Insects and Plant Diseases

How Insects Grow and Reproduce When Is an Insect a Pest? Identifying Insect Pests Control Measures for Insects Managing Plant Diseases Symptoms of Plant Diseases Identifying Plant Diseases Control Measures for Plant Diseases

Plant Viruses and Insects

The principal families of insect vectors which cause the most damage to agricultural crops through the spread of plant diseases are in the order Hemiptera, and include the aphids, leafhoppers, delphacid planthoppers and whiteflies. Another important group of insect vectors found worldwide is the order Thysanoptera, the thrips. Other insects also spread plant diseases; however, aphids alone are ...

Host Plant Selection by Insects

Host plant selection by insects is often divided into „host plant finding‟ and „host plant acceptance.‟ While the two are easy to separate conceptually, in practice, they are really part of a continuum of three, rather than two, inextricably bonded links. However, the central link of host plant finding, thought previously to be governed by volatile chemicals, has, until now, proved intractable ...

Plant Virus Transmission by Insects

Most plant viruses depend on vectors for their survival and spread. Most vectors are piercing-sucking insects that transmit plant viruses in either the circulative virus (CV) or noncirculative virus (NCV). NCV are carried on the lining cuticle of vectors stylets. CVs cross the vectors’ gut, move internally to the salivary glands (SG), cross the SG membranes to be ejected upon feeding. Transmiss...

Simulating Mortality From Forest Insects and Diseases

We describe methods for incorporating the effects of insects and diseases on coniferous forests into forest simulation models and discuss options for including this capability in the modeling work of the Interior Northwest Landscape Analysis System (INLAS) project. Insects and diseases are major disturbance agents in forested ecosystems in the Western United States, and over time, are responsib...