Patricia McDaniels
Lanternflies: Kill their progeny and report them to the authorities
The invasive spotted lanternfly can cause damage to many plants and has been detected in a few Tennessee counties, including Knox, Hamilton and Sullivan. Rebekka Horn/Courtesy UTIA
UT Ag entomologist recommends smashing the plant-hopper’s eggs before they hatch
Patricia McDaniels is the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture news and information manager.
KNOXVILLE — The invasive spotted lanternfly (L. delicatula), which can damage many native trees and plants, has arrived in a few Tennessee counties, but all residents can help stop the spread by looking for and destroying egg masses before they hatch in the spring.
The adult female spotted lanternfly lays egg masses in September through November on host plants and other smooth surfaces, such as railroad ties, rocks, lumber, downed limbs and logs. Egg masses survive cold winter temperatures, and the first instar nymphs begin emerging in the spring. The nymphs mature through the spring and early summer before becoming adults in the beginning of June. The first, second and third instars feed on a variety of host plants. The fourth instars and adults prefer tree of heaven, grapes, black walnut, silver maple, red maple and willow.
“The best way to control spotted lanternfly outbreaks is to prevent them,” says Midhula Gireesh, assistant professor and University of Tennessee Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. “Careful inspection for egg masses should be made on many types of products stored outdoors, such as firewood and lumber, before they are moved and shipped or before shipments are accepted. Since eggs start hatching at the end of March, now is a good time to scout for egg masses and destroy them.”
UT scientists help decode the DNA of an iconic American tree
This white oak (Quercus alba) in Burlington, N.J. is known as the Keeler Oak. It is an estimated 300 years old and is emblematic of the role these massive trees can play in the forest and beyond. The white oak is a highly valuable tree, both economically and ecologically. Its seedling survival rate is declining, but University of Tennessee researchers joined others to map the species’ DNA. Wikipedia Commons
New research involving University of Tennessee describes the genome of the mighty white oak
Patricia McDaniels is news and information manager for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
KNOXVILLE — Highly valued economically, ecologically and culturally, the white oak (Quercus alba) is a keystone forest species and is one of the most abundant trees across much of eastern North America. It also faces declining seedling recruitment in many parts of its range.
In a paper published in New Phytologist, researchers representing the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Indiana University, the University of Kentucky, the U.S. Forest Service and several more institutions described for the first time the species’ complex genome, providing insights into fundamental questions about plant evolution, tree breeding and genetic improvement efforts that could help forest managers plan for and address future forest resources.
Lead authors of the paper Meg Staton, associate professor of bioinformatics and computational genomics in the UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, and Drew Larson, National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University, coordinated with colleagues across the nation in academia, the U.S. Forest Service, state forests and industry to obtain genetic sequence data representative of the species.
Also central to the effort were Seth DeBolt, professor of horticulture and director of the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky, and Dana Nelson of the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station and director of the Forest Health Research and Education Center at the University of Kentucky.
White oak barrels are lifeblood to the bourbon industry because the color and much of the whiskey’s flavor derive from the charred wood in which it is aged.
- meg staton
- seth debolt
- loretto, kentucky
- makers mark
- independent stave company
- white oak
- quercus
- new phytologist
- patricia mcdaniels
- utia
- utia tree program
- University of Tennessee Agricultural Institute
- quercus alba
- scott schlarbaum
- genome
- bioinformatics
- computational genomics
- genetic sequencing
- gene annotation
- gene evolution
- genetic diversity
- tree improvement program
- phylogenetics
- bourbon whiskey
- oak barrel