Grain Storage Pests

ST. LOUIS (DTN) -- This bi-monthly column condenses the latest news in the field of crop technology, research and products.

A SCENT WITH A PURPOSE

The smell of freshly mown grass usually elicits fond memories of summertime and fireflies, but the scent has a different effect for some. To certain beneficial insects, the odor of cut grass functions like a fragrant 911 call -- it is the plant's way of screaming for help after the merciless scalping your mower just gave it. According to an AgriLife Today article, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant pathologist Michael Kolomiets has found that when plants are cut or damaged by insects, they send up volatile organic compounds that not only signal distress but also lure beneficial predators for protection. When an injured plant releases a group of organic compounds called green leaf volatiles, predators like parasitoid wasps respond and lay their eggs on the offending insect. When mutant corn plants that don't produce green leaf volatiles were tested, Kolomiets found that the parasitoid wasps ignored them after they were cut and damaged during testing. After lab and field tests, he has concluded that plants are more vulnerable to insect attacks when they lack these fragrant compounds. The green leaf volatiles may play more roles as well. For example, mutant plants without the compounds were also more susceptible to drought. A $490,000 grant from USDA next year will help Kolomiets further explore these scented SOS signals, which he hopes breeders might use to make insect and drought-resistant plants in the future. See the AgriLife Today article here: http://goo.gl/….

MONSANTO FUNDS INSECT RESEARCH

Monsanto has opened up a $3 million pot to fund insect management research over the next three years. The program is called Insect Management Knowledge Program and is modeled after the company's Corn Rootworm Knowledge Program that has dished out $6 million for 13 research projects aimed at improving the control of corn rootworms. According to a company press release, the new program expands the research focus to all economically significant insect pests of corn, soybeans and cotton. By March 2015, an advisory team of growers, academics, and company representatives will award grants of up to $250,000 per year for up to three years to selected research projects. The committee is looking for research that will target issues such as the mechanisms of pest resistance, computer models to predict the development of resistance, multi-year insect surveys and farmer education and training. See the press release here: http://goo.gl/…, and read about the program and how to apply here: http://goo.gl/….

NEW LAB FUNDED AT KANSAS STATE

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has given Kansas State University a $50 million grant over five years to develop a Feed the Future Innovation Lab focused on increasing agricultural productivity in the face of limited resources. The grant is part of the Feed the Future program, a government effort to improve global food security. With the receipt of this grant, Kansas State now has four Feed the Future labs totaling $100 million in USAID funding, according to a university press release. Past grants established labs at the university focused on sorghum, millet, wheat genetics and the reduction of post-harvest loss. The majority of this new lab's focus will be improving technology for small African and South Asian landholders to help them better manage land, water, and agricultural resources. See the USAID announcement of the grant here: http://goo.gl/…, and the Kansas State press release here: http://goo.gl/….

Emily Unglesbee can be reached at emily.unglesbee@dtn.com.

Follow Emily Unglesbee on Twitter @Emily_Unglesbee.

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