On June 2, 2008, the TIPPC became formally established in the State of Texas. Way to go Texas! For more information see here.

A new website trys to educate people on the dangers of moving firewood. The website can be found here.

We've been working on installing some new features in the BugwoodWiki.  These are meant to be helpful additions to make editing easier and provide added functionality.  Here is a list of the new features (Click on the link for more details):
 

• In-line references in articles with semi-automated colation of references as footnotes
• RSS feeds for Recent Changes made to the Wiki
• New buttons added to the Edit window for Page Redirects, Subscripts, Superscripts, Bugwood Image Insert, Taxobox Insertion, Bugwood Image Gallery Insertions, Basic Tables and In-line references
• Exporting BugwoodWiki articles to PDF and Word Document

The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) has developed an educational program for crop consultants, county extension educators, and for those who monitor the health of crops.  These programs provide training for "First Detectors" - people who are trained to have a heightened awareness to the potential for exotic pests or diseases.  Their training sessions and online training modules provide a good resource for people interested in acting as First Detectors.  You can find more information about the program at the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory or can jump directly to the NPDN Training Site for First Detectors. 

Tom Harrington (Iowa State University) and Stephen Fraedrich (USDA Southern Research Station) have recently published a description of the fungus causing Laurel wilt and have named it Raffaelea lauricola.  The article in the April-June issue (104) in Mycotaxon will soon be available online.  Until the article is released, you can see the press release about this naming at Iowa State University and Science Daily.

We are constantly looking for images to illustrate species of regulatory concern.  There are a few Federal Noxious Weeds that we have had a hard time finding images for.  There are also a number of species that we would like more images of.  If you have any images of the species listed below that you would like to share, please contact Joe LaForest.

ye gu (Aeginetia indica)
yerba de hierro (Alectra fluminensis)
onionweed (Asphodelus fistulosus)
animated oat (Avena sterilis)
golden false beardgrass (Chrysopogon aciculatus)
bigfruit dodder (Cuscuta megalocarpa)
globe dodder (Cuscuta potosina globifera)
globe dodder (Cuscuta potosina)
African couchgrass (Digitaria abyssinica)
velvet fingergrass (Digitaria velutina)
three-cornered jack (Emex australis)
devil's thorn (Emex spinosa)
Brazilian satintail (Imperata brasiliensis)
murainagrass (Ischaemum rugosum)
Asian marshweed (Limnophila sessiliflora)
serrated tussock grass (Nassella trichotoma)
broomrape (Orobanche ramosa)
kodomillet (Paspalum scrobiculatum)
kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum)
African feathergrass (Pennisetum macrourum)
Kyasuma grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum unispiculum)
mission grass (Pennisetum polystachion setosum)
alapataco (Prosopis alpataco)
algarobilla (Prosopis argentina)
mesquite (Prosopis burkartii)
calden (Prosopis caldenia)
cusqui (Prosopis calingastana)
algarrobillo (Prosopis campestris)
mesquite (Prosopis castellanosii)
algarrobo patagonica (Prosopis denudans)
algarrobillo (Prosopis elata)
churqui (Prosopis ferox)
mesquite (Prosopis fiebrigii)
algarrobo paraguayo (Prosopis hassleri)
algarrobilla (Prosopis humilis)
barbe de tigre (Prosopis kuntzei)
palo de hierro (Prosopis palmeri)
tornillo (Prosopis reptans cinerascens)
mesquite (Prosopis rojasiana)
vinal (Prosopis ruscifolia)
albardon (Prosopis sericantha)
Argentine screwbean (Prosopis strombulifera)
lata (Prosopis torquata)
velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina)
shrubby blackberry (Rubus fruticosus)
wild blackberry (Rubus moluccanus)
wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum)
lobed salvinia (Salvinia biloba)
Herzog salvinia (Salvinia herzogii)
South African ragwort (Senecio inaequidens)
Madagascar ragwort (Senecio madagascariensis)
simplestem bur-reed (Sparganium erectum stoloniferum)
exotic bur-reed (Sparganium erectum)
denseflower witchweed (Striga densiflora)
cowpea witchweed (Striga gesnerioides)
purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica)
coatbuttons (Tridax procumbens)

We have been working with the National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) to provide quality images of pests that may be of concern to the United States.  We've found a few species that we currently have no images to illustrate.  If you happen to have some images of these creatures that you would like to share, please contact Joe LaForest

Slugs and Snails

Tropical Leatherleaf Slug (Laevicaulis alte)
Veronicellid Slug (Leidyula moreleti)
Land Snail (Macrochlamys indica)
Two-striped Slug (Veronicella cubensis)
Veronicellid Slug (Veronicella sloanii)
Camaenidae Snail (Zachrysia provisoria)
Snail (Zachrysia trinitensis)
Ampullariid Snail (Pomacea sp./spp.)
Budapest Slug (Tandonia (Milax) budapestensis)
White Garden Snail (Helicid) (Theba pisana)
Yellow Shelled Slug (Parmarion martensi)

Nematodes

British Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne artiellia)
Columbian Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne chitwoodi)
Citrus Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne citri)
Citrus Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne donghaiensis)
False Columbia Root-knot Nema. (Meloidogyne fallax)
Citrus Root-knot Menatode (Meloidogyne fujianensis)
Citrus Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne indica)
Javanese Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne javanica)
Citrus Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne jianyangensis)
Citrus Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne kongi)
Apple Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne mali)
Citrus Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne mingnanica)
Pecan Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne partityla)
Coconut Palm Red Ring Nematode (Rhadinaphelenchus (Bursaphelenchus) cocophilus)
Stubby Root Nematode (Paratrichodorus sp./spp.)

Insects
Soybean Pod Borer (Leguminivora glycinivorella)
Pea Leafminer(south A.biotype) (Liriomyza huidobrensis)
Vine Mealybug (Planococcus ficus)
Lilac Mealybug (Planococcus lilacinus)
Oak Ambrosia Beetle (Platypus quercivorus)
Soft Scale (Protopulvinaria longivalvata)
Cottony Citrus Scale (Pulvinaria polygonata)
Cherry Fruit Fly (E.) (Cff) (Rhagoletis cingulata)
Western Cherry Fruit Fly (Rhagoletis indifferens)
Apple Clearwing Moth (Synanthedon myopaeformis)
Mango Aphid (Toxoptera odinae)
Little Fire Ant (Wasmannia (ochetomyrmex))

Mites

Laelapid Mite (Tropilaelaps clareae)
Rice Panicle Mite (Steneotarsonemus spinki)
Red Palm Mite (Raoiella indica)

Diseases

Flag Smut (Urocystis agropyri)
Soybean Dwarf (Soybean Dwarf Virus (SBDV)
Soybean Mosaic (Soybean Mosaic Virus (SMV)
Soybean Bacterial Blight (Pseudomonas syringae)
Potato Mop-top (Potato Mop-top Virus (PMTV)
New World Soybean Rust (Phakopsora meibomiae)

Weeds

Wand Loosestrife (Lythrum virgatum)
Horse Thistle; Stemless Thistle (Onopordum acaulon)

Registration is now open for the Natural Areas Conference 2008. For more information click here.

A study of 24 fuel treatment sites in California shows that more nonnative species grow in fuel treatment areas than in adjacent areas. The study also showed differences in the percentage of nonnative species in fuel breaks depending on how they were constructed. The report can be accessed here.

AG Weekly.
Climate change is increasing the risk of U.S. crop failures, depleting the nation’s water resources and contributing to outbreaks of invasive species and insects, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report released Tuesday. See article here.