Harold W. Thistle

Conventional application equipment: aerial application

Chemical control of insects, diseases and weeds began in earnest with the introduction of organic pesticides in the 1940s. Chemical pesticides offer a powerful control method and, until recently, their use had been overemphasized to the detriment of research and development of cultural and biological control methods. Impacts on non-target organisms and emergence of resistance to chemical pesticides prompted the development of biopesticides as well as the implementation of integrated pest management, where pesticides are used compatibly as one of many control methods.

A Simple Model to Predict Scalar Dispersion within a Successively Thinned Loblolly Pine Canopy

Abstract Bark beetles kill millions of acres of trees in the United States annually by using chemical signaling to attack host trees en masse. As an attempt to control infestations, forest managers use synthetic semiochemical sources to attract beetles to traps and/or repel beetles from high-value resources such as trees and stands. The purpose of this study was to develop a simple numerical technique that may be used by forest managers as a guide in the placement of synthetic semiochemicals. The authors used a one-dimensional, one-equation turbulence model (k–lm) to drive a three-dimensional transport and dispersion model. Predictions were compared with observations from a unique tracer gas experiment conducted in a successively thinned loblolly pine canopy. Predictions of wind speed and turbulent kinetic energy compared well with observations. Scalar concentration was predicted well and trends of maximum observed concentration versus leaf area index were captured within 30 m of the release location. A h...

Predicting Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Antiaggregation Pheromone Concentrations using an Instantaneous Puff Dispersion Model

ABSTRACT An instantaneous puff dispersion model was used to assess concentration fields of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, antiaggregation pheromone, 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH), within a 1-ha circular plot. Several combinations of MCH release rate and releaser spacing were modeled to theoretically analyze optimal deployment strategies. The combinations of MCH release rate and releaser spacing used in the modeling exercise were based on results of previous field studies of treatment efficacy. Analyses of model results suggest that a release rate up to six times the initial standard, at a correspondingly wider spacing to keep the total amount of pheromone dispersed per unit area constant, may be effective at preventing Douglas-fir beetle infestation. The model outputs also provide a visual representation of pheromone dispersion patterns that can occur after deployment of release devices in the field. These results will help researchers and practitioners design more effective deployment strategies.

Predicted Deposition Variability Due to Fluctuations in Release Height and Drop Size Distribution

An extensive field study has been undertaken to quantify the aerial release of spray material through the changes in meteorology as the day progresses. An important subset of these collected data is one-second interval data of the aircraft behavior and the mechanical release systems. These unique data provide an excellent source of information on bounding the variability in the expected deposition patterns, and how this variability might impact any error bounds established around the time-averaged predictions generated by the AGDISP model. This paper quantifies the variability in aerial application parameters and makes suggestions with regard to possible implications of this variability on the variability of deposition predictions in the flight line direction.

Evaluating High Release Rate MCH (3-Methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one) Treatments for Reducing Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infestations.

Current recommendations for applying the antiaggregation pheromone 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH) to protect live trees from Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, infestation are to space individual passive releasers (MCH bubble capsules) on a 12- by 12-m grid throughout areas to be protected. Previous field studies and a theoretical study using a puff dispersion model to predict pheromone concentrations have shown that releasers emitting higher rates of MCH spaced farther apart may be as effective as the established standard treatment. During 2012 and 2013, we tested higher release rates of MCH at correspondingly wider spacings to keep the total amount of MCH released per unit area equal in all treatments. In 2012 near Challis, ID, treatments included the established standard release rate and spacing, four and six times the standard release rate at correspondingly wider spacings, and an untreated control. In 2013 near Ketchum, ID, treatments included the established standard release rate and spacing, five and seven times the standard release rate at correspondingly wider spacings, and an untreated control. Results from both years indicated that all MCH treatments were equally effective in reducing Douglas-fir beetle infestation. Using higher release rate formulations at wider spacings will reduce labor costs of installing MCH treatments, and, in cases where it is necessary, retrieving the releasers as well. In addition to reducing labor costs, the revised treatment protocol may increase the feasibility of treating areas that currently may not be possible due to treatment costs.

Aerial Release of Rhinoncomimus latipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to Control Persicaria perfoliata (Polygonaceae) Using An Unmanned Aerial System

BACKGROUNDnRhinoncomimus latipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major biological control agent against the invasive plant Persicaria perfoliata. Release of R. latipes is challenging with the current visit-and-hand release approach because P. perfoliata shows a high degree of patchiness in the landscape, possesses recurved barbs on its stems, and often spreads into hard-to-access areas. This 3-year study developed and evaluated unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for precise aerial release of R. latipes to control P. perfoliata.nnnRESULTSnWe have developed two UAS (i.e. quad-rotor and tri-rotor) and an aerial release system to disseminate R. latipes. These include pods containing R. latipes and a dispenser to accommodate eight pods. Results of field tests to evaluate the systems showed no significant (Pu2009>u20090.05) effects on survivorship and feeding ability of R. latipes after aerial release.nnnCONCLUSIONnOur study demonstrates the potential of UAS for precision aerial release of biological control agents to control invasive plants. The aerial deployment systems we have developed, including both pods and a dispenser, are low cost, logistically practical, and effective with no negative effects on aerially released R. latipes.

Modification of a Pollen Trap Design To Capture Airborne Conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga and Detection of Conidia by Quantitative PCR

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to develop effective and practical field sampling methods for quantification of aerial deposition of airborne conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga over space and time. This important fungal pathogen is a major cause of larval death in invasive gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations in the United States. Airborne conidia of this pathogen are relatively large (similar in size to pollen), with unusual characteristics, and require specialized methods for collection and quantification. Initially, dry sampling (settling of spores from the air onto a dry surface) was used to confirm the detectability of E. maimaiga at field sites with L. dispar deaths caused by E. maimaiga, using quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods. We then measured the signal degradation of conidial DNA on dry surfaces under field conditions, ultimately rejecting dry sampling as a reliable method due to rapid DNA degradation. We modified a chamber-style trap commonly used in palynology to capture settling spores in buffer. We tested this wet-trapping method in a large-scale (137-km) spore-trapping survey across gypsy moth outbreak regions in Pennsylvania undergoing epizootics, in the summer of 2016. Using 4-day collection periods during the period of late instar and pupal development, we detected variable amounts of target DNA settling from the air. The amounts declined over the season and with distance from the nearest defoliated area, indicating airborne spore dispersal from outbreak areas. IMPORTANCE We report on a method for trapping and quantifying airborne spores of Entomophaga maimaiga, an important fungal pathogen affecting gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations. This method can be used to track dispersal of E. maimaiga from epizootic areas and ultimately to provide critical understanding of the spatial dynamics of gypsy moth-pathogen interactions.

Spray Capture by a Riparian Barrier

A field study was conducted west of Corvallis, Oregon in the Coastal Range to evaluate the effectiveness of riparian barriers, as defined by the Oregon Forest Practice Act rules, in preventing herbicide deposition to streams. A helicopter sprayed two tracers (BSF and LiCl) over 4 transects (two each into a Medium Stream and a Small Stream barrier). Twenty trials were conducted resulting in over 1400 tracer samples. The preliminary conclusion of this study is that riparian barriers as currently defined in Oregon are effective at reducing the amount of deposition to streams. The effect is strongest when the potential for near field drift driven by wind speed is greatest with reductions shown here ranging from 58 to 96% of the fine droplet (driftable) fraction when compared to modeled controls. The reduction is less clear under low wind speed conditions but these conditions are not generally high drift scenarios and absolute deposition to downwind streams is low in these scenarios in any case.

Large Eddy Simulation of Near-Field Dispersion Within and Above Forest Canopies

Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the feasibility of predicting near field concentrations of a tracer gas within and above forest canopies. The current research is geared towards providing forest managers with a tool for developing anti-aggregation techniques to control the bark beetle. Several field experiments have been conducted in different forest canopies linking tracer gas concentration fields with meteorological and canopy parameters. Field experiment results are site and situation specific. Numerical simulations are far less expensive and allow for variation in virtually all flow parameters such as atmospheric stability, wind speed and direction, and turbulence intensity. As a first step, a CFD simulation has been used to study dispersion in a generic lodgepole pine forest canopy based on leaf area index (LAI) and stem density. Steady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) solutions were computed using the k-e and Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) turbulence closure models. These solutions provide insight into in-canopy dispersion; however they do not fully capture the dynamics of the flow. The current work uses large eddy simulation (LES). LES resolves large flow dominated eddies while modeling smaller eddies using a sub grid scale model. Unsteady LES, can be used to capture the dynamics of flow within a canopy, including large rolling eddies above the canopy, bursting and sweeping within the canopy, multiple shear layers, and drainage flows.Copyright