@article{mermer_stacconi_tait_pfab_sial_disi_burrack_toennisson_xue_zhang_et al._2023, title={Comparing the effectiveness of different insecticide application orders for suppressing Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) infestation: experimental and modeling approaches}, volume={5}, ISSN={["1938-291X"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad057}, DOI={10.1093/jee/toad057}, abstractNote={Abstract
               Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a key pest of soft-skinned fruit such as blackberry and blueberry. Differing seasonal spray regimes are expected to have variable effects on D. suzukii populations. Semi-field cage trials were performed at three locations in the United States (Georgia, Oregon, and North Carolina) on blueberry and blackberry crops to evaluate this hypothesis. Insecticides with different efficacy rates (ZC - zeta-cypermethrin, SPI - spinetoram, CYAN - cyantraniliprole) were applied during field experiments conducted within large cages. Treatment schedules consisted of two insecticide applications which performed over three weeks. Seasonal treatment schedules were applied in the following order: ZC-CYAN and CYAN-ZC in rabbiteye and highbush blueberry with the addition of a ZC-SPI treatment applied in blackberry. In addition, a population model was applied to simulate the relative efficacy of the insecticide schedules in Oregon on D. suzukii population model based on previously published efficacy, biological, and weather parameters. Overall, all schedules resulted in reduced D. suzukii infestation compared to untreated control (UTC) treatments, with statistical differences in all three locations. The numerically lower infestation was found in some cases in ZC-CYAN schedule. Population modeling conducted exclusively for blueberry, and the simulations indicated no discernible differences between the two respective schedules (ZC-CYAN vs CYAN-ZC). The present study demonstrates that seasonal infestation of D. suzukii could be suppressed irrespective of application order. Additional research is required to assess the optimal timing and sequence of insecticide applications for controlling seasonal populations of D. suzukii in fruit crops. Such information could be invaluable for growers who are seeking to strategize their insecticide applications.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Mermer, Serhan and Stacconi, Marco Valerio Rossi and Tait, Gabriella and Pfab, Ferdinand and Sial, Ashfaq A. and Disi, Joseph O. and Burrack, Hannah J. and Toennisson, Aurora and Xue, Lan and Zhang, Chengzhu and et al.}, editor={Rodriguez-Saona, CesarEditor}, year={2023}, month={May} }
 @article{isaacs_van timmeren_gress_zalom_ganjisaffar_hamby_lewis_liburd_sarkar_rodriguez-saona_et al._2022, title={Monitoring of Spotted-Wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Resistance Status Using a RAPID Method for Assessing Insecticide Sensitivity Across the United States}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1938-291X"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/toac021}, DOI={10.1093/jee/toac021}, abstractNote={AbstractDrosophila suzukii (Matsumura) has spread rapidly, challenging berry and cherry crop production due to its ability to lay eggs into ripening fruit. To prevent infestation by this pest, insecticides are applied during fruit ripening and harvest. We field-tested the Rapid Assessment Protocol for IDentification of resistance in D. suzukii (RAPID) on seventy-eight populations collected across eight U.S. states in 2017 and 2018. Exposure to LC50 rates of malathion, methomyl, spinetoram, spinosad, and zeta-cypermethrin led to average female fly mortality of 25.0% in 2017, and after adjusting concentrations the average was 39.9% in 2018. Using LC99 × 2 discriminating concentrations in 2017 and LC90 × 8 rates in 2018, average female mortalities were 93.3% and 98.5%, respectively, indicating high overall susceptibility. However, using these high concentrations we found 32.0% of assays with survival of some female flies in 2017 and 27.8% in 2018. The adjustment in discriminating dose from 2017 to 2018 also reduced the proportion of assays with <90% survival from 17.6 to 2.9%. Populations with low mortality when exposed to spinosad were identified using this assay, triggering more detailed follow-up bioassays that identified resistant populations collected in California coastal region berry crops. Widespread evaluations of this method and subsequent validation in California, Michigan, and Georgia in 2019–2021 show that it provides a quick and low-cost method to identify populations of D. suzukii that warrant more detailed testing. Our results also provide evidence that important insecticide classes remain effective in most U.S. regions of fruit production.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Isaacs, Rufus and Van Timmeren, Steven and Gress, Brian E. and Zalom, Frank G. and Ganjisaffar, Fatemeh and Hamby, Kelly A. and Lewis, Margaret T. and Liburd, Oscar E. and Sarkar, Nupur and Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Mar} }
 @article{sheppard_land_toennisson_doherty_perera_2021, title={Uncovering Transcriptional Responses to Fractional Gravity in Arabidopsis Roots}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2075-1729"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/life11101010}, DOI={10.3390/life11101010}, abstractNote={Although many reports characterize the transcriptional response of Arabidopsis seedlings to microgravity, few investigate the effect of partial or fractional gravity on gene expression. Understanding plant responses to fractional gravity is relevant for plant growth on lunar and Martian surfaces. The plant signaling flight experiment utilized the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The EMCS consisted of two rotors within a controlled chamber allowing for two experimental conditions, microgravity (stationary rotor) and simulated gravity in space. Seedlings were grown for 5 days under continuous light in seed cassettes. The arrangement of the seed cassettes within each experimental container results in a gradient of fractional g (in the spinning rotor). To investigate whether gene expression patterns are sensitive to fractional g, we carried out transcriptional profiling of root samples exposed to microgravity or partial g (ranging from 0.53 to 0.88 g). Data were analyzed using DESeq2 with fractional g as a continuous variable in the design model in order to query gene expression across the gravity continuum. We identified a subset of genes whose expression correlates with changes in fractional g. Interestingly, the most responsive genes include those encoding transcription factors, defense, and cell wall-related proteins and heat shock proteins.}, number={10}, journal={LIFE-BASEL}, author={Sheppard, James and Land, Eric S. and Toennisson, Tiffany Aurora and Doherty, Colleen J. and Perera, Imara Y.}, year={2021}, month={Oct} }
 @article{toennisson_klingeman_vail_2020, title={Odorous House Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Colony Movement in Response to Moisture, Shade, and Food Proximity}, volume={49}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvaa131}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvaa131}, abstractNote={AbstractTapinoma sessile (Say) is a common ant throughout the United States that frequently relocates portions of its nests to form large polydomous colonies in urban areas. Despite widespread research on the control of T. sessile as a nuisance pest, relatively little work has focused on the biology of its nesting behavior and movement. We evaluated shade, moisture, and proximity to food as factors triggering colony movement in laboratory assays. Initially, T. sessile colonies moved to shaded artificial nest sites irrespective of arena moisture. Then, workers and brood were increasingly moved to moist artificial nest sites over time. Colonies moved workers and brood to near-food artificial nest sites over both 1 m and 6 m distances. Queens relocated to near-food nest sites over 1 m distances, but not 6 m distances, during the 49-d study. Results suggest that an increase either in moisture or food in proximity to a residence is likely to account for observed increases in T. sessile abundance near structures.}, number={6}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Toennisson, T. Aurora and Klingeman, William E. and Vail, Karen M.}, year={2020}, month={Dec}, pages={1263–1269} }
 @article{aurora toennisson_klein_burrack_2019, title={Measuring the effect of non-crop flowering plants on natural enemies in organic tobacco}, volume={137}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.104023}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.104023}, abstractNote={The use of "insectary strips" of sunflowers and buckwheat is widely promoted by organic certifiers to promote control of the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) and other pests in organic tobacco. However, no published research supports this recommendation in tobacco, and results from other crops are mixed. We performed a series of experiments to test the effects of non-crop plantings of sunflowers and buckwheat on key pest and beneficial insects adjacent to organic tobacco fields in North Carolina. Although some reduction in M. persicae infestations and increases in numbers of beneficial insects were observed on tobacco plants near field-edge insectary treatments, these effects were small and were observed only over a short distance into the crop. Planting additional insectary strips in the field interior did not reduce aphid numbers in comparison to control treatments and led to increases in some pest insects. These conservation biological control techniques are unlikely to be a reliable method of controlling M. persicae and other pest insects in organic tobacco.}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Aurora Toennisson, T. and Klein, Johanna Tartan and Burrack, Hannah}, year={2019}, month={Oct} }
 @article{toennisson_sanders_klingeman_vail_2011, title={Influences on the Structure of Suburban Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Communities and the Abundance of Tapinoma sessile}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/en11110}, DOI={10.1603/en11110}, abstractNote={Urbanization can alter the organization of ant communities and affect populations of urban pest ants. In this study, we sampled ant communities in urban and suburban yards to understand the habitat factors that shape these communities and influence the abundance of a common pest species, Tapinoma sessile (Say). We used pitfall traps to sample ant communities and a combination of pitfall traps and baiting to collect T. sessile at 24 sites in Knoxville, TN. In total, we collected 46 ant species. Ant species richness ranged from seven to 24 species per yard. Ant species richness tended to be lowest near houses, whereas T. sessile abundance was highest near houses. The best predictors of ant species richness in yards were canopy cover and presence of leaf litter: ant species richness peaked at mid-levels of canopy cover and was negatively correlated with the presence of leaf litter. Tapinoma sessile abundance increased with presence of logs, boards, or landscaping timbers and leaf litter in yards. Our results indicate that ant communities and the abundance of particular pest species in these urban and suburban landscapes are shaped by many of the same factors that structure ant communities in less anthropogenically disturbed environments.}, journal={Environmental Entomology}, author={Toennisson, T. A. and Sanders, N. J. and Klingeman, W. E. and Vail, K. M.}, year={2011}, month={Dec} }