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Insect Of The Month - Pea Leaf Weevil

Feb 23, 2016

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Sitonia lineatus

Crops Affected:

Succulent peas, field legumes (field peas, dry beans, fababeans)

Life Cycle:

Adults overwinter in alfalfa or perennial crops
Adults move into annual crops by flying (if temperatures are above 17°C) or by walking short distances
Adults emerge in spring and females lay many eggs (1000+) near or sometimes on developing plants in May to June
Adults feed leaf margins and seedling growing points
Larvae move into the soil to feed on the nodules
Larvae undergo 5 instars and then pupate in the soil
New adults may emerge in summer and feed on any pulse crops that they can find before overwintering
Typically there is only one generation per year

Symptoms:

Adult feeding on leaf margins results in characteristic notched or scalloped appearance
Larval feeding on root nodules would not be visible unless plants are pulled up
Heavy infestations may result in severe defoliation and ragging of leaves
Damage may have more impact on younger seedlings
Plants that rely on nitrogen fixed within root nodules may be weakened

Source : Agriculture and Forestry

Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.