Browsing by Author "Hutchison, William"

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    BMSB Fast Facts
    (2014) Cira, Theresa; Hutchison, William
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    BMSB Fast Facts (Somali)
    (2014) Cira, Theresa; Hutchison, William
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    BMSB Fast Facts (Spanish)
    (2014) Cira, Theresa; Hutchison, William
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    Hormetic and Transgenerational Effects in Spotted-wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Response to Three Commonly-Used Insecticides
    (2022-03-14) Deans, Carrie; Hutchison, William; dean0179@umn.edu; Deans, Carrie; University of Minnesota Hutchison Lab
    Although insecticide formulations and spray rates are optimized to achieve lethal exposure, there are many factors in agricultural settings that can reduce the effective exposure of insect pests. These include weather patterns, timing of application, chemical degradation/volatilization, plant structural complexity, and resistant populations. While sub-lethal exposure to insecticides can still have negative impacts on pest populations, they can also lead to stimulatory, or hormetic, responses that can increase the fitness of surviving insects. Sub-lethal concentrations may also produce increased tolerance in the offspring of surviving adults through transgenerational effects. Sub-lethal effects are pertinent for the invasive fruit pest spotted-wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, because its small size, diurnal movement patterns, and utilization of hosts with complex plant structures, such as caneberries and blueberries, make effective insecticide applications tenuous. In this study, we measured spotted-wing Drosophila survivorship, reproductive performance, and offspring tolerance in flies exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of three commonly-used insecticides (zeta-cypermethrin, spinetoram, and pyrethrin). We found some evidence for hormesis, with survival effects being sex- and concentration-dependent for all insecticides. Males were far more susceptible to insecticides than females, which in some cases exhibited higher eclosion success and reproductive rates when exposed to sub-lethal doses. We did not observe significant transgenerational effects at sub-lethal concentrations, despite trends of increased offspring viability for zeta-cypermethrin and spinetoram. More research, however, is needed to fully understand the role that sub-lethal effects may play in pest population dynamics, insecticide efficacy, and the development of genetic resistance.
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    Minnesota Apple Survey 2023: Results Summary
    (2023-06-15) DiGiacomo, Gigi; Hutchison, William; gigid@umn.edu; DiGiacomo, Gigi
    A research team at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities fielded a state-wide survey January 2, 2023 - April 30, 2023 to quantify the value of apple (Malus domestica) production and agritourism on orchards in the state, to identify common marketing strategies among apple growers, and to ascertain pest management needs among apple growers. The final electronic questionnaire, consisting of 20 questions, was constructed using the Tailored Design Method and formatted in Qualtrics. The target survey population included owners/operators of apple orchards in Minnesota. Individual email contacts were compiled primarily with the help and permission of membership organizations (Minnesota Apple Growers Association, Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Minnesota Grown). Anonymous survey links were also posted on Social media sites (Facebook) to invite voluntary participation. Surveys were distributed to 354 eligible participants. A total of 107 individuals opened the survey and, of those, 71 reported growing apples and were eligible to continue the survey. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents opted out of the survey after completing the first question; thus the final number of survey participants who had completed more than one question was 51 individuals (14% response rate).