4th International Workshop on the Management of Diamondback Moth (plutella xylostella) and other Crucifer Pests

Tony Shelton
Cornell University, NYSAES, Dept. of Entomology, Geneva NY, USA

"Management of The Diamondback Moth: Déjà vu All Over Again?"

Tony Shelton is Professor of Entomology and Associate Director of Research for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. He received his BA degree in classics and philosophy form St. Mary's College of California, and his MS and Ph.D. degrees in entomology from the University of California at Riverside. In 1979 he joined the faculty of entomology at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station with responsibilities for developing pest management programs for insects on vegetables, primarily crucifers, sweet corn and onions. His work has focused on developing sampling plans and economic thresholds, conservation and enhancement of biological control agents, effective use of insecticides, host plant resistance, and insect movement on small and large scales. For the last 10 years his research program has also included studies on insecticide resistance and the use of Bt transgenic plants.

David Heckel
Department of Genetics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

"Genetics and molecular biology of diamondback moth resistance to Bt: Relevance to detection and management"

David G. Heckel studies the genetic basis of chemical and biological insecticide resistance in Lepidopteran crop pests. Species of particular interest are Heliothis virescens, Helicoverpa armigera, and Plutella xylostella. Research has focused on chemical insecticides where the targets and resistance mechanisms are well-known, and on Bacillus thuringiensis where most of these have yet to be discovered. More recently, a major effort to unify the linkage maps of all Lepidoptera using a common set of anchor loci has begun. Dr. Heckel received his PhD from Stanford University in 1980. He lectured and conducted research at Clemson University in South Carolina, USA for 19 years before moving to his current position in the Department of Genetics at the University of Melbourne.

Michael Keller
Dept. of Applied and Molecular Ecology, University of Adelaide, South Australia

"Improving the integration of pest management practices: theoretical and practical challenges"

Mike Keller is a Senior Lecturer in entomology at Adelaide University. He received his Ph.D. at North Carolina State University in 1985 where he studied the population dynamics of Trichogramma species in agricultural ecosystems. He then studied parasitic wasps in cotton crops with the USDA in Georgia, before migrating to Australia in 1987. His research and teaching interests include the foraging behaviour of parasitic wasps, biological control and IPM systems for horticultural crops. Recently his research has focused on the behaviour and ecology of diamondback moth and its parasitoids as a part of the Australian national IPM program aimed at management of this pest.

Ary Hoffmann
Director, Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Researcg (CESAR), Latrobe University, Victoria, Australia

"What makes a good parasitoid? A Trichogramma perspective"

Ary Hoffmann is Professor of biological sciences at La Trobe and Director of the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research. His early work was on the evolutionary genetics of Drosophila and he has more recently developed a keen interest in the application of evolutionary principles to pest control. This has resulted in an extensive research program on IPM issues with a particular focus on using Trichogramma and other beneficials for controlling moth pests.

Stan Finch
Dept. of Entomological Sciences, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Research International, Wellesbourne, UK

A new theory of host-plant selection by insects-based on the behaviour of pest insects of cruciferous plants

Dr Stanley Finch was awarded his BSc in Botany & Zoology from Manchester University, UK, in 1963. He joined the Entomology section of the National Vegetable Research Station as an assistant scientific officer in 1963, and was awarded his PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 1969. Throughout his research career he has concentrated on the biology and behaviour of insect pests of vegetable crops and in particular on pest Diptera. He has studied a wide range of subjects including insect attractants/repellents, host-plant location, sterile-male release programmes and various methods for reducing insect infestations by the judicious use of cultural methods. His current research aim is to control pest insects of vegetables with the minimum amount of pesticide possible. To achieve this, his small research team spent about 15 years developing systems for forecasting accurately the timing of pest insect attacks. Specific forecasts, based on data collected at local meteorological stations are sent weekly to hundreds of growers within the United Kingdom and now form the basis of pest control decisions for four key pests. Now that certain field crops may be relatively free of pesticides in the near future, Dr Finch is concentrating his research effort on developing methods to enhance the effects of biological control agents (predators/parasitoids/microbials) under field conditions. In 1989, Dr Finch was awarded his DSc from the University of Birmingham. His research efforts were recognized further in 1990 with an Individual Merit Promotion from the Agriculture & Food Research Council, one of only two awarded in the 700-strong Institute, to enable him to concentrate solely on research. He agreed reluctantly to become the Head of Entomology at Horticulture Research International for two years, while the Institute looked for a new incumbent. Dr Finch is the British representative to the European Community on pest control in field vegetable crops and, until 1999, was convener of the Working Group of the International Organization for Biological Control concerned with Integrated Control in Field Vegetable Crops. He has written over 170 scientific papers, is an honorary lecturer at the University of Birmingham and an editor of Entomologia experimentalis et applicata. He is also a member of the Association of Applied Biologists, The British Ecological Society, the Entomological Society of America and the Royal Entomological Society, of which he is a past Vice President.

Tom Sparks
Dow AgroSciences LLC, USA

"New Insect Control Agents: Modes of Action and Selectivity"

Thomas C. Sparks, Ph.D. Dow AgroSciences 1989-present Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Currently Senior Research Scientist in Discovery Research, Project Creation Biology Group Research. Activities have included, insect neurotransmitters, the spinosyns and spinosoids, high throughput screening, insecticide biochemistry, quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR)

Liu Shu-sheng
Institute of Applied Entomology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

"Improvement of Crucifer IPM in the Changjiang River Valley, China: from research to practice"

Professor LIU Shu-sheng has interests and expertise in: The population ecology of aphids and other insect pests on vegetable crops. Interactions between insects and their parasitic natural enemies. Evaluation of biological control agents, in particular insect parasitoids. Development and implementation of biological control-based IPM in vegetable crops, in particular crucifers. He has published over 70 articles in refereed journals. In the last ten years, the focus of his research programs has been the development and implementation of improved management of insect pests in Brassica vegetable crops in the Changjiang River Valley, China. Education: PhD, 1984, Zoology, Australian National University.

Working experience: 1984-1986: Lecturer in Entomology, 1986-1991: Associate Professor in Entomology; 1991-1998: Professor in Entomology, Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang Agricultural University, Hangzhou, China 1998-present: Professor and Director, Institute of Applied Entomology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Honours: Recipient of the Silver Jubilee Award, International Foundation for Sciences, 2000; Recipient of China State Award for Outstanding Young Scientist, 1990.

A. Sivapragasam
Strategic, Environment and Natural Resources Center, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"Brassica IPM adoption: Progress and Constraints in Southeast Asia"

Dr. Sivapragasam (B.Sc. (Agric.), M.Sc. (Japan), Ph.D. (Malaya)) specialises in biological control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in tropical-agro-ecosystems. He is the Co-Chairman of the International Organisation of Biological Control -Working Group on Plutella Biocontrol and a senior research officer (entomologist) at MARDI. Dr Sivapragasam currently leads the following projects: 1) Strategies to manage Bacillus thuringiensis resistance in major lepidopterous pests of crucifers", 2) Management of agromyzid leafminers on chrysanthemums, 3) Development of pheromones for durian borers, Mudaria spp. and Conogethes punctiferalis, 4) Natural enemies for the beet army worm, Spodoptera exigua (in collaboration with the CABI-SEARC Partnership Facility project) and 5) Pest management in organically grown vegetables.

Conference Convener
Peter Ridland
Institute for Horticultural Development
Agriculture Victoria
Private Bag 15
South Eastern Mail Centre
Victoria 3176 Australia
Email: Peter.Ridland@nre.vic.gov.au

Conference Secretariat
Bronwen Hewitt
Conference Management
The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
Website: http://www.conferences.unimelb.edu.au/moth/
Email: bhewitt@unimelb.edu.au
Telephone: +61 (03) 8344 6389 Facsimile: +61 (03) 8344 6122

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