Nicole Benda

1. This document is ENY-825 (IN458), one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: September 2002. Revised: September 2006. Reviewed May 2010. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. Oscar E. Liburd, associate professor, Erin M. Sarzynski, former student, Entomology and Nematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611; Blair J. Sampson, entomologist, USDA-ARS, Southern Horticultural Laboratory, Poplarville, MS and Gerard Krewer, extension horticulturist, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793.

ABSTRACT Fusarium verticillioides is a widely distributed fungus that can associate with maize as a deleterious pathogen and an advantageous endophyte. Here, we show that seed treatment with live F. verticillioides enhances maize resistance to secondary stalk rot infection and further demonstrate that dead F. verticillioides is sufficient to equivalently reduce F. verticillioides biomass. Seed treatment with live or dead F. verticillioides primes maize plants, and upon subsequent stalk infection, terpenoid phytoalexins accumulate faster than control‐treated plants. Seed treatment did not constitutively activate plant defences nor did it impact plant growth. These results suggest that seed treatment with dead F. verticillioides can be used as a ‘vaccination’ method to decrease the severity of stalk rot and potentially pathogen infection throughout the plant.

ABSTRACT Blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson), is a pest of cultivated blueberries throughout the world. Larvae feed and develop in developing leaf buds, and also in flower buds of rabbiteye blueberries, which causes buds to fall off the plant. These injuries can cause up to 80% yield loss in heavy infestations. As the larvae are protected from insecticides, adults must be targeted with foliar applications. Consequently, the detection of adults through an effective monitoring program is critical to time insecticide sprays against the blueberry gall midge. Understanding the distribution of the midge and its parasitoids is also important information for developing a more effective pest management program. A comparison of three monitoring trap types demonstrated that bucket emergence traps and clear panel traps captured similar numbers of midges, although the bucket trap is more sensitive at low population levels. Using bucket emergence traps, we found that nearly 80% of the midges collected pupated within 48 cm of the blueberry bush, suggesting that a targeted soil treatment may be a viable integrated pest management tactic that could be included in a midge management program. Traps and bud samples demonstrated that adult and larval midges and parasitoids were randomly distributed throughout the field in both years, with the exception of larval aggregation in early 2012. As parasitoid distribution is parallel to host occurrence within blueberry plantings, this increases the potential for biological control activities against the blueberry gall midge in fields that do not receive broad-spectrum insecticide applications.

ABSTRACT Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Anacardiaceae), is an ornamental shrub from South America that is invasive in Florida, California, Hawaii and Texas, USA and has become a global invader. Exploratory surveys were conducted in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay to discover natural enemies as possible biological control agents. One of the insects collected was subsequently identified as the stem boring weevil Apocnemidophorus pipitzi (Faust). The weevil was found at several localities in Paraguay in April 2007 and transported to Florida, USA, for biological and host range studies. Laboratory no- choice, and multiple-choice tests were performed to determine if A. pipitzi was suitably host specific for release as a biological control agent of Brazilian peppertree in Florida. In total, 79 North American plant species in 40 families and 28 Orders were tested. In the no-choice tests, complete development was significantly higher on Brazilian peppertree, Hardee peppertree, Schinus polygama (Cav.) Cabrera & I.M. Johnst., the invasive ornamental Chinese pistache, Pistacia chinensis Bunge and cultivated pistachio nut, Pistacia vera L. Both Pistacia spp. are chemically related to Brazilian peppertree. However, when given a choice, the stem boring weevil A. pipitzi reproduced only on Brazilian peppertree and the invasive congeneric Hardee peppertree. Overall, results of laboratory host range testing showed the stem boring weevil A. pipitzi is a Schinus specialist. This finding is consistent with field observations, museum records, and the preference-performance hypothesis, where larval survival, growth and normal development are maximised on plants selected for oviposition by the females.

Residential areas are the most rapidly expanding land use type in the southeastern USA. Residential development impairs soil functions primarily through compaction and the removal or burial of topsoil and natural vegetation, which reduces water infiltration and retention, root penetration, and plant establishment. Plant stress reduces plant-derived ecosystem services and increases vulnerability to pests, often leading to supplemental management inputs in the form of irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides and labor. Soil-dwelling invertebrates, including detritivores and natural enemies of pests, drive valuable ecosystem functions that facilitate plant establishment and reduce maintenance inputs. Although poorly understood, soil disturbance during residential development likely disturbs these communities and reduces the services provided by soil-dwelling invertebrates. Here, we compare the effects of two soil compaction mitigation techniques, tillage with and without compost incorporati...

Habitat loss from urbanization and agricultural intensification is reducing native bee and monarch butterfly populations, but golf courses in urban areas present an opportunity to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization on pollinators and the environment. It is feasible to enhance a golf course’s ability to support more species and a greater abundance of wildlife by planting the 40% to 70% of acreage not used for the game of golf in wildflowers. With the most golf courses of any US state, Florida is poised to set the stage for golf course environmental stewardship. This 8-page fact sheet written by Rebecca Nestle, Grace Cope, Nicole Benda, and Adam G. Dale and published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department is intended to provide guidelines for Florida golf course superintendents to aid in their efforts to conserve important wildlife while reducing maintenance inputs and associated costs. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1316

BENDA, NICOLE DENISE. Host Location by Adults and Larvae of Specialist Herbivore Heliothis subflexa G. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). (Under the direction of Fred Gould and Coby Schal.) Heliothis subflexa is a specialist herbivore, whose larvae feed on fruits of Physalis species (Solanaceae). Although Physalis surface extracts have been shown to elicit attraction and oviposition by adult ovipositing females, little else was known as to how adults locate their host plants for oviposition. Also, larvae are sometimes dislodged from the plant when the plant abscises the fruit they are feeding on. The ability of larvae to relocate their host plant from the ground had not been evaluated. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the host location and oviposition behavior of H. subflexa adult females and larvae using common garden studies, behavioral assays in the lab and in the field, and direct field observations. H. subflexa showed a clear preference for some Physalis species over others ...

The bermudagrass mite, Eriophyes cynodoniensis (Sayed) (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Eriophyidae), also known as the couch grass mite, can be a serious pest of bermudagrass in multiple high-maintenance turf systems such as sod production, athletic fields, and golf courses. Mites cause leaf and bud galls, which can lead to severe aesthetic damage and plant decline or death in high-maintenance areas with low tolerance for plant damage. In this 7-page fact sheet written by Pablo Agustin Boeri, Nicole D. Benda, J. Bryan Unruh, and Adam Dale and published by the UF/IFAs Entomology and Nematology Department, review the biology, identification, and management of the bermudagrass mite, and get specific management recommendations based on evidence from UF/IFAS research. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1217

Resistance to insecticide or miticide is a worry for landscape managers. Around the world, chinch bugs, leafminers, and other insect and mite pests have become resistant to dozens of insecticides, but with diligent insecticide resistance management, we can still maintain long-term effective chemical control. With few new modes of action coming onto the market, landscape managers need to be good stewards of existing products. Ultimately, resistance management means reducing exposure of pests to any one pesticide. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent resistance and still control pests of ornamental plants and lawns, and this 6-page fact sheet written by Nicole Benda and Adam Dale and published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department explains how. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in714

Plant-parasitic nematodes are devastating pathogens of many important agricultural crops. They have been successful in large part due to their ability to modify host plant metabolomes to their benefit. Both root-knot and cyst nematodes are endoparasites that have co-evolved to modify host plants to create sophisticated feeding cells and suppress plant defenses. In contrast, the ability of migratory ectoparasitic nematodes to modify host plants is unknown. Based on global metabolomic profiling of sting nematodes in African bermudagrass, ectoparasites can modify the global metabolome of host plants. Specifically, sting nematodes suppress amino acids in susceptible cultivars. Upregulation of compounds linked to plant defense have negative impacts on sting nematode population densities. Pipecolic acid, linked to systemic acquired resistance induction, seems to play a large role in protecting tolerant cultivars from sting nematode feeding and could be targeted in breeding programs.

The blueberry gall midge oviposits into blueberry flower buds and leaf buds, reducing yield up to 80%. We developed an efficient rearing method with a low level of direct handling, and high levels of survival and chance of mating. We also collected and identified volatiles from blueberry flower buds. We tested the response of the blueberry gall midge to these volatiles using a 2-choice bioassay and electroantennograms to identify putative oviposition cues. These compounds will be tested in the field for their ability to improve monitoring of this important blueberry pest.

10286 Jauma/ ofApicu/tura/ Researdr 50(3): 218-226 (2011) © IBRA 2011 DOI 10.3895/IBRA. 1.50.3.05 l BH Á ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE w Kodamaea ahmeri (Ascomycota: Saccharomycotina) ""“* presence in commercial Bombas impatiens Cresson and feral ...

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, ...

ABSTRACT Blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson), is a pest of cultivated blueberries throughout the world. Larvae feed and develop in developing leaf buds, and also in flower buds of rabbiteye blueberries, which causes buds to fall off the plant. These injuries can cause up to 80% yield loss in heavy infestations. As the larvae are protected from insecticides, adults must be targeted with foliar applications. Consequently, the detection of adults through an effective monitoring program is critical to time insecticide sprays against the blueberry gall midge. Understanding the distribution of the midge and its parasitoids is also important information for developing a more effective pest management program. A comparison of three monitoring trap types demonstrated that bucket emergence traps and clear panel traps captured similar numbers of midges, although the bucket trap is more sensitive at low population levels. Using bucket emergence traps, we found that nearly 80% of the midges collected pupated within 48 cm of the blueberry bush, suggesting that a targeted soil treatment may be a viable integrated pest management tactic that could be included in a midge management program. Traps and bud samples demonstrated that adult and larval midges and parasitoids were randomly distributed throughout the field in both years, with the exception of larval aggregation in early 2012. As parasitoid distribution is parallel to host occurrence within blueberry plantings, this increases the potential for biological control activities against the blueberry gall midge in fields that do not receive broad-spectrum insecticide applications.

ABSTRACT Background: Failure to respond to name and impaired orienting to both social and non-social information has previously been found in infants and children diagnosed with or at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Further, event-related potential (ERP) studies investigating selective attention have demonstrated reduced P3a amplitudes in individuals with ASD, which may be indicative of deficits in processing novel information and attentional capture in ASD. Objectives: To investigate behavioral and electrophysiological indices of orienting to social and non-social information in high-risk children (defined as having an older sibling with ASD) with (HRA+) and without (HRA-) a diagnosis of ASD and low-risk typically developing (TD) children (defined as having a TD older sibling). Methods: Data collection for the current project is ongoing. To date, participants are nine 4 to 5 year old HRA- and 10 age- and IQ-matched low-risk, TD children. The study consisted of separate behavioral orienting and auditory odd-ball ERP experiments. For the behavioral orienting paradigm (modeled after Dawson et al., 1998; 2004), one experimenter engaged the child’s attention, while a second experimenter administered a series of 12 possible social or non-social sounds. Social sounds (hum, clap, laugh, yawn, snap, and the child’s name) and non-social sounds (toy rattle, car horn, toy squeak, vacuum, referee whistle, and a phone ring) were equated in intensity (70 dB) and duration (approximately 1 second). Child’s orienting behavior, defined by either a head movement or a gaze shift was coded online by experimenters. For the auditory odd-ball task, auditory stimuli were identical to those used in the behavioral orienting paradigm. EEG was recorded using 128-channel high-density Geodesic electrode arrays, sampled at 500 Hz, and referenced to single vertex electrode. Data were segmented into 1200ms epochs (200ms pre- and 1000ms post-stimulus onset), trial/artifact rejected, and re-referenced to average reference. Mean amplitude and latency of the P3a component was measured for both social and non-social sounds. Results: Paired t-tests showed that TD children oriented more frequently to social compared to non-social sounds, p < .01; In contrast, HRA- children shifted attention to both social and non-social sound at similar rates, p = .3. Independent samples t-tests demonstrated that, compared to HRA- children, TD children shifted attention more frequently to social stimuli, p < .01, but not non-social stimuli, p < .1. Electrophysiological data revealed a similar pattern of results; for the TD group, there was a larger P3a response to social stimuli than to non-social sounds, p < 0.05. However, for the HRA- group there was no significant difference in P3a amplitude for social compared to non-social sounds, p > 0.5. Conclusions: Behavioral and electrophysiological indices of orienting suggest social information is perceived as more salient and captures attention to a greater degree in TD but not HRA- children. Similar to prior findings of impaired social orienting in children with ASD, our preliminary results suggest that social orienting deficits may be present in clinically ‘unaffected’ siblings, and therefore represent a potential endophenotype.