Entomology: Personnel
Entomology Faculty
David G. Riley Professor of Entomology Contact InformationAddress: Department of Entomology Phone: 229-386-3374 |
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Research and Outreach
Current research emphasis of the Vegetable Entomology Research Lab at Tifton is on vegetable crop insect pests. The specific kinds of investigation include plant-insect interaction, sampling, population dynamics, economic thresholds, host plant resistance, cultural controls, insecticide efficacy/resistance, and epidemiology associated with insect vectors of plant virus. Recent research projects have focused on the management of thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella fusca, as vectors of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in solanaceous crops, tomato and pepper, (http://www.gaipm.org/vegetable/thripstswv.html). The epidemiology of thrips vectored TSWV is being investigated relative to environmental and various management factors summarized in CAES Research Report 704, "Tospoviruses in Solanaceae and Other Crops in the Coastal Plain of Georgia" (http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubs/PDF/RR704.pdf)
Other vegetable insects that are researched in the Vegetable Entomology Lab include other thrips species, whiteflies, pepper weevil, diamondback moth, cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm, squash bug, horned squash bug, melon aphid, corn earworm, fall armyworm, pickleworm, leaffooted bugs, cucumber beetles and others. Current IPM information on vegetable pests and individual pest fact sheets are being summarized on a new vegetable insect management web page that is under construction (http://www.caes.uga.edu/departments/ent/personnel/faculty/riley/
vegcrops/insectsvegcrop.html). My lab attempts to address the most critical vegetable insect research problems in the State of Georgia's more than 33 vegetable crops. These crops have a farm gate value of approximately one billion dollars and are critical to the State's economy each year. A recent problem of particular importance being addressed in the Vegetable Entomology Lab is insecticide resistance in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. This insect is causing severe problems for cabbage and collard greens growers in Georgia. It also has chemical companies and regulatory agencies worried about continued selection for resistance against current and new insecticides (http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C899.htm).
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Vegetable Entomology Lab 2005 at the Tifton Campus |
Teaching
Currently (2006), two graduate students in the Vegetable Entomology Lab are investigating thrips relative to TSWV host vegetable crops, including tomato and pepper. One PhD student, Anitha Chitturi, is working collaboratively with the Agricultural University in Hyderabad, India, through an IPM CRSP grant to survey thrips vectors species in India. A second MS Student, Gina Angelella, will be investigating the effect of pollen on thrips behavior here in Georgia. Another MS student, James "Shine" Taylor, just completed work (Summer 2006) on an economic injury level for the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, in tomato and is continuing on for his PhD at the University of Florida. Two recent PhD graduates, P. Houston Joost (currently a Regional Product Management for FMC) and Chatchawan Chaisuekul (currently teaching at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand) conducted research on thrips feeding behavior and reproduction, respectively.
A new course that was developed recently taught at the Tifton Campus was ENTO 4350 Crop-Specific Insect Management (http://www.ent.uga.edu/syllabi/ento4350.pdf). Other courses that have been or will be taught at the Tifton Campus are ENTO 3900 Special Problems in Entomology and ENTO 4000/6000 General Entomology.
Selected Refereed Journal Articles
Riley, D. G., and M. A. Ciomperlik. 1997. Whitefly (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and associated parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) population dynamics in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Environ. Entomol. 26: 1049-1055.
Wolfenbarger, D. A., D. G. Riley, G.L. Leibee, E.V. Gage, C.A. Staetz, G.A. Herzog. 1998. Response of b-strain sweetpotato whitefly to bifenthrin and endosulfan by vial bioassay in the southern United States. J. Entomol. Science 33(4): 412-420.
Naranjo, S. E., C. C. Chu, P. C. Ellsworth, T. J. Henneberry, R. L. Nichols, D. G. Riley, and T. F. Watson. 1998. Action thresholds for the management of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in cotton. J. Econ. Entomol. 91:1415-1426.
Riley, D. G., W. Tan, and D. A. Wolfenbarger. 1999. Characterization of esterase isozymes from bifenthrin susceptible, resistant and crossed strains of the silverleaf whitefly (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). J. Entomol. Science. 34: 295-304.
Riley, D. G. and H Pappu. 2000. Evaluation of tactics for management of thrips-vectored tomato spotted wilt Tospovirus in tomato. Plant Disease 84: 847-852.
Riley, D. G., W. Tan, and D. A. Wolfenbarger. 2000. Activity of enzymes associated with inheritance of bifenthrin resistance in the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii. Southwestern Entomol. 25: 201-211.
Riley, D., D. Batal, and D. Wolff. 2001. Resistance in Glabrous-type Cucumis melo L. to whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). J. Entomological Science 36: 46-56.
Nava-Camberos, U., D. G. Riley, and M. K. Harris. 2001. Density-yield relationships and economic injury levels of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Cantaloupe. J. Econ. Entomol. 94: 180-189.
Nava-Camberos, U., D. G. Riley, and M. K. Harris. 2001. Temperature and host plant effects on development, survival, and fecundity of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Environ. Entomol. 30: 55-63.
Chaisuekul, C. and D. G. Riley. 2001. Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) feeding response to concentrations of imidacloprid in tomato leaf tissue. J. Entomol. Sci. 36: 315-317.
Riley, D. G., and W. Tan. 2002. Increased vigor in whitefly (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) associated with bifenthrin-resistant males. J. of Entomological Science 37: 77-82.
Chaisuekul, C., D. Riley, and H. Pappu. 2003. Transmission of tomato spotted wilt virus to tomato plants of different ages. J. Entomological Science 38: 126-135.
Riley, D. G., and W. Tan. 2003. Host plant effects on resistance to bifenthrin in silverleaf whitefly (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 96: 1315-1321.
Joost, P.H. and D. G. Riley. 2004. Sampling techniques for thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in pre-flowering tomato. J. Econ. Entomol. 97: 1450-1454.
Riley, D. and H. Pappu. 2004. Tactics for management of thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Tomato Spotted Wilt Tospovirus in tomato. J. Econ. Entomol 97: 1648-1658.
Joost, P.H. and D. G. Riley. 2005. Imidacloprid effects on probing and settling behavior of Frankliniella fusca and Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in tomato. J. Econ. Entomol. 98: 1622-1629.
Chaisuekul, C. and D. G. Riley. 2005. Host plant, temperature, and photoperiod effects on ovipositional preference of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 98: 2107-2113.
Riley, D., R. McPherson, and L. Wells. 2005. Thrips vectors of TSWV, pp 13-16. In Tospoviruses in Solanaceous and Other Crops in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Research Report 704. College of Agric. & Environ. Sciences. Athens, GA. 39 pp.
Riley, D., R. McPherson, L. Wells, and S. Brown. 2005. Management of thrips vectors of TSWV, pp 24-26. In Tospoviruses in Solanaceous and Other Crops in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Research Report 704. College of Agric. & Environ. Sciences. 39 pp.
McPherson, R. M. and D. G. Riley. 2006. Monitoring thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) presence in flue-cured tobacco using yellow sticky traps. J. Entomol. Sci. 41: 170-178.
Kuhar, T. P., W. D. Hutchison, J. Whalen, D. G. Riley, J. C. Meneley, H. B. Doughty, E. C. Burkness, and S. J. Wold-Burkness. 2006. Field evaluation of a novel lure for trapping seedcorn maggot adults. Online. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2006-0606-01-BR.
Chitturi, A., D. G. Riley, and P. H. Joost. 2006. Effect of pine pollen on settling behavior of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on tomato and peanut. Environ. Entomol. 35: 1396-1403.
Riley, D. G. 2007. Effect of imidacloprid on the settling behavior of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on tomato and peanut. J. Entomol. Sci. 42: 74-83.
Riley, D. G. 2007. Distribution of grasshoppers and katydids (Orthoptera: Acrididae and Tettigoniidae) in leafy greens prior to mechanical harvest. J. Entomol. Sci. 42(2): 261-271.
Taylor, J. E. and D. G. Riley. 2007. The use of metaflumizone against beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, to estimate an action threshold in tomato. J. Entomol. Sci. 42: (In press)
Riley, D. G., A. Chitturi, and A. N. Sparks, Jr. 2007. Does natural deposition of pine pollen affect the ovipositional behavior of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)? Entomol. Exp. et Appl. 124: 133-141.
Joost, H. and D. G. Riley. 2007. Tomato plant and leaf age effects on the probing and settling behavior of Frankliniella fusca and Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Environ. Entomol. (In press)
Taylor, J. E. and D. G. Riley. 2007. Artificial infestations of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, in tomato to estimate an economic injury level. Crop Protection (In press doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2007.05.014).