T.E. (Gene) Reagan

 

 

Austin C. Thompson Distinguished Professor and Full Member of the Graduate Faculty

 

Ecology and Pest Management of Sugarcane Insects

 

EMAIL: treagan@agcenter.lsu.edu

 

DEGREES: B.S 1970 Louisiana State University

                  M.S. 1972 Louisiana State University

                  Ph.D. 1975 North Carolina State University

 

 

 

Current Research Interests

 

Current Research (80%)

 

Research includes investigation into various aspects of Sugarcane Insects Pest Management with emphasis on principles of applied ecology.

 

Program Goals (multi-year) – With emphasis on the interface of entomology with other disciplines involved in sugarcane production, develop and implement a fiscally and environmentally sound, holistic and multi-tactical insect pest management system that has a proactive vision.

 

Program Objectives (multi-year) – To identify insect resistant germplasm, and assess possible impact of potential sugarcane varieties on population dynamics at early stages of the breeding and selection programs. To continue development of IPM strategies that enhance biological control, minimize the need for insecticides, and emphasize adoption of narrow-range minimum risk insecticide chemistry. To conduct research to facilitate the immediate implementation of management systems for newly identified pest insects of sugarcane and associated crops. To reduce area-wide pest populations, on-going studies of current and anticipated invasive pests focus on cultural, biological, and chemical strategies and tactics involving crop and non-crop hosts (weeds).

 

Collaboration – The program involves close cooperation with research and extension personnel in such disciplines as agricultural economics, plant pathology, weed science and agronomy, systematists, toxicologists and other entomology peers locally, at USDA facilities, and at other state experiment stations, especially in Texas. As a follow-up to previous USDA CSREES grants, on-going competitive grants participation involves an EPA Strategic Agricultural Initiative program, a multi-state USDA Risk Avoidance Mitigation grant, and a USDA Crops-at-Risk IPM grant.

 

Awards – In addition to the Austin C. Thompson Distinguished Professorship (2005, renewed in 2008) and the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award (2002), recognitions from the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station include the Doyle Chamber Career Research Award (2004) and the Tipton Team Research Award (2000). Others include the 2002 Outstanding Service Award in Research and Education on behalf of the Louisiana Sugarcane Industry, and the 2003 Edward Donald Grant Educator of the Year Award from the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation, and the LSU College of Agriculture Graduate Student Teaching (Sedberry) Award for 2008.

 

Graduate Students – Some 20 students who have completed their graduate training in these programs are now employed in many diverse areas of agriculture, including university (faculty) research, teaching and extension, federal (USDA - ARS and APHIS), private consulting, applied biotechnology with industry, and county agricultural extension agent pest management.

 

Courses (20%)

 

Fundamentals of Applied Entomology (ENT 4006) (3) S

 Prereq.: ENTM 2001 or ENTM/PLHL 2050 or consent of instructor. 2 hrs. lecture; 2hrs. lab.

 Principles and methodology of managing insect pests; emphasis on field crops insect pest management; interdisciplinary perspective. Additional sections offered by “Distance Learning” toward County Extension Agent Specialization and Agricultural Consultant Certification.

 

Advanced Insect Pest Management (ENT 7006) (3) F-E

 Prereq.: ENTM 4006 and one 4000 or higher level statistical course (EXST 4050, 7003, 7004, 7005, 7013, 7014, 7015, and 7031) or consent of the coordinator.

 Ecological and economic basis of pest management; advances in major pest management tactics; insect sampling; system analysis; biotechnology and geographical information system in pest management. (Part of IPM team)

 

ESA Graduate Student Debate Team (ENT 7008)

 Last Debate Publication –

Fisher, M.C. and M.E. O’Neal 2007. Urban Entomology, A Student Debate, American Entomologist 53(2): 102- 112.

 

 

Current Students:

 Julien M. Beuzelin (Ph.D. Training) – “Seasonal and regional dynamics of invasive stem borers on dominant cultivated and weed plant hosts.”

 

Waseem Akbar (Ph.D. Training)- “Role of primary and secondary compounds and plant stress in sugarcane resistance to the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari..”

 

Advisory Committee participation includes Ph.D. programs of Jason Hamm and Jarod Hardke, in addition to membership on the Ph.D. committee of Jiale Lv, Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University at College Station – (“Tri-trophic Analysis of Rice, Sugarcane Borer, and Cotesia flavipes”).

 

 

Refered Journal Papers (selected)

 

2009

 Akbar, W., C. Carlton, T.E. Reagan. Diomus terminatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) morphology, life cycle, and potential as a biological control agent of the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari. Annals of the ESA. 102(1): 96-103.

 

J. M. Beuzelin, T.E. Reagan, W. Akbar, J.W. Flanagan, H.G. Cormier, D.C. Blouin. Effect of Hurricane Rita on sugarcane borer insect pest management system. J. Econ. Entomol. (IN PRESS-EC 08-167).

 

 2008

 Akbar, W., J.A. Ottea, J.M. Beuzelin, T.E. Reagan, F. Huang. Selection and life history traits of tebufenozide-resistant sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 101(6): 1903-1910.

 

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., L.T. Wilson, T.E. Reagan, B.L. Legendre, and M.O. Way. Predicting Economic Losses from the Continued Spread of the Mexican Rice Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 101 (2): 237-250.

 

Huang, F., R. Leonard, S. Moore, B. Yue, R. Parker, T. Reagan, M. Stout, D. Cook, W. Akbar, C. Chilcutt, W. White, D. Lee, and S. Biles. Geographical susceptibility of Louisiana and Texas populations of sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein. Crop Prot. 27: 799–806.

 

McAllister, C.D., J.W. Hoy, T.E. Reagan. Temporal increase and spatial distribution of sugarcane yellow leaf and infestations of Melanaphis sacchari.  Plant Diseases. 92 (4): 607-615.

 

W.H. White, T.E. Reagan, C. Carlton, W. Akbar, and J. Beuzelin. 2007.Elachista saccharella (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), a leafminer infesting sugarcane in Louisiana.  Florida Entomologist. 90(4): 792-794.

 

Gravois, K.A., K.P. Bischoff, S.B. Milligan, F.A. Martin, J.W. Hoy, T.E. Reagan, C.A. Kimbeng, C.M. LaBorde and G.L. Hawkins. Registration of ‘L 97-128’ sugarcane.  J. Plant Registrations.  2:211-217.

 

Bischoff, K.P., K.A. Gravois, T.E. Reagan, J.H. Hoy, C.A. Kimbeng, C.L. Laborde, G.L. Hawkins. Registration of ‘L 79-1002’ sugarcane.  J. Plant Registrations.  2:24-28.

 

2007

 Reay-Jones, F.P.F., L.T. Wilson, A.T. Showler, T.E. Reagan and M.O. Way. Role of oviposition preference in an invasive Crambid impacting two graminaceous host crops. Environmental Entomology 36(4): 938-951.

 

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., M.O. Way, and T.E. Reagan. Economic assessment of controlling stem borers (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) with insecticides in Texas rice.  Crop Protection 26: 963-970.

 

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., L.T. Wilson, M.O. Way, T.E. Reagan, C.E. Carlton. Movement of the Mexican rice borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) through the Texas rice belt. J. Econ. Entomol. 100(1): 54-60.

 

White, W., T.E. Reagan, C. Carlton, W. Akbar, J. Beuzelin. Elachista Saccharella (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), a leafminer infesting sugarcane in Louisiana. Florida Entomologist 90: 792-794.

 

2006

 Posey, F.R., W.H. White, K. Gravois, M.E. Salassi, F.P.F Reay-Jones, B.R. Leonard, and T.E.

 Reagan. Sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) management threshold assessment on four

 sugarcane cultivars. J. Econ. Entomol.  99(3): 966-971.

 

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., M.O. Way, and T.E. Reagan. Economic assessment of controlling stem borers (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) with insecticides in Texas rice.  Crop Protection. 26: 963-971.

 

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., J. Rochat, R. Goebel, and E. Tabone. Functional response of Trichogramma chilonis Ishii to Galleria mellonella L. andChilo sacchariphagus Bojer eggs. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 118(3): 229-236.

 

Way, M.O., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, and T.E. Reagan.  Resistance to stem borers (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) among Texas rice cultivars.  J. Econ. Entomol. 99(5): 1867-1876.

 

2005

 Reay-Jones, F.P.F., A.T. Showler, T.E. Reagan, B.L. Legendre, M.O. Way, and E.B. Moser. Integrated tactics for managing the Mexican rice borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in sugarcane. Environ. Entomol. 34(6): 1558-1565.

 

 Reay-Jones, F.P.F., W. Akbar, C.D. McAllister, T.E. Reagan, and J.A. Ottea. Reduced susceptibility to Tebufenozide in populations of the sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Louisiana.  J. Econ. Entomol.  98(3) 955-960.

 

 

Akbar, W., J.C. Lord, J.R. Nechols, and T.M. Loughin. Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for red flour beetle when applied with plant essential oils or in mineral oil and organosilicon carriers. J. Econ. Entomol. 98 (3): 683-688.

 

Setamou, M., A.T. Showler, T.E. Reagan, W.A. Jones, and J.S. Bernal.  Leptodictya tabida (Hemiptera: Tingidae): a potential threat to sugarcane production in Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. J. Econ. Entomol.  98(3): 1018-1023.

 

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., T.E. Reagan, M.O. Way, and B.L. Legendre Concepts of area-wide management of the Mexican rice borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).  Sugarcane International. 23(3): 20-24 (invited refereed paper for international journal).

 

White, W.H., D. Adamski, J.Brown, T.E. Reagan. J.A. Villanueva-Jimendez, M. Mendez Lopez, and M. O. Way. Survey results for the sugarcane pest, Blastobasis graminea (Lepidoptera: Coleophaidae), in Texas and Louisiana in 2002. Southwestern Entomologist. 30(2): 85-92.

 

McAllister, C.D., J.W. Hoy, and T.E. Reagan. Temporal increase of yellow leaf of sugarcane in Louisiana. Inter. Soc. Sugarcane Technol. 25 (2): 711-714.

 

2004

 Akbar, W., J. C. Lord, J. R. Nechols and R. W. Howard. 2004. Diatomaceous earth increases the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana against Tribolium castaneum larvae and increases conidia attachment. J. Econ. Entomol. 97(2): 273-280.

 

McAllister C.D., K. A. Gravois, K.P. Bischoff, H. P. Schexnayder, and T.E. Reagan. Transgenic Bt-Corn affects sugarcane borer in Louisiana. Southwest. Entomol. 29(4):263-269.

 

White, W. H., T. E. Reagan, J.W. Smith, and J.A. Salazar.  Refuge releases of Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) into the Louisiana sugarcane ecosystem. Environ. Entomol. 33: 627-634.

 

2003

 Reay-Jones, F.P.F., M.O. Way, M. Setamou, B.L. Legendre, and T. E. Reagan.  Resistance to the Mexican Rice Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) among Louisiana and Texas sugarcane cultivars.  J. Econ. Entomol. 96(6): 1929-134.

 

2001

 Rodriguez, L.M., J.A. Ottea, and T.E. Reagan.  Selection, egg viability, and fecundity of the Sugarcane Borer, (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) with tebufenozide. J. Econ. Entomol. 94(6): 1553-1557.

 

Rodriguez, L.M., T.E. Reagan, and J.A. Ottea.  Susceptibility of the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea  saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to tebufenozide. J. Econ. Entomol. 94(6): 1464-1470.

 

Schexnayder, Jr., H.P., T.E. Reagan, and D.R. Ring. Sampling for the Sugarcane Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on Sugarcane in Louisiana.  J. Econ. Entomol. 94(3): 766-771.

 

White, W.H., T.E. Reagan, and D.G. Hall.   Melanaphis sacchari (Homoptera: Aphididae), a sugarcane pest new to Louisiana.  Florida Entomologist 84(3): 435-436.

 

Woolwine, A.E., and T.E. Reagan.  Potential of winter cover crops to increase abundance of Solenopsis invicta and other Arthropods in sugarcane.  Environ. Entomol. 30(6): 1017-1020.

 

Note: Multiple manuscripts are also written annually for stakeholder and technology transfer audiences (available from the author).

 

Selected Recent Papers in Louisiana Agriculture-

 Reagan, T.E., W. Akbar, and J.M. Beuzelin. 2008. Identifying sugarcane varieties resistant to borers, aphids. Louisiana Agriculture 51(2):18-19.

 

 Reagan, T.E., J. M.Beuzelin,W. Akbar, H. G. Cormier, and J. W. Flanagan. 2008.

 Strom surge affects sugarcane borer pest management. Louisiana Agriculture 51(1):18-19.