Ecology of Sitophilus and Cryptolestes species

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1 Ecology of Sitophilus and Cryptolestes species Greg Daglish Principal Research Scientist, DAFF Qld Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre

2 Problem being addressed Australia produces - 20 Mt wheat annually - Plus barley, oats, sorghum

3 Problem being addressed Can be stored for many months before sale Attractive habitat for insects - including Sitophilus and Cryptolestes species

4 Problem being addressed Sitophilus and Cryptolestes species are pests of stored grain - in both the farm and bulk handling sectors. Little is known about the ecology of these pests - i.e. relevant to pest and resistance management.

5 Problem being addressed Questions include: - Are they limited to the storage environment? - How far do they disperse on local and national scales? - How quickly do they reinfest stored grain? - Are there ecological fitness costs to being phosphine resistant?

6 Who will use or directly benefit from the research? Those who develop P&RM strategies and information for industry - e.g. GRDC National Extension Network Grain growers in northern, southern and western regions Bulk handling companies GrainCorp, Viterra and CBH

7 Results so far Sitophilus flight dispersal Little evidence of flight dispersal by Sitophilus oryzae Evidence: - Pheromone trapping in Australia and Kansas - Colonisation of small wheat bulks in Queensland

8 Results so far Cryptolestes flight dispersal Little evidence of flight dispersal Evidence: - Australian trapping with food volatile lure - Kansas pheromone trapping (1 of 2 component molecules) - Colonisation of small wheat bulks in Queensland Problem No commercially available pheromone lure

9 Results so far gene flow Population genetics gene flow movement Focus - Sitophilus oryzae and Cryptolestes ferrugineus Approx 100 farms sampled across Australia - Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas, SA and WA Samples from 11 Canadian locations - Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba Samples from 11 US locations - Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and California

10 Results so far gene flow Suite of molecular markers developed Screening of Australian Sitophilus samples started

11 Results so far network modelling Scoping study - USA and Queensland networks Journal paper - Hernandez Nopsa, Daglish, Hagstrum, Leslie, Phillips, Scoglio, Thomas-Sharma, Walter & Garrett (in prep) Ecological networks in stored wheat: Synthesizing grain science and network science for improved management strategies BioSciences

12 Results so far species composition Sitophilus and Cryptolestes are multi-species genera Analysis started - Population genetic samples and other samples

13 Results so far fitness of phosphine resistance Comparison of near isogenic susceptible and resistant strains of Cryptolestes ferrugineus Development of resistant strain well under way - >90% genetic similarity to susceptible strain - Time needed to eliminate any susceptible genes

14 Challenges and issues arising from the research Sitophilus pheromone not attracting flying beetles No commercial Cryptolestes pheromone Some avenues for field research closed Relying more on population genetics Access to CRC-developed Cryptolestes pheromone desirable

15 Prospects for success Field research in multiple geographic regions - Maximise chances of success Diverse skill sets - e.g. ecology, pest management, resistance, chemical ecology, industry knowledge and contacts Industry focus and engagement - Farmers and bulk handlers

16 Project team DAFF Qld - G Daglish, M Nayak, A Ridley, P Burrill, V Tenshia Singaryan UQ - G Walter, Alicia Toon DAFWA R Emery, O Byrne, A Szito, D Cousins NSW DPI - J Holloway, J Clark, R Wood K-State - T Phillips, K Garrett, C Scoglio, J Hernandez- Nopsa, S Losey BHAs - GrainCorp, Viterra, CBH staff

17 Thank you For more information, please Greg Daglish - greg.daglish@daff.qld.gov.au