Karen M. Jetter

The economic impact of Scirtothrips perseae Nakahara (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on California avocado production

In 1996, Scirtothrips perseae Nakahara (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) invaded California avocado orchards and moved pest management practices that relied almost exclusively on biological control to strategies dependent on insecticides to maintain thrips densities below economically damaging levels. By 1998, average losses due to thrips feeding damage in untreated infested groves reduced industry revenues by 12%. Producer costs increased by about 4.5% when S. perseae populations required management. In the short run (i.e., the time period during which the industry adapts to managing a new pest), producers cannot fully adapt to increases in production costs and the annualcost of S. perseae to producers with a thrips infestation is estimated to be

Increasing fresh fruit and vegetable availability in a low-income neighborhood convenience store: a pilot study.

8.65 million (US). In the long run (i.e., the time period after which the industry has fully adapted to the effects of a new pest), producers are able to fully reallocate resources to their most efficient use and the annual cost of S. perseae is calculated to be

Classical Biological Control of Invasive Legacy Crop Pests: New Technologies Offer Opportunities to Revisit Old Pest Problems in Perennial Tree Crops

5.22 million (US) per year. For the entire USA avocado industry, the annual short-run loss attributable to S. perseae in California is calculated to be

Building Research Capacity With Members of Underserved American Indian/Alaskan Native Communities: Training in Research Ethics and the Protection of Human Subjects

8.51 million (US) and

The Availability and Cost of Healthier Food Alternatives

4.45 million (US) in the long run. r 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is Price a Barrier to Eating More Fruits and Vegetables for Low-Income Families?

Changing the food environment in low-income communities may be an effective way to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers. This study examines the impacts of a pilot study that increases the availability of fresh produce in a convenience store in a low-income neighborhood not served by a supermarket. Two hypotheses based on theories of technology adoption are tested regarding the lack of fresh produce in low-income neighborhood stores: the first is that high fixed costs present a barrier for store owners in developing produce sections; the second is that there is insufficient consumer demand to cover the variable costs of a fresh produce section. The impacts of changing the food environment on store owners and the consumer response to environmental change are measured through weekly inventories of fresh produce. The results show that fixed costs are one barrier for store owners and that although the consumer response is sufficient to cover the direct costs of operating the produce case, it is not enough to cover variable management costs. Consequently, alternative management paradigms or venues may offer a better method to meet the demand for fresh produce by low-income consumers to promote better health through healthier diets in low-income communities.

Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for biological control in the urban landscape

Advances in scientific disciplines that support classical biological control have provided “new tools” that could have important applications for biocontrol programs for some long-established invasive arthropod pests. We suggest that these previously unavailable tools should be used in biological control programs targeting “legacy pests”, even if they have been targets of previously unsuccessful biocontrol projects. Examples of “new tools” include molecular analyses to verify species identities and likely geographic area of origin, climate matching and ecological niche modeling, preservation of natural enemy genetic diversity in quarantine, the use of theory from invasion biology to maximize establishment likelihoods for natural enemies, and improved understanding of the interactions between natural enemy and target pest microbiomes. This review suggests that opportunities exist for revisiting old pest problems and funding research programs using “new tools” for developing biological control programs for “legacy pests” could provide permanent suppression of some seemingly intractable pest problems. As a case study, we use citricola scale, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum, an invasive legacy pest of California citrus, to demonstrate the potential of new tools to support a new classical biological control program targeting this insect.

Economic framework for decision making in biological control

Objective. To develop a research ethics training course for American Indian/Alaskan Native health clinic staff and community researchers who would be conducting human subjects research. Method. Community-based participatory research methods were used in facilitated discussions of research ethics centered around topics included in the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative research ethics course. Results. The community-based participatory research approach allowed all partners to jointly develop a research ethics training program that was relevant for American Indian/Alaskan Native communities. All community and clinic partners were able to pass the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative course they were required to pass so that they could be certified to conduct research with human subjects on federally funded projects. In addition, the training sessions provided a foundation for increased community oversight of research. Conclusions. By using a collaborative process to engage community partners in research ethics discussions, rather than either an asynchronous online or a lecture/presentation format, resulted in significant mutual learning about research ethics and community concerns about research. This approach requires university researchers to invest time in learning about the communities in which they will be working prior to the training.