Crop Protection Ecology

The Crop Protection Ecology program was created in 2018 to investigate integrated pest management solutions for perennial grain insect pests, as well as develop diverse cropping systems to improve overall plant health and biological control. The Crop Protection Ecology lab is collaborating with the Perennial Oilseeds team, the Perennial Legumes team, and Dr. Tania Kim and Dr. Brian Spiesman at Kansas State University to determine the extent to which Kernza® (Thinopyrum intermedium), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), sainfoin, silphium, and cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) provide each of these services, and which species provide the best balance of these services. This project will also provide us with valuable information about the pollinator and natural enemy species that colonize our perennial crops, and which plant traits are most attractive to these species, so that these traits may be selected for and preserved in our future breeding programs.

• Develop effective methods for managing eucosma, a moth that only feeds on Silphium, one of our perennial crops. By definition, an insect is not considered an agricultural “pest” until it feeds on an agricultural crop. Nature abounds with insect species that specialize in feeding on native plant species. While these insects have been described, often very little is known about their behavior or ecology because they are not considered aesthetically or economically important. The eucosma moth was once a prime example of this. As a native specialist, it feeds on the flower buds and root crowns of Silphium integrifolium. Now that silphium is being domesticated for oilseed production, large fields of these flowers provide ideal habitat for eucosma and make it a significant pest of this crop. Our research objectives are to understand the eucosma life cycle and ecology, and to develop effective methods for managing this pest.
• Determine how Arrburschular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affects plant defense against insects in our perennial crops, and how this compares to annual crops. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic fungi that colonize the roots of more than 85% of all plant species. These AMF have long been known to increase nutrient uptake from the soil and improve plant growth. More recent research has shown that AMF can also boost a plant’s ability to release chemical defenses when the plant is infected with an insect pest or pathogen. In collaboration with Dr. Jared Ali, Dr. Swayamjit Ray, and Dr. Jason Kaye at Penn State University, we are conducting experiments to determine how AMF may affect plant defense against insects in our perennial crops, and how this compares to AMF colonization and plant defense in annual crops.
• Continue selective intercropping of plant species to help build beneficial organism populations and reduce pest damage. 

Domestic

USDA-ARS Manhattan, Kansas
USDA-ARS Fargo, North Dakota
Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas
University of Minnesota
Kansas State University Research Center Colby, Kansas
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Pennsylvania State University

There are over 900,000 described species of insects worldwide, and like us most of them rely on plants for food. Many insect species are important for the growth and development of our perennial crops. Alfalfa, kura clover, sainfoin, and silphium are pollinated by honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and native flies. Perennial crops also provide excellent habitat for “natural enemies”: spiders, centipedes, and insects that feed on harmful insects.

Perennial crops also provide habitat for insects that feed on and damage the crop itself.

Some of these pests are the same as those found in the annual equivalent of our crops, such as chinch bugs and sugarcane aphids in the perennial sorghum. Other pests are unique to our crops, such as the eucosma moth (Eucosma giganteana), a specialist pest that feeds only on plants in the Silphium genus.

Managing pests in perennial systems can be challenging, as we cannot rely on annual tillage and crop rotation to disrupt pest populations. However, perennial systems can also provide unique opportunities for pest management, as the lack of soil disturbance can allow us to build beneficial soil organisms and natural enemy populations to defend the crops against pests. Selective intercropping of plant species can also help to build beneficial organism populations and reduce pest damage.