Damage by insect pests remains to be a major cause of yield loss of crops. Effective management of pest insects requires accurate identification of the insect pests and adequate knowledge of the pest populations. This project is to develop and apply molecular techniques for (1) identification of invasive insect pests and differentiation of pest species that are morphologically difficult to distinguish using field collected samples, so as to provide information of insect pest occurrence to government regulatory staff, researchers and growers; and (2) analysis of insect pest populations, so as to provide information on insect population differentiation and movement to colleagues and researchers in pest management. In this project, molecular diagnostics have been successfully used in identification and monitoring of the invasive insect pest, the swede midge, for the past 3 years. New molecular diagnostics are being developed for identification of the invasive European crane fly species with field-collected specimens that are unidentifiable using conventional morphological criteria. Molecular analyses of populations of two important insect pests, the obliquebanded leafroller (a major apple pest) and the onion thrips (a major onion pest), are being conducted to acquire information necessary for development of effective pest management programs.

1. The swede midge, which is minute and very difficult to identify using morphological criteria, is a devastating insect pest on vegetable crops. The United States, particularly New York state, has been facing the invasion of this pest. Therefore, an accurate detection and identification system for this invasive pest is desirable for the control of this pest in the US.
2. Invasive European craneflies are serious turfgrass pests and have been recently detected in New York. Knowing the cranefly species is critical for adequate decision-making for effective control of the pests. However, it is often not possible to identify cranefly species from specimens collected from the field using morphological characteristics. Therefore, it is desirable to develop an efficient and reliable molecular technique to identify the invasive craneflies.
3. Some insect pests show seasonal or geographical differentiation in their response to insecticides. For development of sound management strategies for the pests, it is necessary to understand the differentiation and movement of the insect populations in the field.

1. In a team effort with other Cornell researchers and extension specialists, we applied molecular diagnostic technique to 1) identify the presence of swede midge in New York state in 2004, which was the first detection of this invasive insect species in the US, 2) have been conducting the survey and monitoring of the occurrence of swede midge in New York state, and 3) have identified swede midge specimens for two other states.
2. Working with the Cornell soil entomology program, we are developing molecular diagnostic techniques for identification of the invasive crane flies from field-collected specimens.
3. Working with the Cornell tree fruit entomology program, we are examining selected obliquebanded leafroller (OBLR) populations in NY and their pesticide resistance using molecular diagnostic techniques.
4. Working with a Cornell vegetable entomology program, we are conducting molecular analysis of thrips populations to examine movement of thrips populations in the field.

With a team effort, this project led to the first detection of the invasive swede midge in the US in 2004. Government regulatory agencies, researchers and growers were informed about the invasion of the swede midge in NY. In the past three years (2005 to 2007) we continued the survey of the Swede midge in NY and surrounding states using the molecular diagnostics for swede midge identification. Occurrence of Swede midge identified by molecular diagnosis in the survey has been periodically reported to relevant agencies to help growers protect vegetable production from damages by the swede midge.

Cornell Cooperative Extension