AWARDS FROM USDA-ARS areas of insect and weed control On 13 February 2002 a series of awards were made by the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture to some of its leading researchers including the following whose work is in the Daniel Kline inspects mosquitoes caught in a collection device. The bait used was a combination of a worn sock and carbon dioxide. Photo courtesy of USDA-ARS. The award winners are entomologist Daniel L. Kline and agricultural engineers Jeffrey G. Arnold and Kevin W. King and agronomist James R. Kiniry of Temple Texas. The awards recognize the scientistsrsquo; success in moving their research from the laboratory to growers educators and other users here and abroad. Kline developed more efficient insect-trapping devices and discovered attractant blends based primarily on human skin emanations that draw high numbers of female Aedes aegypti mosquitos.He worked with private industry to transfer the results of his research to commercial use resulting in two patents and two patents pending. Commercial products have resulted from these partnerships including those with trade names such as the Dragonfly trap Conceal and Octenol Lure. Klinersquo;s findings could help manage mosquito population at levels below the annoyance/disease thresholds of humans and livestock while reducing reliance on chemical insecticides. For more information on research the work of Kline and his colleagues see Agricultural Research (February 2000). Technology Transfer Award On 13 February 2002 several scientists from the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit of the Center for Medical Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE) in Gainesville Florida received Technology Transfer Awards from the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA for developing better attractants and trapping systems for bloodsucking insects and for transferring computer modeling technology for managing water resources.DOI 10.1039/b203218j This journal is copy; The Royal Society of Chemistry 2002 Pesticide Outlook ndash; April 2002 Outstanding Research Scientist Award David Michael Glenn of the Appalachian Fruit Research Station Kearneysville West Virginia was awarded an Outstanding Research Scientist Award for conceptualizing developing and transferring to industry a particle film composed of processed kaolin a type of clay that controls pests and boosts plant productivity in an environmentally safe manner.Glen and his colleagues have controlled insects and diseases and prevented sunburn and heat stress by covering fruit trees vines or vegetable crops with a white reflective coating of a specially processed kaolin. Glen and coinventor Gary Puterka see kaolinrsquo;s potential as a carrier for just about any chemical used on the farm ndash; pesticide herbicide or pheromone. It can serve as a matrix to hold chemicals on the plant or soil and get more even distribution,rdquo; said Puterka an entomologist. ldquo;You may be able to reduce the active ingredient by 50 or more.rdquo; The latest patent application jointly filed by ARS and Engelhard covers this use of kaolin.The first commercial product ndash; Surround Crop Protectant ndash; went on the market in 1999 after pear growers learned that it controlled pear psylla a devastating insect that is becoming pesticide-resistant. This year Engelhard upgraded it to a wettable powder formulation called Surround WP. Since kaolin is a physical barrier it must be reapplied to cover new growth or after a heavy rain which limits its feasibility in rainy areas. However the severe mid-Atlantic drought of 1999 proved another advantage of the kaolin film in orchards. Treated Empire trees produced apples averaging 17 larger than fruit from untreated trees ndash; even trees that were irrigated. And there was no loss in number of fruit.Sekel pears reacted a little differently film-covered trees doubled the number of fruit with no loss in fruit size. The specially processed kaolin coat reflects the heating infrared wavelengths as well as the burning ultraviolet rays. Itrsquo;s the ability to keep the tree cooler under a blazing sun that increases yield. On the West Coast kaolin film prevented sunburn on apples and walnuts. Sunburn damage makes a perfect niche AWARDS 67 AWARDS An Empire apple protected with a kaolin coating. Photo courtesy USDA-ARS. for rot organisms. So packers pay bottom dollar for produce with blemished skin or shells or reject it altogether. In studies here and in South America South Africa and Australia/New Zealand the kaolin-based product has cut sunburn damage on apples in half on average.Around the country kaolin film has controlled well over a dozen species of insects and mites. Studies to evaluate it against the glassywing sharpshooter in California vineyards are in progress and results so far look encouraging. And with some changes in formulation Glenn and Kearneysville colleague Michael Wisniewski are demonstrating that the films have potential to control diseases in orchards or keep vegetable crops viable several degrees below their normal threshold for frost damage. Read more about kaolinrsquo;s agricultural applications in Agricultural Research (November 2000) Early Career Research Scientist Award Franck E. Dayan a plant physiologist from the Natural Products Utilization Research Unit National Center for Natural Products Research Oxford Mississippi for ground-breaking discoveries on the use of natural products in pest management.One of his most notable achievements has been discovering a new mechanism of action for herbicides. The enzyme asparagine synthetase plays an important role in plant development and Dayan demonstrated that it is a suitable target site for herbicides. He and his colleagues also demonstrated that it is highly sensitive to certain monoterpene cineoles common components in the essential oils of aromatic plants such as eucalyptus. This research could possibly lead to new natural products-derived herbicides. Dayanrsquo;s most recent accomplishment involves the discovery of a chemical found in lichen that is a potent inhibitor of hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase another enzyme necessary for plant development.This enzyme is already a target site for certain synthetic herbicides; Dayanrsquo;s Pesticide Outlook ndash; April 2002 68 work illustrates the potential of using a naturally derived product to bring about the same result. An Empire apple treated with conventional pesticides. Photo courtesy USDA-ARS. Franck Dayan examines the molecular interactions between usnic acid and the enzyme it inhibits. Photo courtesy USDAARS. Now the researchers have explained that usnic acid works by bleaching the first leaves a plant forms causing a decrease of both chlorophylls and carotenoids in treated plants. Usnic acid does this by preventing photosynthesis through a key enzyme involved in pigment biosynthesis hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. This bleaching activity worked in several plants including barley lettuce and cucumber. It can also be made to occur in weed plants. Although several synthetic compounds inhibit this key enzyme the scientists found that usnic acid was more than 10 times more effective than other compounds tested in the laboratory. Their finding is one of the first examples of a natural product inhibiting carotenoid biosynthesis in plants. Read more about Franck Dayanrsquo;s work on natural products in pest management in Pesticide Outlook (October 1999 and December 2001) and Agricultural Research (January 2001).
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