Evidence of practical resistance of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt cotton in the United States is debatable, supported with occasional reports of boll damage in the field. Our objective was to provide both empirical and long-term observational evidence of practical resistance by linking both in-season and end-of-season measurements of H. zea damage to pyramided Bt cotton bolls and to provide Cry1Ac diet-based bioassay data in support of these damage estimates. In-season boll damage from H. zea was highly correlated to end-of-season damaged bolls. Across North Carolina, Bt cotton fields with end-of-season bolls damaged by H. zea increased during 2016 compared to previous years. Elevated damage was coupled with an increase in field sprays targeting H. zea during 2016, but not related to an increase in H. zea abundance. Bioassay data indicated that there was a range of Cry1Ac susceptibility across the southeastern United States. Given the range of susceptibility to Cry1Ac across the southeastern United States, it is probable that resistant populations are common. Since H. zea is resistant to cotton expressing pyramided Cry toxins, the adoption of new cotton varieties expressing Vip3Aa will be rapid. Efforts should be made to delay resistance of H. zea to the Vip3Aa toxin to avoid foliar insecticide use.

Field experiments were conducted in Georgia to evaluate weed control and crop tolerance with glufosinate applied to ‘PHY 485 WRF®’ cotton. This glyphosate-resistant cotton also contains a gene, used as a selectable marker, for glufosinate resistance. Three experiments were maintained weed-free and focused on crop tolerance; a fourth experiment focused on control of pitted morningglory and glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth. In two experiments, PHY 485 WRF cotton was visibly injured 15 and 20% or less by glufosinate ammonium salt at 430 and 860 g ae/ha, respectively, applied POST two or three times. In a third experiment, glufosinate at 550 g/ha injured cotton up to 36%. Pyrithiobac or glyphosate mixed with glufosinate did not increase injury compared to glufosinate applied alone;S-metolachlor mixed with glufosinate increased injury by six to seven percentage points. Cotton injury was not detectable 14 to 21 d after glufosinate application, and cotton yields were not reduced by glufosinate or glufosinate mixtures. A program of pendimethalin PRE, glyphosate applied POST twice, and diuron plus MSMA POST-directed controlled glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth only 17% late in the season.S-metolachlor included with the initial glyphosate application did not increase control, and pyrithiobac increased late-season control by only 13 percentage points. Palmer amaranth was controlled 90% or more when glufosinate replaced glyphosate in the aforementioned system. Pitted morningglory was controlled 99% by all glufosinate programs and mixtures of glyphosate plus pyrithiobac. Seed cotton yields with glufosinate-based systems were at least 3.3 times greater than yields with glyphosate-based systems because of differences in control of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth.

Estimates of neonicotinoid resistance indicate an emerging issue for management of F. fusca in the eastern United States. Significant variation in survivorship within states and regions indicated that finer-scale surveys were needed to determine factors (genetic, insecticide use) driving resistance evolution. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The kudzu bug or bean plataspid, Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius), is native to Asia where it appears to be widely distributed (although the taxonomy is not entirely clear), but is Hemisphere. Other natural enemies may eventually emerge as good candidates for importation, but at present P. saccharalis appears to be most promising.

In October 2009, large aggregations of Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Heteroptera: Plataspidae) were discovered on outside, perimeter walls of houses in northeast Georgia, prompting homeowners to contact county Extension agents and pest management professionals to learn more about the insect and to rid the premises of the nuisance. The insect was flying from nearby patches of kudzu (Pueraria spp.) onto houses, presumably in an attempt to locate overwintering sites. In its native Asia, one of its preferred hosts is kudzu, an invasive, leguminous vine that now grows throughout the southeastern U.S. Before discovery in Georgia, M. cribraria was unknown from the New World. In addition to its emergence as a nuisance pest, M. cribraria has been reported as a pest of numerous legume crops in Asia, including soybean, Glycine max Merrill. As of August 9, 2010, M. cribraria was known from 48 counties in northeast Georgia and 13 counties in northwest South Carolina. In late June and early July 2010, M. cribraria was found on soybeans in 20 of the 48 Georgia counties and five counties in South Carolina.

The anticipated release of EnlistTM cotton, corn, and soybean cultivars likely will increase the use of 2,4-D, raising concerns over potential injury to susceptible cotton. An experiment was conducted at 12 locations over 2013 and 2014 to determine the impact of 2,4-D at rates simulating drift (2 g ae ha−1) and tank contamination (40 g ae ha−1) on cotton during six different growth stages. Growth stages at application included four leaf (4-lf), nine leaf (9-lf), first bloom (FB), FB + 2 wk, FB + 4 wk, and FB + 6 wk. Locations were grouped according to percent yield loss compared to the nontreated check (NTC), with group I having the least yield loss and group III having the most. Epinasty from 2,4-D was more pronounced with applications during vegetative growth stages. Importantly, yield loss did not correlate with visual symptomology, but more closely followed effects on boll number. The contamination rate at 9-lf, FB, or FB + 2 wk had the greatest effect across locations, reducing the number of bolls per plant when compared to the NTC, with no effect when applied at FB + 4 wk or later. A reduction of boll number was not detectable with the drift rate except in group III when applied at the FB stage. Yield was influenced by 2,4-D rate and stage of cotton growth. Over all locations, loss in yield of greater than 20% occurred at 5 of 12 locations when the drift rate was applied between 4-lf and FB + 2 wk (highest impact at FB). For the contamination rate, yield loss was observed at all 12 locations; averaged over these locations yield loss ranged from 7 to 66% across all growth stages. Results suggest the greatest yield impact from 2,4-D occurs between 9-lf and FB + 2 wk, and the level of impact is influenced by 2,4-D rate, crop growth stage, and environmental conditions.

N-tert-Butyl isoquine (4) (GSK369796) is a 4-aminoquinoline drug candidate selected and developed as part of a public-private partnership between academics at Liverpool, MMV, and GSK pharmaceuticals. This molecule was rationally designed based on chemical, toxicological, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic considerations and was selected based on excellent activity against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro and rodent malaria parasites in vivo. The optimized chemistry delivered this novel synthetic quinoline in a two-step procedure from cheap and readily available starting materials. The molecule has a full industry standard preclinical development program allowing first into humans to proceed. Employing chloroquine (1) and amodiaquine (2) as comparator molecules in the preclinical plan, the first preclinical dossier of pharmacokinetic, toxicity, and safety pharmacology has also been established for the 4-aminoquinoline antimalarial class. These studies have revealed preclinical liabilities that have never translated into the human experience. This has resulted in the availability of critical information to other drug development teams interested in developing antimalarials within this class.

Recently, we showed that the southern green stink bug (SGSB), Nezara viridula (L.), can transmit Pantoea agglomerans (Ewing and Fife), an opportunistic bacterium, into green cotton bolls resulting in plant disease. Here, we hypothesized that our established model could be used to determine if the SGSB was a general, non-discriminate vector by using two other opportunistic bacterial pathogens of bolls (Pantoea ananatis [Serano] and Klebsiella pneumoniae [Schroeter]) and the known fungal pathogen Nematospora coryli (Peglion). Variants of P. ananatis (strain Pa-1R) and K. pneumoniae (strain Kp 5-1R) selected for rifampicin (Rif) resistance were used as bacterial opportunists. N. coryli was detected only from laboratory-reared SGSB directly exposed to the fungus. Both Pa-1R and Kp 5-1R were recovered from SGSB previously provided a contaminated food source (2 days), sterile food (5 days), and then harvested after being caged on bolls (2 days) at levels reaching 10(3) and 10(4) colony forming units (cfus) per insect, respectively. However, bolls caged with insects infected with Pa-1R or Kp 5-1R and with evidence of feeding did not become diseased nor were either opportunists detected from boll tissues. Insects infected with N. coryli transmitted the pathogen, which resulted in diseased bolls and fungi concentrations reached 10(6) cfus/g locule tissue at 2 weeks following the caging period. Notably, each of the three pathogens independently caused boll disease when mechanically inoculated using a needle puncture. Generally, these results suggest that cotton pathogen acquisition by the SGSB was not sufficient to determine whether the insects were disease vectors of the opportunists.