D3188: Parasitic fauna impacting larvae of the corn earworm on hemp in eastern Tennessee

Industrial hemp, Cannabis sativa L., production has tremendously increased in the United States since its legalization through the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (a.k.a. 2018 Farm Bill). The latest report from the United States Department of Agriculture concluded the hemp production industry was valued at $824 million in 2021. Though fiber and grain production have great potential for the hemp industry, most growers concentrate on floral production for cannabinoids because of the expected higher cash value potential per hectare. With a new crop comes a new pest, and for hemp, the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), takes the crown as the most destructive insect pest in outdoor production. Larvae feed on developing floral clusters where cannabinoid concentrations are highest. Biological control as a means of reducing H. zea impact on hemp has been mentioned in recent literature, but more exploration is needed to understand local species targeting larvae. Parasitism has been observed in previous seasons and several parasitoid species have been reared from H. zea larvae on hemp in Tennessee. To further investigate the parasitic fauna of H. zea on hemp, larvae will be collected from hemp planted in eastern Tennessee during the 2022 growing season and reared to observe parasitoid emergence. Findings from this study and previous observations will be presented in this poster. Understanding the natural enemy species responsible for reducing pest populations in different regions informs the selection of biological control agents for augmented release and conservation.