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Summary Report by ISSCT Entomology Committee The 7th ISSCT Entomology workshop was held from 20 to 24 April 2009 in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. The meeting venue was the beautiful Tucumán Center Hotel conveniently located near the Province of Tucuman’s Independence Plaza, its Government offices, and many shops and restaurants. The workshop was hosted by Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres. Members of the local organizing committee were L. Daniel Ploper, Eduardo Willink, Jorge Scandaliaris and Analía Ruth Salvatore with Maria Teresa Vera serving as local coordinator. Additional support was provided by Syngenta SA, Instituto de Desarrollo Productivo (IDEP), and the Universidad San Pablo. The workshop was attended by 37 delegates and, of these 13 were scientists from countries outside Argentina: Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Mauritius, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S.A. Opening ceremonies began on Monday morning with a welcome to the delegates by Dr. Daniel Ploper, Head of the Estación Experimental Agoindustrial Obispo Colombres, Eng. Carlos Mirande, ISSCT Councilor from Argentina [Sociedad Argentina de Tecnico de la Caña de Azucar (S.A.T.C.A.)] and Mr. Juan Jośe Budeguer, president of the board of Estación Experimental Agoindustrial Obispo Colombres. All stressed the importance of the ISSCT workshops as venues for the scientific exchange and the establishment of scientific contacts. Dr. Ploper was particularly pleased for the Experiment Station to be hosting the workshop as the year 2009 represented its centenary. Dr. Siverio Flores Caceres, Honorary President of the 2010 ISSCT Congress, also welcomed delegates and encouraged all to come to Veracruz in 2010. Dr. William White, Entomology Section Committee Chairman, presented a historical review of the Entomology Workshops beginning with the first workshop in 1991. Formal presentations began in the afternoon with the first session on biological control moderated by Peter Samson. William White (U.S.A) presented a paper titled ‘Leptotrachelus dorsalis (F.) (Coleoptera: Carabidae): The prodigal son returns’. In this paper he reported on how the use of green chemistry can have a profound positive impact on beneficial insects in sugar cane fields. The second paper titled ‘Socio-economic benefits of biological control used in sugarcane production in Thailand’ was presented by Sopon Uraichuen (Thailand). This paper was unique in that, while the impact of biological control in the field is often reported, the socio-economic impact of biological control is often underpublicized. Pilar Medina Pereya (Argentina) presented a talk titled ‘Improving the effectiveness of Cotesia flavipes on Diatraea saccharalis under laboratory massive breeding conditions’. The author identified rearing parameters that helped to optimize production of this important parasitoid. Wiwat Suasa-ard (Thailand) presented the paper ‘Diversity of sugarcane stem borers and their natural enemies in Thailand’. Elisabeth Tabone (France) presented the paper ‘First results on inducing quiescence in Trichogramma chilonis development’. The development of cold storage techniques for this important egg parasitoid is a vital step in increasing the economic efficiency of using the parasitoid in inundative release programs. Fours papers were presented in the section on pest management moderated by Eduardo Willink. The first paper ‘A whole-farm ecological approach for the management of sugar cane pests in Mauritius’ was presented by Seelavarn Ganeshan (Mauritius). He stressed the importance of maintaining undisturbed areas around agricultural land as a way to enhance natural enemy populations that would help in the control of pest outbreaks. Jorge Mendoza’s (Ecuador) paper ‘Looking for alternatives to manage the sugarcane leafhopper, Perkinsiella saccharicida Kirkaldy in Ecuador’ summarized their findings on biological control and the use of insecticides for control of this leafhopper. He stated that a planned approach for pesticide application is recommended to reduce the risks to natural enemies. A paper titled ‘Managing sugarcane thrips in the South African industry’ was presented by Mike Way (South Africa). The authors of this paper reported on research focusing on an IPM approach with combinations of varietal resistance, cultural (planting date manipulation) and insecticide options to manage this pest. Peter Samson (Australia) presented the paper ‘White grub management in new farming systems in Australia’. As Australian growers adopt new farming practices, i.e. legume rotations, controlled traffic and minimum tillage, it has become important to investigate how these practices affect white grub populations and their management. Seelavarn Ganeshan moderated a section of two papers on insect-plant interactions. The first paper by Gene Reagan (U.S.A.) ‘The role of plant stress physiology impacting the population dynamics of the Mexican rice borer and sugarcane aphid’ presented data that show how both pests conform to the plant stress hypothesis and how changes in amino acid content due to stress can render plants more susceptible. A second paper by Eduardo Willink and co-authors (Argentina) ‘Relationship between Diatraea saccharalis attack and nitrogen fertilization in sugarcane in Tucumán, Argentina’ investigated the relationship between fertilization and pest damage outbreaks and concluded that the gains in yield from proper fertilization are greater than any increase in damage by the sugarcane borer. A section on losses due to sugar cane pests was moderated by Regis Goebel. The first paper ‘Sugar losses caused by the sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis) in Tucumán’ by Analía Salvatore (Argentina), reported that yield reductions of 0.42% in stalk weight and 0.20% in pol were realized for each 1% increase in bored internodes. Cecilia Easdale (Argentina) presented a paper titled ‘Attack of Mocis latipes (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on sugarcane in Argentina’. This insect, a grassworm looper, can reduce cane yield losses by 11.3 to 41.2% and sugar yields by 13.9 to 42.9%; differences in yield losses can be explained by cane variety and age of cane at attack. Analía Salvatore (Argentina) also presented a paper on this pest titled ‘Losses due to Mocis latipes, the grassworm looper in sugarcane in Tucumán, Argentina’. These authors reported higher losses in their study with an average sugar loss per tonne of cane of 58.3%. The final technical session on biological studies of sugar cane pests was moderated by William White. Three papers were presented in this session. The first ‘An overview of the results using radiotelemetry to study insect flight patterns: how could this new technology be applied to the Australian greyback canegrub, Dermolepida albohirtum (Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)?’ was presented by Francois-Regis Goebel (France). He reported that new tools such as radiotelemetry, geographic information systems and simulation models offer opportunities to unravel the spatial ecology of the grub and possibly help to implement an area-wide pest management initiative in Australia. Cecilia Easdale (Argentina) presented the paper ‘The influence of environmental factors on sugarcane leafhopper development’. Research indicated that the environmental factor that has the greatest influence on population development is low precipitation during December. The last paper presented by Analía Salvatore (Argentina) ‘The sugarcane weevil, Acrotomopus actropuntellus (Coleoptera), in Tucumán, Argentina’. This intriguing beetle, first cited in the literature in 1929 and identified in 2004, was found throughout the Province of Tucuman. The authors continue to research this emerging pest as its damage is frequently attributed to the sugarcane borer and has likely been underestimated. A final session was set aside for discussion and concluding remarks. Discussions were held on future joint projects and goals for the group as well as a possible site for the next workshop. The composition of the next Entomology Committee was also discussed. Dr. Flores made a more detailed report on the activities planned for the Veracruz ISSCT Congress and again encouraged everyone to make an effort to attend. Dr. Ploper officially closed the technical sessions by thanking everyone for attending and their hard work to make the workshop a success. He again stressed the importance of the ISSCT workshops for the sugarcane entomology community. As with all Entomology Workshops, opportunities for cultural enlightenment were provided, and one evening a social was held at the Club Sol, Sierra de San Javier, where all were treated to a hearty meal and the opportunity to enjoy watching the Tango and traditional Gaucho dances. The post-workshop tour included a field trip to local cane fields to view insect damage in the field, a visit to the research facilities at the Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres and a trip to the lovely region surrounding Tafí Del Valle where the group visited a hostel where local cheeses were made, a local vineyard, and an archeological site once inhabited by the indigenous people of that region in Argentina.
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