The Development of Integrated Pest Management in Floriculture 1993 proposal
in Floriculture
This proposal continues research initiated over the past few years which
has emphasized the
development and implementation of integrated pest management strategies
in floriculture with a focus on
biological control. The project covers a broad range of arthropod pests
attacking the major floricultural
crops in the U.S. A major objective is to formulate practical alternatives
to pesticides in floriculture and
still provide for the production of a high quality products. My 1993
proposal includes the following areas:
Biological Control
Each year more and more is written about biological control in professional
and trade journals.
There is little doubt that the trade publications are well aware that
Pest Management and Biological Control
are popular subjects. Based on this one might think that it is being
widely adopted by our industry. More
and more growers are utilizing biological control and it is common
to see these growers at national and
local meetings where they discuss their successes and failures. These
grower testimonials are very
important in trying to pursuade others to try biological control and
this, in itself, is indicative that progress
is being made. However, we are still a long way from wide scale adoption.
There are essentially two
reasons for this: 1) lack of essential information on which natural
enemies to use and how to use them
effectively, and 2) a lack of wide scale implementation and grower
education in situations where this
information is available.
Basic biological studies will continue on selected natural enemies in
an effort to evaluate the control
potential of each. In addition, this will provide us with information
on how to best use these in actual
release programs with cooperating growers. Implementation of IPM/biological
control studies with
cooperating chrysanthemum growers will be expanded into four locations
in California. This will
complement a national effort outlined in a separate grant proposal
to the Endowment.
With all the attention concentrated on whiteflies over the past several
years, there is one pest that
remains as difficult to control as ever–the western flower thrips.
In addition, there appears to be very few
promising natural enemies available. My Endowment proposal for 1993,
while still examining biological
control of whiteflies and aphids, will concentrate more on biological
control of the western flower thrips.
Biological Studies
Research will continue in this area following the same format as last
year’s proposal; however, the
primary focus will be on the western flower thrips. In addition, life
histories of selected natural enemies
will be studied with the overall objective of evaluating them for their
effectiveness in biological control
programs in greenhouses. Emphasis will be placed on parasites, predators
and pathogens of western
flower thrips, aphids and whiteflies.
Data on the distribution and abundance of selected pests in various
greenhouse crops will be
collected. This will provide a means of accurately assessing pest populations
in greenhouses. Whiteflies
will continue to be the focus of this work and this should be completed
within the next year.
Pesticide Efficacy and Compatibility
New pesticide registrations for the floriculture industry in the area
of ‘biorational’ type materials
are on the increase while the registration of more traditional pesticides
is still declining. These materials are
critical for our industry as traditional materials continue to be lost;
the pesticides produced by Dupont are
the most recent to be forfeited (and perhaps the most significant lost
to date). These ‘biorational’ products
will probably be the chemical pest control tools of the future.
New biorational materials may be more compatible (in some cases) with
natural enemies and,
hence, may fit into an overall integrated program where biological
control and pesticides are used together
to control pests. There are some promising new biorational materials
for control of western flower thrips,
whiteflies, aphids, and mites. Consequently, screening these insecticides
for efficacy against the target
pest and for compatibility with potential biological control agents
is an important part of this project. We
will continue to monitor for insecticide resistance development in
the greenhouse for the major pests and
work toward a system of coping with this serious threat to the industry.
We will continue working with
the western flower thrips and this will be expanded to include spider
mite populations with suspected
resistance to Avid.
Literature Review
Literature continues to be compiled in my laboratory on all the major
pests in floriculture.
OUTLINE OF PROPOSED RESEARCH
1. Biological Control
a. Evaluate the potential of a new nematode species, Thripinema
aptini discovered in a rosegrower’s range in California, for control of the western flower thrips.
We have been in contact with thecommercial company, Biosys, which currently produces most of the commerically
available nematodesand they are definitely interested in T aptini.
b. Continue the evaluation of natural enemies, on a comparative basis,
for biological control ofselected pests in greenhouses. This will focus on selected parasites,
predators and pathogens ofgreenhouse and sweetpotato whiteflies.
c. Continue studies on biological control of the the melon and green
peach aphid using thecommercially available predator, Chrysoperla spp. and the naturally
occurring parasitoid, Lysiphlebusspp., and the commercially available parasitoid, Aphidius matricariae.
d. Evaluate the potential of a commercially available fungus to control
the western flower thrips,the sweetpotato whitefly and aphids.
e. Initiate the second year of statewide implementation of an IPM/Biological
Control Program forpotted chrysanthemums.
2 Biological Studies
a. Continue studies of the basic biology of thrips in an effort
to understand feeding, oviposition,and pupation behavior in selected floriculture crops.
b. Continue studies on the distribution and population development
of pests in various greenhousecrops. The purpose here is to develop decision-making sampling plans
that growers can use in addition topopulation level sampling which can be used where more detailed information
is needed for researchpurposes.
3. Pesticide Efficacy and Compatibility
a. Continue the search for new pesticides which have potential
for use in floriculture. Maintaincontinued contact with chemical manufacturers to assure that the ornamentals
industry is not overlookedfor potential registrations. Assist in labeling materials for ornamentals
and help fill in data gaps formaterials undergoing reregistration.
b. Evaluate new and old pesticides for compatibility with selected
natural enemies in culture at UCDavis. The main focus will be on leafminer and whitefly parasites.
c. Continue monitoring for insecticide resistance in the western flower
thrips and developalternative strategies for controlling these arthropods and for managing
the development of resistance.Because of suspected problems with resistance to Avid in spider mites
in roses and other crops inCalifornia, a resistance project on this pest will be initiated.
4. Literature Review
Data and references are continually compiled which deal with arthropod
pest problems and their
control in greenhouses around the world.
B. DETAILED PROPOSAL
Note: Because of the size of my project, the number of people involved,
the amount of
work proposed, and the fact that it is a mulitple year project, it
is impossible to present
a totally new grant proposal each year. Much of this year’s proposal
is similar to my
1992 Endowment grant with slight modifications. The portion of this
proposal that
presents a new area of research is on biological control of the western
flower thrips.
This is all new information and so is expanded more fully and takes
up most of the ten
page limit for the 1993 proposal. My full proposal is 37 pages long.
This is available
for anyone wishing to see more detail for each section. A copy of this
full proposal has
been sent to Betty Abrams.
Introduction and Background Information/Review of Significant Literature
I & 2. Biological control of the western flower thrips with the
nematode, Thripinema
aptini
Western flower thrips continue to be major pests of ornamental plantings
because of their ability to
distort plant growth, scar flowers and vector tomato spotted wilt virus.
Life history characteristics of this
species together with increased frequency of insecticide resistance
and the absence of effective natural
enemies mandate the evaluation of novel thrips management techniques.
An entomogenous nematode,
Thripinema aptini, parasitizes female thrips and may leave the adult
thrips infertile. Unlike other natural
enemies of western flower thrips, T aptini may infect thrips in the
actual microhabitat preferred by the
thrips in floricultural greenhouses. While this nematode has been isolated
from thrips in California, almost
nothing is known about the nematode’s biology or its impact on thrips
populations. The immediate
objectives of this project are: (1) to determine which factors influence
T. aptini parasitization rates, (2) to
quantify the impact of parasitization on thrips feeding, oviposition
and development, and (3) to document
the within plant distribution of T aptini.
Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is the
most prevalent species of thrips
attacking ornamental plantings in the United States and Canada (Robb
and Parrella 1991). Reasons for this
elevated pest status include a very large host range, a rapid development
cycle, and a high reproductive rate
(see Lewis 1973, and Robb 1989 for reviews). Many weeds and field crops
serve as hosts for the pest, so
localized pest control measures provide only ephemeral relief due to
rapid reinfestation from migrating
thrips (Robb 1989).
Frankliniella occidentalis may feed on young seedlings or the apical
meristem resulting in distorted
growth. They also may severely scar flowers where they feed on the
petals. While this feeding injury is
aesthetically undesirable, an additional threat to ornamental plantings
is from the transmission of tomato
spotted wilt virus (Robb 1989). The virus is spread by only a few species
of thrips, one of which is F.
occidentalis (Best 1968). Because thrips are small and because they
feed deep within young, terminal
foliage and developing flowers, early detection is difficult. Visible
damage from western flower thrips is
easily identified, but it often goes undiscovered until a large population
is present.
Chemical control has been the tactic of choice for western flower thrips
management by most
growers. Over the past several years, there have been increasing reports
of failures to control western
flower thrips with up to three insecticide applications per week. Studies
by Robb (1989) suggested that F.
occidentalis may have developed resistance to chlorpyrifos, dimethoate,
and cyfluthrin. Immaraju et al.
(1992) have also demonstrated western flower thrips resistance to four
classes of insecticides, including
two pyrethroids (permethrin and bifenthrin), an organophosphate (chlorpyrifos),
a carbamate (methomyl)
and a macrocylic lactone (abamectin).
One alternative to chemical control that has received limited attention
is the use of natural enemies
for control of western flower thrips. While several predators have
successfully controlled thrips on
glasshouse grown sweet pepper and cucumber in Europe and Canada (Gilkeson
et al. 1990, Lindquist
1990, Ramakers 1990, Tellier & Steiner 1990), these natural enemies
have not provided similar results in
floricultural crops. Releases of the predaceous mites Amblyseius cucumeris
Ouds. or A. barkeri (Hughes)
onto chrysanthemum (2.5 mites per leaf) were unable to reduce western
flower thrips densities below 2-7
thrips per leaf (Hessein & Parrella 1990). It should also be noted
that the meristems and flower buds, the
preferred feeding and oviposition sites of western flower thrips, were
not examined in this mite study.
Orius sp. have been noted as voracious predators of western flower
thrips in the laboratory. However, in
greenhouse biological control studies, O. insidiosus (Say) released
into F. occidentalis infested marigolds
were unable to reduce thrips populations below 17.7 thrips per five
flowers (Smitley 1992). It has been
suggested that arthropod natural enemies of thrips are physically hindered
from entering tight flower buds
or meristematic tissue due to their relatively large arthropod body
size.
Therefore, arthropod naturalenemies may be unable to impact thrips populations
in the preferred thrips
microhabitat.
Two entomopathogenic fungi have been investigated as potential components
in thrips
management: Verticillium lecanii (Zimmermann) Viegas and Entomophthora
sp. (Oetting & Beshear
1991). Verticillium lecanii has been developed into a commercial formulation
for application against
insects, but is severely limited by the requirement for very high relative
humidity, and even free moisture
on the leaf surfaces is needed for best results (Milner & Lutton
1986). Entomophthora parvispora and E.
thripidium eject conidia at relative humidity as low as 50% (Wilding
1981), but best results are again
obtained at higher humidities. These fungi cannot be produced by conventional
mycological methods and,
therefore, cannot be commercially produced until techniques are developed.
Entomogenous nematodes have been underutilized as biological control
agents for use in
ornamental crops. Nematodes have been used successfully in situations
that protect them from desiccation,
radiation and temperature extremes (Kaya 1985); exactly the situations
represented by tight flower buds
and meristematic tissues where thrips control is most difficult in
ornamental plants. The invisibility of
these microscopic natural enemies are especially suited for use by
the entomophobic general public (Byrne
& Carpenter 1986). Furthermore, entomogenous nematodes are well
suited to IPM programs in that
certain fungicides, herbicides, miticides, and nematocides have little
or no adverse effects on the nematode
stages (Welch 1971, Dutky 1974, Fedorko et al. 1977). The long-range
objective of the project, of which
this proposal is a component, is to develop a pest management program
based on minimal pesticide inputs
for the suppression of F. occidentalis infesting floricultural greenhouses.
Commercially available
nematodes (Steinernema cargo) are broad, general feeders which attack
almost any host. However,
they are not recommended for control of western flower thrips. There
are reports that these nematodes
have been effective, but these are subjective and cannot be substantiated.
A nematode more specific for
attacking thrips may have greater control potential, and we have found
such a nematode in California.
The occurrence of an entomophilic nematode parasitizing F. occidenialis
was first reported by
Wilson and Cooley (1972). The nematode, Thripinema aptini (=Howardula
aptini (Sharga 1932, Reddy et
al. 19821), was isolated from thrips infesting broomweed flowers, Xanthocephalum
microcephalum
(DC.) in El Paso, Texas. Greene and Parrella (unpublished data) have
recently collected F. occidentalis
parasitized by T. aptini from garden roses (in Davis, CA) and from
greenhouse roses (in Goleta, CA)
receiving frequent pesticide applications. This latter observation
supports the possible integration of T.
aptini with chemical control programs.
While little is known about the biology of this nematode, Nickle and
Wood (1964) suggest that the
larval thrips are probably attacked by the fertilized infective, adult
female nematodes. Upon thrips
parasitization, the nematode probably swells up in the abdomen of the
immature thrips, and when the
thrips becomes an adult the large adult parasitic female nematode oviposites
in the haemolymph. These
eggs hatch rapidly and undergo development as evidenced by observations
of numerous nematodes found
in the body cavity of parasitized thrips specimens. A similar phenomenon
has been observed by Greene
and Parrella (unpublished data) in F. occidentalis collected from garden
and greenhouse roses in
California. Nickle and Wood (1964) further stated that parasitized
thrips probably do not produce eggs, as
the ovarial tissue is greatly reduced by the nematode. No eggs were
present in infected thrips abdomens,
while eggs were observed in many of the nonparasitized female thrips.
However, careful studies are still
needed to document the epidemiology of initial nematode parasitization
and thrips age-specific fecundity.
Furthermore, the relationship between thrips feeding and nematode parasitization
must be quantified to
evaluate the potential of this natural enemy to limit the spread of
tomato spotted wilt virus.
The rate of thrips parasitization by Thripinema sp. fluctuates considerably
throughout collection
localities and seasons; the lowest parasitism in spring and the highest
in summer (Lysaght 1937).
Thripinema nicklewoodi parasitized up to 71% of one sample of thrips
from New Brunswick, Canada
(Nickle & Wood 1964) and T. reniraoi occurred in 63% of Megaluriothrips
in India (Reddy et al. 1982).
The factors influencing these fluctuations in abundance and distribution
of parasitized thrips am currently unknown.
3. Objectives of Proposed Research
1) Determine the relative importance of environment (temperature, humidity,
other species and host
plant), phenotype (morphology and microhabitat preference) and genotype
(genetic constitution) on
parasitization of western flower thrips (F. occidentalis) by the entomogenous
nematode, T. aptini.
2) Quantify the impact of T. aptini parasitization on F. occidentalis
feeding, oviposition and development
3) Determine the within plant location of the free-living, parasitizing
form of T aplini.
4. Materials and Methods
1) Determine factors influencing parasitization of F. occidentalis
Samples will be collected every two months from two sites in each of
six specified locations. This
periodic sampling effort is necessary to document variation between
seasons within years and variations
between years. We have included outdoor sampling sites because this
nematode is native to California and
occurs naturally. By examining its dynamics in a natural setting as
well as in the greenhouse, we should
gain a greater understanding of factors affecting its abundance. Five
host plants (roses, impatiens,
iceplant, and two locally common, flowering weed species) will be sampled
using the techniques
described by Robb (1989). At least 30 F. occidentalis infested foliage/flower
samples will be collected
from each host plant within each site.
Factors influencing the abundance and distribution of parasitized thrips
can be aligned into three
general categories: environment, phenotype and genotype (Krebs 1978).
The influence of four
environmental parameters on thrips parasitization (host plant, temperature,
humidity and other thrips
species) will be examined over the course of the study. Host plants
have been predetermined (see above)
and temperature and humidity data will be obtained from local weather
stations (Climatological Data,
California; U.S. Environmental Data Service & The Statewide Integrated
Pest Management Program) as
well as from climate information obtained from cooperating greenhouses.
The abundance of other species
and their level of nematode parasitization will also be quantified
for each sample to evaluate the role of
interspecific interactions. Parasitism will be documented by microscopic
inspection of squashed
specimens.
Two measures of phenotype, morphology and microhabitat preference, will
be determined for
collected thrips and nematodes. The morphological variables to be measured
will be color, body size,
developmental stage and sex. Levels of parasitization will be quantified
for four distinct microhabitats:
open flowers, closed flower buds, vegetative terminals and open foliage.
Polymerase chain reaction and random amplified polymorphic-DNA markers
will be used to
document the impact of genetic variability on parasitization of F.
occidentalis by T aptini from each host
plant and collection site using the techniques outlined by Caswell-Chen
et al. (1992). These techniques
possess many desirable characteristics; they do not require the use
of radioisotopes, they are labor
efficient, and they are extremely sensitive. The genetic information
can also form the basis for T. aptini
strain selections as part of augmentative biological control programs
in the future.
Categorical data will be analyzed using a multiple analysis-of-variance
(SAS Institute Inc. 1988).
Continuous variables will be regressed on F. occidentalis and T. aptini
abundances using multiple
regression. To avoid difficulties of high intercorrelations among environmental
variables in multiple
regressions (Marriot 1974), a principle component analysis will be
used to create a reduced number of
orthogonal variables. Species densities will then he regressed on these
independent variables using
stepwise multiple regression (SAS Institute Inc. 1988).
2) Impact of T aptini on F. occidentalis life history
We currently know of only two published reports describing the interaction
between Frankliniella
sp. and Thripinema sp. (Nickle & Wood 1964, Wilson & Cooley
1972), and neither of these reports
involves ornamental horticulture. Furthermore, both of these reports
rely heavily on anecdotal
observations. To form the foundation for more detailed studies, two
cultures of F. occidentalis will be
established in laboratory facilities at UC Davis; one Culture will
be infected with T. aprini, and the other
will be T. aptini-free.
Life table statistics will be calculated by individually caging 30 pairs
(1 male & 1 female) of
infected and uninfected thrips on rose or impatiens cuttings. The cuttings
will be housed in a temperature
cabinet set at 26 C and 14L:10D, and the cuttings will be changed every
two days until the female thrips
dies. Dead thrips will be examined microscopically to verify parasitization
by T. aptini. The number of
thrips eggs oviposited into each cutting, and the number of feeding
scars and frass deposits will be
nbsp; counted as measures of fecundity and feeding, respectively. Following
the technique described by Robb
(1989), Frankliniella occidentalis development rate will be measured
by placing newly eclosed individuals
into munger cells compressed onto a rose or impatiens leaf and containing
at least 50 pollen grains as a
food source. The leaf petioles will be placed in a water pan to minimize
leaf degradation. The cells will be
checked every six hours and the larval instar recorded. Cells will
be terminated upon adult emergence.
One to three individuals from each parental line in the oviposition
study will be included in this
development study. Differences between parasitized and unparasitized
thrips will be detected using 1-way
ANOVAs (SAS Institute Inc. 1988).
3) Determine location of the free-living, parasitizing form of T.
aptini
During the second year of the study, whole plant samples will periodically
be collected from
geographical area having moderate to high densities of T. aptini during
the first year of the study.
Morphologically distinct sections of the plants (open flowers, flower
buds, vegetative terminals, leaves
and stems) will be washed separately with 50% EtOH.The alcohol wash
will be collected, centrifuged and
the resulting supernatant discarded. The remaining precipitate will
be examined microscopically for the
presence of free-living T. aptini.
5 Facilities and Equipment
I currently occupy four laboratories at UC Davis and four greenhouses.
This past year I moved
into a new and larger laboratory. A new greenhouse exclusively for
my use has recently been completed
and we are in the final phase of converting a trailer into an insectary
where I can better raise the natural
enemies discussed in this grant. I still receive generous donations
of carnations and chrysanthemums
(courtesy of Yoder Brothers and the California Plant Company, respectively)
and poinsettias (courtesy of
Paul Ecke Poinsettias) on a weekly basis.
I currently have one Staff Research Associate (runs the lab, rearing,
conducts trials with farm
advisors), one full and several part-time Laboratory Assistant IIs
(rearing, efficacy and compatibility
trials), one postgraduate research scientist (working on aspects of
biological control in greenhouses), one
Ph.D. student (biology and biological control of whiteflies), three
Master’s students (biology and control
of thrips, implementing IPM strategies in chrysanthemum, and working
with the biological control of the
sweetpotato whitefly) and several part-time Laboratory Assistants.
My laboratories are equipped to handle all of the above studies, with
five controlled environmental
cabinets, eight microscopes including four new Wild microscopes, sufficient
temperature recording
devices from Omnidata International Inc, a Licor 3100 leaf area meter,
six personal computers (three IBMs
and three Macintoshes), two laser printers and a full complement of
video equipment for macro-
photography. There is a direct link from my lab to the main computer
on campus. I also have a full-time
University vehicle for field research. In addition, I have recently
purchased the necessary equipment to
conduct polymerase chain reaction studies with the T. aptini. Such
work has become routine in
entomology laboratories at UC Davis, and I have the full cooperation
of four other laboratories currently
involved in this type of research.
My request from the Endowment is for the continued support of two full-time
Laboratory Assistant
IIs and for supplies and expenses. The Laboratory Assistants form vital
components of the overall project;
they do the lion’s share of the day-to-day data collection and colony
maintenance. The request for the a
second full-time person is to continue with the expanded portion of
the implementation phase of this
project.
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of Biological Control
Technical Communication 4: 62-66.
Wilding, N. 1981. Pest control by Entomophthorales, pp. 539-554. In
H.D. Burges (ed.),
Microbial Control of Pests and Plant Diseases 1970-1980. Academic Press,
New York.
7. Detailed Budget
2 full time Laboratory Assistant II $ 4930.00/month
(includes benefits)
Total Request $ 59,166.00
Note: This Funding is requested for individuals already in these positions
based on
funding from last year. They are well-trained workers who perform the
detailed work
outlined in this project very well. Salaries for all University of
California employees
have been cut by 5% this year, so my request is slightly reduced from
1992. All those
students and postdoctoral scientists working with me would prefer to
remain associated
with the floriculture industry after they complete their studies. The
individuals with me
at the present time requested to be a part of my project, I did not
have to seek them out.
If I had the funds and more time, I would have more students: I was
forced to turn
some qualified students away this year.
C. PROJECT LEADER QUALIFICATIONS
Dr. Parrella’s responsibilities at Davis are 90% research and 10% teaching
in addition to being
Chairman of the Department of Entomology. He has a joint appointment
in the Departments of
Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. He teaches Economic Entomology
and contributes to other
courses in the Department of Entomology, in the Plant Sciences, and
in the Department of Environmental
Horticulture. His research program concentrates in the area of ornamentals
with a focus on developing pest
management systems with a firm reliance of biological control. Dr.
Parrella has worked with many
different ornamental crops and with most of the major pests attacking
these crops. His research involves
determination of basic insect biology, developing monitoring systems,
evaluation of old and new
insecticides for phytotoxicity and efficacy, evaluation of new insecticide
application techniques, and
understanding and managing insecticide resistance. The main emphasis
of his research focuses on the
bioIogy/ecology of predators and parasites and their potential use
for biological control in greenhouses.
An important aspect of Dr. Parrella’s research and teaching is directing
graduate students and
postgraduate scientists–he currently has five (1 Ph.D., 3 Master’s,
and 1 postdoctoral researcher) working
on different pest problems affecting the ornamentals industry.
Dr. Parrella publishes regularly in scientific and trade journals and
is the author of more than 200
publications. For four years he wrote a monthly column on ‘Pest Management’
for the trade magazine,
Greenhouse Manager, and he currently writes a monthly column entitled
‘IPM with Parrella’ for the trade
magazine GrowerTalks. Dr. Parrella continues to emphasize oral presentations
as a method of
disseminating information at the state and national levels; he still
averages one presentation every two
weeks. He organized the ‘First Conference on Insect and Mite Management’on
Ornamentals held in San
Jose, Calif. in 1985 which has become an annual event sponsored by
the Society of American Florists. He
was co-organizer of the 4th and 6th such conferences which were held
in Phoenix in 1988 and San Jose
in 1990, respectively. He is organizing (with John Sanderson) the first
joint meeting of the Western
Palearctic and Nearctic working groups for Biological/Integrated Control
in Greenhouses (a subgroup
within the International Organization of Biolgical Control). This will
be held in California in April 1993.
Dr. Parrella has acted as a consultant for the following organizations:
Society of American Florists
(SAF) and the USDA/APHIS on leafminers; for the Professional Plant
Growers Association on the
relaxation of Quarantine 37; for the California Association of Nurserymen
on quarantines regarding the
brown garden snail; for Roses Inc. and the Society of American Florists
on the new proposed amendments
to FIFRA; and he serves on the agricultural advisory committee for
Merck, Sharp and Dohme. Dr. Parrella
is currently a member of SAF’s National Floriculture Research Initiative
Task Force.
In 1986, Dr. Parrella received the Researcher of the Year Award from
the California Association of
Nurserymen. In 1987, Dr. Parrella received the Entomological Society
of America (ESA) Recognition
Award in Entomology sponsored by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation. This award,
presented annually by them
ESA, a professional society with more than 9,200 members, is intended
“to provide additional recognition
to entomologists who have made or are making significant contributions
to agriculture”. In 1991, Dr.
Parrella received the Futura Award from the Professsional Plant Growers
Association in recognition of
contributions made to the floriculture industry by building for the
future through teaching and research.
