Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: hemp
Practices
- Education and Training: extension, mentoring, workshop
- Pest Management: biological control, integrated pest management
Proposal abstract:
Presently, the U.S. is third leading country in the world for industrial hemp production. In 2021, the total hemp value from three western states (Oregon, Washington, and California) was $298 million. Floral and cannabinoid hemp are the current production focus in the western U.S. This proposal addresses corn earworm, a flower bud-damaging pest, causing losses to the main marketable materials (flower and cannabinoid) in all major U.S. production regions. Corn earworm larvae feed on flower buds which can lead to bud rot, thereby reducing the crop’s economic value. Currently, corn earworm control in hemp largely depends on insecticide use, but the insecticide strategy alone does not provide full protection. In this project, we plan to investigate the biological control agent, Microplitis croceipes, a larval parasitoid that we recently found was able to parasitize corn earworm larvae feeding on flower buds. However, before we recommend releasing this biological control agent as part of a pest management program, it is critical to understand the parasitoids’ fitness and behavior in corn earworm larvae on hemp. The research objectives are to 1) assess M. croceipes parasitism rate and fitness in relation to different stages of corn earworm larvae feeding separately on flower buds and 2) determine parasitoid preference between different stages of corn earworm larvae feeding simultaneously on flower buds. The educational component will engage hemp producers in the project, and the results will be communicated to stakeholders at Extension education events, through Extension publications, and to the scientific community via peer-reviewed journal publications.
Project objectives from proposal:
The research objectives are to 1) assess M. croceipes parasitism rate and fitness in relation to different stages of corn earworm larvae feeding separately on flower buds and 2) determine parasitoid preference between different stages of corn earworm larvae feeding simultaneously on flower buds. The educational component will engage hemp producers in the project, and the results will be communicated to stakeholders at Extension education events, through Extension publications, and to the scientific community via peer-reviewed journal publications.