tool for managers to develop surveillance protocols or regulatory responses to fruit fly incursions associated with international horticultural trade. However, there is currently no comprehensive list of HRN and associated HSI classifications for Oriental fruit fly (OFF) Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). Oriental fruit fly is a tephritid fruit fly pest renowned globally for invasion success and crop destruction. In this study, we reviewed the OFF host suitability literature with the aim of providing a comprehensive list of categorised HRN data that could be used to inform fruit fly management decisions. In total, we found information on 613 B. dorsalis host plants. Of these, 138 had associated HRNs (22.5%) while 475 had no associated HRNs but were reported as host plants. Within the HRN group, the HSI classified these into 21 very good hosts, 66 good hosts, 39 moderately good hosts, 10 poor hosts, and 2 very poor hosts. There were 70 possible non hosts. We found that 20 plant species were in more than one HSI category. Surveillance measures and incursion management of OFF benefit from the incorporation of HRN values into existing policy. Currently, the usefulness of HRN values is limited by the large number of hosts (many of which are commercial) for which no associated HRN value is available. Also, the circumstances and geographic location in which HRN data was collected is missing. There would be great global benefit to OFF management programs if HRN could be determined and published in a consistent manner for a wider range of hosts and under a wider range of conditions.

Healthy Eating: What's Your Number

How alien pests invade new areas has always been a hot topic in invasion biology. The spread of the Bactrocera dorsalis from southern to northern China involved changes in food sources. In this paper, in controlled conditions, we take Bactrocera dorsalis as an example to study how plant host transformation affects gut bacteria by feeding it its favorite host oranges in the south, its favorite host peaches and apples in the north, and feeding it cucumbers as a non-favorite host plant, thereby further affecting their fitness during invasion. The result showed that, after three generations of feeding on cucumbers, Bactrocera dorsalis took longer to develop as a larva while its longevity and fecundity decreased and pre-adult mortality increased. Feeding it cucumbers significantly reduced the overall diversity of gut microbiota of Bactrocera dorsalis. The relative abundance of Enterobacter necessary for survival decreased, while the Empedobacter and Enterococcus increased, resulting in decreased carbohydrate transport and metabolism and increased lipid transport and metabolism. Feeding Bactrocera dorsalis Empedobacter brevis and Enterococcus faecalis resulted in a 26% increase in pre-adult mortality and a 2-3 d increase in adult preoviposition period (APOP). Additionally, Enterococcus faecalis decreased the longevity of female and male adults by 17 and 12 d, respectively, and decreased fecundity by 11%. We inferred that the shifted plant hosts played an important role in posing serious harm to Bactrocera dorsalis invading from the south to the north. Therefore, after an invasion of Bactrocera dorsalis into northern China, it is difficult to colonize cucumbers for a long time, but there is still a risk of short-term harm. The findings of this study have established that the interactions between an insect's food source and gut bacteria may have an important effect on insect invasions.

Annual Meeting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2009

Celebrate Men’s Health Month with MyPlate!

Agriculture is critical to the environment, economy, and cultural identity of the Northwest (NW) region. Approximately 24% of the land area of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho is devoted to agricultural crops or rangeland and pastureland (US Department of Agriculture [USDA] Census of Agriculture 2010). Agricultural commodities not only contribute directly to the GDP of the Northwest, but also support food system economies of the region and provide the economic and cultural foundation for rural populations. The principal crops are wheat, potatoes, tree fruit, sugarbeets, legumes, and forage crops, but approximately 300 minor crops are also grown (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service [NASS] 2012b). The region has significant rangeland and confined animal operations for beef and dairy (USDA Census of Agriculture 2010). These agricultural industries will be affected by projected warming and changes in the amount and seasonal distribution of precipitation in the Northwest (see Chapter 2).KeywordsEmission ScenarioWine GrapePinot NoirZebra ChipAgricultural Research ServiceThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Comprehensive assessment of individual-tree crown condition by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has its origins in the concerns about widespread forest decline in Europe and North America that developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Programs such as the US National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program, US National Vegetation Survey, Canadian Acid Rain National Early Warning System, and joint US-Canadian North American Sugar Maple Decline Project laid the groundwork for the development of the US Forest Service crown-condition indicator. The crown-condition assessment protocols were selected and refined through literature review, peer review, and field studies in several different forest types during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 1980 and 2011, 126 publications relating specifically to the crown-condition indicator were added to the literature. The majority of the articles were published by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service or other State or Federal government agency, and more than half were published after 2004.

The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Innovative Strategies to Reduce Food Insecurity among Children in the United States

A Randomized Controlled Trial Measuring Effects of Extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits on Child Food Security in Low-Income Families in Rural Kentucky

Plant-produced volatiles play a pivotal role as mediators in complex interactions between insects and plants. Despite the widespread recognition that these compounds serve as cues for herbivorous insects to locate their preferred host plants, their effects on insect mating behavior are less understood. Here, we show that male oriental fruit flies (Bactrocera dorsalis) are highly attracted to the host plant volatile compound methyl eugenol (ME), which enhances the attractiveness of male leks to females. To elucidate the molecular underpinnings of this phenomenon, we identify the olfactory receptor BdorOR94b1 responsible for detecting ME. Genetic disruption of BdorOR94b1 leads to a complete abolition of both physiological and behavioral responses to ME. Additionally, we confirm that, through digestion, male flies convert ME to (E)-coniferyl alcohol, a compound that enhances the attractiveness of their leks to females. This increased attractiveness allows females to select optimal mates, thereby enhancing their reproductive success. The impairment of ME detection significantly diminishes the mating advantage within the leks, as males are unable to locate and utilize ME effectively. Our findings unveil a novel mechanism through which plant volatile compounds regulate the mating behavior of the economically important oriental fruit fly and provide new insights into the general ecology of insect-plant interactions.

The complexity of wildlife damage management requires professionals to continually acquire new knowledge and skills that can be obtained through continuing education. Current literature suggests that wildlife damage management personnel are not receiving adequate training either as new professionals entering the fi eld or through continuing training as existing professionals. To better understand the continuing education needs of wildlife damage managers, we conducted a nationwide, on-line needs assessment survey for supervisory personnel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services program (hereafter, WS). The goal of our survey was to identify gaps in continuing education and provide the basis for developing effective, appropriate, and on-going educational programs within the agency. Our survey specifically addressed the availability and importance of several topical categories, the use and desirability of different training delivery methods, and potential barriers to receiving training. Our findings indicate that human dimensions-related topics are the least available of essential training needs for WS employees. Our findings indicate that training needs for wildlife damage management professionals should be addressed at 2 levels: skills required by all personnel, such as communication skills, and skills needed by personnel on a program-specific basis, such as chemical immobilization and euthanasia. Designing training programs around this type of distinctive approach will enable employees to become better equipped for the needs of the profession, as well as their particular job function.

A cooperative effort between the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, the Agricultural Research Service, and the Department of Agriculture, Commonwealth Government of Puerto Rico has been successful in eradicating Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) from the islands of Puerto Rico and Vieques (an island municipality of Puerto Rico). Application of acaricides to livestock and dogs at 14-day intervals for an 18-month period eliminated foci of tick infestation on 188 farms in four different locations without additional aerial or ground treatment. Reasons for the success and some of the costs associated with the eradication program on Puerto Rico are presented.