The responsibility for protecting U.S. agriculture from pests and diseases is assigned by the Federal Plant Pest Act (FPPA) to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the Department of Agriculture. The Plant Protection Act (Title 7 U.S.C. Sections 7701 et seq.) gives Aphis statutory authority over genetically modified organisms (GMO), in effect assigning to APHIS a related res...

We are extending the comment period for a proposed rule to allow the importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments. DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before August 10, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods: •...

BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY Dispersal mechanisms Flight range of winged adults is very limited. Long-range dispersal of eggs, immature stages and adults is manmediated with the transport of infested plant material. Reproduction The taxonomic status of this alien aphid is problematic, and hence the interpretation of biological information is difficult. Moreover, different biotypes exhibiting host preference...

1 Monsanto Company (Monsanto) has petitioned APHIS for a determination that MON 87705 soybean is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk (Rogan, 2009) and, therefore, should no longer be a regulated article under APHIS’ 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 340. APHIS administers 7 CFR part 340 under the authority of the plant pest provisions of the Plant Protection Act of 2000 . This plant pest ...

Little is known about the mechanisms by which plant genotype shapes arthropod community structure. In a field experiment, we measured the effects of milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) genotype and ants on milkweed arthropods. Populations of the ant-tended aphid Aphis asclepiadis and the untended aphid Myzocallis asclepiadis varied eight- to 18-fold among milkweed genotypes, depending on aphid species...