The 2005 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition
December 15-18, 2005
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

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Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 9:35 AM
0042

Predicting pest activity with growing degree days and plant phonologies: The Penn-Del IPM research group

Casey Sclar, csclar@longwoodgardens.org, Longwood Gardens, P.O. Box 501, Kennett Square, PA, David Suchanic, The Pennsylvania State University, Montgomery County Cooperative Extension, 1015 Bridge Road, Suite H, Collegeville, PA, Greg Hoover, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, 543 Ag Sciences & Industries Building, University Park, PA, and Susan Barton, University of Delaware, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, 152 Townsend Hall, Newark, DE.

A unique collaborative group forged between universities, arborists, nurseries, private/municipal parks, and public gardens has collected arthropod emergence data and tied it to growing degree day and plant phenology estimates for the past 14 years. The group has utilized available information transfer technology to rapidly disseminate timely pest observations to a large subscriber pool from March through October of each year.

The Penn-Del IPM Research Group consists of many “Cooperators”, who act as scouts to obtain the information used in weekly reports. They also serve as peers for their industry or sector. The group has also contributed several fact sheets, newspaper articles, and magazine articles to the trade as a result of member interest. Several students associated with the group have gone on to find careers in horticulture, entomology, and the sciences.

Several devices that track growing degree days have been tested and utilized by the cooperators, and these devices vary in their accuracy. Plant phenology data for the Mid-Atlantic region has also been gleaned for many different woody plant species from the cooperator’s efforts.

I will speak about the mechanics of how the group itself functions. I will also focus on how the group’s findings have been used in pinpointing monitoring efforts for several major pest species. I will also talk about the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of growing degree days and plant phenologies in ornamental plant pest monitoring.



Species 1: Acari Tetranychidae Oligonychus ununguis (spruce spider mite)
Species 2: Hemiptera Adelgidae Adelges tsugae (hemlock woolly adelgid)
Species 3: Hemiptera Tingidae Stephanitis takeyai (Andromeda lace bug)
Keywords: Herbivore response

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