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Student 10-Minute Paper

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Student Competition

Student

Grad Competition P-IE: IPM - Field Crops 2

Determining a lower developmental threshold and phenological predictions for a growing degree day model to manage the giant eucosma moth, Eucosma giganteana

Monday, November 6, 2023
8:12 AM – 8:24 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Potomac D
In-Person Student Competition
Silphium integrifolium, a perennial oilseed crop native to the prairies of North America, is currently being cultivated by The Land Institute as a more sustainable alternative to sunflower systems. However, a specialist pest on the plant, Eucosma giganteana, has caused a major roadblock in further cultivation. Current pest management for E. giganteana relies heavily on insecticides and with no guidelines for when treatment should be applied. A growing degree day model can improve timing of management but requires knowledge of the lower developmental threshold for E. giganteana. Thus, an environmental chamber study was conducted on E. giganteana larvae to determine their lower developmental threshold by monitoring their activity at increasing temperatures from 7°C-30°C. This was paired with field trapping of adult E. giganteana data from four summers tied with weather data collected on site to develop phenological predictions for the population dynamics. Adults were trapped on sticky cards that were baited with a known attractant, (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate. Together these experiments provided the necessary data to create a preliminary GDD model. Hopefully, this model will be effective in better controlling E. giganteana infestations in future years but will need to be validated.