The soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines) and brown stem rot (BSR) fungus (Phialophora gregata) are serious pests of soybean, occurring over a range of soil types and soil pH. Often found in the same field, management strategies implemented to control one pathogen may in fact exacerbate damage caused by the other. As soybean acreage has increased, the duration between soybean crops h...

The use of new technologies including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Global Positioning System (GPS), Variable Rate Technology (VRT), and Remote Sensing (RS) is gaining acceptance in the present high-technology, precision agricultural industry. GIS provides the ability to link multiple data values for the same geo-referenced location, and provides the user with a graphical visualizat...

Nematode multiplication rates Pf /Pi and overwinter survivorship (Pi2/Pfl) for Meloidogyne incognita were both adequately described by negative exponential models, indicating density dependence in each case. Density dependence of the multiplication rates is mediated by resource limitation and host damage; in survivorship rates it may be mediated by limitation of stored reserves or prevalence of...

Roof rats (Rattus rattus) damage an estimated 5 to 10% of the developing nut crop in Hawaiian macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) orchards. Relevant aspects of roof rat biology in macadamia orchards have and continue to be studied with the ultimate goal of developing an ecologically sound and cost-effective integrated pest management plan. The field component of a two-year study of roof rat popu...

BACKGROUND The herbicide glyphosate has a synergistic effect on root disease because of increased susceptibility from reduced plant defenses resulting from the blockage of the shikimic acid pathway. Could glyphosate-resistant (GR) wheat cultivars and glyphosate application in-crop increase the risk of damage from soil-borne pathogens? Growth chamber experiments were conducted with two GR wheat ...

This article investigates the targeting of cyclone relief within villages in Fiji. It focuses on how relief allocation is linked with informal risk sharing and elite capture, both of which are directly related to kinship. The results are as follows. First, food aid is initially targeted toward kin groups according to their aggregate shocks and then shared among group members. Right after the cy...

Most real-world judgments and decisions require the consideration of multiple types of evidence. For example, judging the severity of environmental damage, medical illness, or negative economic trends often involves tracking and integrating evidence from multiple sources (i.e. different natural disasters, physical symptoms, or financial indicators). We hypothesized that the requirement to track...

Accurate estimation of crop damage by wildlife often requires labor-intensive sampling procedures. Variable area transect (VAT) sampling has been identified as a potential labor-saving alternative to quadrat sampling. We fully enumerated all damaged corn plants in a field to assess accuracy of sampling by small quadrats 5m long by one or two row-widths, and by VAT sampling with searches from ra...

The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). several species of voles (Microtus spp.), the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoidest. and the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) cause serious damage to forest plantations and stands (and voles and pocket gophers in tree fruit orchards) by their feeding activities. Certain synthetic predator odors are reviewed which have produced significant avoida...