Current control methods for diamondback moth and other brassica insect pests and the prospects for improved management with lepidopteran-resistant Bt vegetable brassicas in Asia and Africa

The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), remains a major pest of brassica crops worldwide. DBM has been estimated globally to cost US$ 1 billion in direct losses and control costs. Chemical control of this pest remains difficult due to the rapid development of resistance to insecticides and to their effect on natural enemies. These problems are especially severe in South Asia and Africa where lack of knowledge, limited access to newer and safer insecticides, and a favourable climate result in DBM remaining a serious year-round pest which substantially increases the cost and uncertainty of crop production. Despite these problems, application of synthetic insecticides remains overwhelmingly the most common control strategy. Biologically-based efforts to control DBM in Africa and Asia have focused strongly on parasitoid introductions. However, despite the identification and deployment of promising parasitoids in many regions, these efforts have had limited impact, often because farmers continue early-season spraying of broad-spectrum insecticides that are lethal to parasitoids and thus exacerbate DBM outbreaks. A significant driver for this pattern of insecticide use is the presence of aphids and other pests whose appearance initiates inappropriate spraying. Despite often extensive training of producers in farmer field schools, many growers seem loath to discard calendar or prophylactic spraying of insecticides. The introduction of an IPM technology that could replace the use of broad-spectrum insecticides for DBM and other key Lepidoptera is crucial if the benefits of parasitoid introduction are to be fully realised. The deployment of DBM-resistant brassicas expressing proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis could help to break this cycle of insecticide misuse and crop loss, but their deployment should be part of an integrated pest management (IPM) package, which recognises the constraints of farmers while addressing the requirement to control other Lepidoptera, aphids and other secondary pests.     

Relative toxicity of insecticides to the crucifer pests Plutella xylostella and Myzus persicae and their natural enemies

The widespread and intensive use of conventional pesticides, particularly insecticides, presents a major risk to natural enemies of target pests, as well as to the environment in general. The aim of this study was to investigate the differential intrinsic toxicity of insecticides to two key pests of crucifers, Plutella xylostella and Myzus persicae and their respective hymenopteran parasitoids, Cotesia vestalis and Aphidius colemani. Such knowledge can help inform effective integration of insecticides and biological control in IPM systems. Three insecticides generally regarded as being compatible with natural enemies (abamectin, spinosad and indoxacarb) and one compound regarded as harmful to natural enemies (lambda-cyhalothrin) were examined. A comparative measure of the intrinsic toxicity of fresh deposits of insecticides on Chinese cabbage leaf discs was determined for both pest and parasitoids species after exposure to insecticide for 24 h and 120 h, and after 24 h exposure to insecticide plus 96 h on untreated leaf discs. Differences in the susceptibility of pests and parasitoids to different insecticides were marked for P. xylostella and C. vestalis, LC₅₀ values being significantly lower for the pest species. Such differences were not observed for M. persicae and A. colemani. There was a direct relationship between dose, exposure time and toxicity for all insecticides tested. All insecticides tested showed lower toxicity to both parasitoids compared with P. xylostella, which suggests that for this pest species side-effects on parasitoids can be minimised through IPM practices that reduce exposure time to such non-target organisms.     

Determinants of parasitoid assemblages of the diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella,in cabbage farmer fields in Senegal

Conservation biological control, which fosters the optimal use of indigenous natural enemies, is a promising way for reducing pesticide reliance in horticultural systems. A two-year field survey was conducted in the main cabbage-producing area in Senegal (Niayes) to assess the potential of indigenous parasitoids to control populations of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae). Results showed an overall low level of parasitism (11.7%) which was independent of host abundance, but was highly variable among fields (0–50%). Parasitism was predominant in the late part of dry season. Insecticide use, mostly relying on broad-spectrum insecticides, had a negative effect on the overall parasitism rate. Observations conducted throughout the cabbage crop cycle showed that parasitism unexpectedly decreased with crop aging (from 41 to 60 days post transplanting), likely due to repeated insecticide applications. Four main parasitoid species including Oomyzus sokolowskii (Kurdjumov) (Eulophidae) (48.8%), Apanteles litae Nixon (Braconidae) (32.5%), Brachymeria sp. (Chalcididae) (11.3%), and Cotesia vestalis Haliday (Braconidae) (7.3%) were identified. Parasitism due to O. sokolowskii was greater during the first part of the dry season whereas parasitism due to A. litae was greater during the second part of the dry season. Parasitism due to Brachymeria sp. was not affected by time of season but was greater in the Centre and North than in the South of Niayes. Parasitism due to C. vestalis was equal in the three zones but was higher in the late part of the dry season. The diversity of parasitoids was constant across zones but was greater during the second part of dry season. A positive relationship between diversity (Shannon diversity index H′) and parasitism rate was observed, suggesting a positive effect of parasitoid diversity on natural pest control. Parasitoids have a promising role to play as biocontrol agents of P. xylostella populations in Senegal, provided significant changes to current insecticide use are made. Better knowledge of their resource requirements including crop and non-crop habitats, and provision of these in and around crops is also needed.     

Weed Allelopathy,Its Ecological Impacts and Future Prospects

Summary

The importance, characteristics, positive and negative impacts, and future role of weeds as an integral part of the natural and agroecosystems are evaluated and discussed. Interference between plants in nature and the importance of differentiating between competition and allelopathy are interpreted. Allelopathy as one component of weed/crop interference, allelochemicals from weed species and their possible mechanism of action are listed and discussed. Weed species with inhibitory action against cultivated crops, other weed species, and plant pathogens, as well as self-inhibitory (autopathic) species are reviewed. Stimulatory or inhibitory allelopathic effects of different crop plants, trapping and catching species, and the potential of allelopathic weeds in inhibiting or stimulating certain parasitic weed species are discussed and evaluated. Allelopathy as a mechanism and future strategy for agricultural pest control and farm management and the potential use and development of some allelochemicals as natural pesticides or plant growth regulators are also considered and discussed.     

Vegetation management and biological control in agroecosystems

The application of diversity/stability considerations in theoretical ecology has led to the emergence of testable hypotheses with implications for biological control and agroecosystem management. The object of applied research in this area has been to achiece predictably stable pest populations (below an economic threshold level) in crop systems. The exacerbation of most insect-pest problems has been associated with increases in crop monocultures at the expense of the natural vegetation, thereby decreasing local habitat diversity. This can seriously affect the abundance and efficiency of natural enemies, which depend on habitat complexity for sources of alternate prey/hosts, pollen and nectar, shelter, nesting and overwintering sites. Plant diversification of agroecosystems can result in increased environmental opportunities for natural enemies and, consequently, improved biological pest control. Agronomically, there are several ways to design plsnt-diverse cropping systems. One way is by manipulating the vegetation of field margins, and managing the species composition and density of plants in ditchbanks, hedgerows, windbreaks and other types of shelter belts. Within-field plant diversity can be manipulated by designing polycultures of various temporal and spatial crop arrangements. The effects of some of these systems on the dynamics of insect populations are discussed, as well as the effects of cover-crop management on pest insects in orchards. Another way to enrich the vegetational structure of cropping systems is through weed management. Weed diversity in the form of weed borders, alternate rows, or by providing weeds in certain periods of the crop growth can have a major impact on insect dynamics.     

Use of fluorescence to determine reduction in Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) nymph feeding when exposed to cyantraniliprole and imidacloprid through systemic applications

The Bemisia tabaci whitefly is an important pest of many agricultural crops. Direct feeding by this pest can cause physiological plant symptoms including irregular ripening in tomatoes and silverleaf disorder in squash. In addition, B. tabaci can transmit more than 100 plant viruses that cause severe diseases that affect crop yield and quality. Insecticides are often applied to control this pest and they may be applied to the foliage and/or to the soil. Insecticides that kill quickly or cause feeding cessation reduce the damage caused by B. tabaci on the host plant most effectively. In this study fluorescence was used to assess B. tabaci feeding and to determine the effect of systemically applied insecticides on feeding by the pest. Cyantraniliprole (Verimark™) and imidacloprid (AdmirePro^®) produced a rapid reduction in B. tabaci feeding. At 24 h after a systemic application, the percentage of whitefly nymphs still feeding in plants treated with cyantraniliprole (anthranilic diamide) and imidacloprid (neonicotinoid) were 19% and 33%, respectively. Both products showed a good reduction in insect feeding and since they have different modes of action they should be considered as rotational partners for B. tabaci control in areas where there is no resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides. While the fluorescein sodium salt cannot be used to trace the uptake of insecticides, it has been shown to reliably demonstrate feeding cessation of whitefly nymphs after foliar and systemic applications of insecticides.     

Control of field spread of non-persistent viruses in flower-bulb crops by synthetic pyrethroid and pirimicarb insecticides, and mineral oils

The ability of liquid formulations of synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, a carbamate insecticide, and mineral oils, to limit the spread of non-persistent viruses in lilies, tulips, hyacinths and bulbous irises, was studied under field conditions that favoured rapid virus spread. Bait plants were sprayed and virus source plants were not. Substantial control was consistently achieved by weekly sprays of pyrethroids in moderate amounts of active ingredient. No significant additional control was obtained by increasing rates of application, whereas at low rates the control was inadequate or very variable. Control was generally improved by spraying twice a week, whereas fortnightly spraying was inadequate. Fenvalerate sprays gave slightly better control than permethrin in lilies and bulbous irises. The carbamate insecticide gave inconsistent or no control. Pyrethroids were on average only half as effective as mineral-oil sprays. Application of pyrethroids, unlike that of oil sprays, did not reduce bulb yields. The use of pyrethroids to affect probing behaviour of aphids, and consequently its potential to limit the spread of non-persistent viruses in ornamental bulb crops, is discussed.     

Cropping Systems and Integrated Pest Management: Examples from Selected Crops

SUMMARY

Cropping systems have been central to managing associated pests for centuries. This treatment focuses on the history, concepts, and the integration of available Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools/strategies into cropping systems. Pest assessments/diagnoses, IPM-decision-making aids, and examples of pest management in selected crops/cropping systems (wheat, soybean, corn, cotton, potato, and strawberry) as well as emerging opportunities and challenges are discussed. The evolving philosophy of IPM and the recently renewed emphasis on ecologically based pest management address the fact that significant levels of predation and/or parasitism are desirable insofar as they promote diversity and sustainability of agroecosystems. Thus, cropping systems are beginning to focus on soil and crop health as well as specific IPM and production goals. Although extensive efforts have been directed toward modeling the many interactions between crops, associated pests and the environment, the general implementation of a systems approach to integrated crop and pest management remains to be accomplished.     

Crop Allelopathy and Its Role in Ecological Agriculture

Summary

A number of crops exhibit allelopathic interactions that play a significant role in the complex environment of agroecosystems. Several studies have shown that allelopathic crops reduce growth, development and yield of other crops growing simultaneously or subsequently in the fields. Another aspect of interest regarding crop allelopathy is that allelochemicals may exhibit inhibitory effect on the same crop which is commonly called as crop autotoxicity. It is predominantly common in fields where sole cropping under reduced or no-tillage system is practiced. Though any crop part can be allelopathic, including even the pollens, but decomposing crop residues exhibit more influence on other plants. Furthermore, the extent of allelopathy by a crop plant varies with age, part and type of cultivar being used. Nowadays allelo-pathic crops are being used as an important tool in managing weeds and harmful pests under sustainable pest management programs. In this context several cover/smother and green manure crops with allelopathic nature hold a good promise as well as challenge for the future as they have a potential to suppress noxious weeds. Likewise, the decomposing residues of such crops can also be used for managing harmful weeds and pests vis-à-vis maintaining the sustainability of the system. The traditional practice of crop rotation which declined with the discovery of synthetic herbicides can also be revived, if allelopathic potential of rotational crops is well understood. Selection of cultivars with high allelopathic potential/high competitiveness is another possible way by which crop allelopathy can be better utilized for weed control and yield enhancement. Crops with less allelopathic potential can be genetically improved by incorporating desired genes encoding the synthesis of allelochemicals. Pure allelochemicals extracted and identified from some crop plants can also be used as bioherbicides.     

Response of Potatoes to Soil-Applied Insecticides, Fungicides, and Herbicides

Non-target impacts of pesticides are well documented in crops such as soybeans and corn. However, little effort has been made to evaluate these impacts in potatoes. Field trials were conducted at the Parma and Aberdeen Research and Extension Centers during 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the potential for systemic insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to affect disease development, crop injury, and tuber yield. The first set of trials evaluated six insecticide treatments (aldicarb, oxamyl, phorate, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and non-treated) in a factorial combination with in-furrow application of the fungicide azoxystrobin. Azoxystrobin significantly decreased Rhizoctonia stem canker, while aldicarb and phorate tended to increase it compared to the non-treated control. There was a significant insecticide by fungicide interaction due to a bigger reduction in disease index by the fungicide when certain insecticides were used. Despite the association of these insecticides with increased disease incidence, there was no significant impact on yield. In the second set of trials, sulfentrazone herbicide was applied just prior to plant emergence to potatoes treated with the same six insecticides to evaluate the potential for the in-furrow treatments to increase plant injury. Sulfentrazone caused stunting and visible plant injury, but the level of plant injury was influenced by insecticide treatment in only one out of four trials.     

Resistance in the mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in Pakistan to selected organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides

The mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis is a destructive pest of cotton with the potential to develop resistance to most chemical classes of insecticides. Six populations of P. solenopsis from cotton crops at six different locations in Pakistan were evaluated for resistance to selected organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides. Resistance ratios (RRs) at LC₅₀ were in the range of 2.7–13.3 fold for chlorpyrifos, 11.6–30.2 fold for profenofos and for the three pyrethroids tested were 10.6–46.4 for bifenthrin, 5.8–25.2 for deltamethrin and 4.1–25.0 for lambda-cyhalothrin. This is the first report of resistance to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides in Pakistani populations of P. solenopsis. Regular insecticide resistance monitoring programs are needed to prevent field control failures. Moreover, integrated approaches including the judicious use of insecticides and rotation of insecticides with different modes of action are needed to delay the development of insecticide resistance in P. solenopsis.     

化学农药对茶园节肢动物多样性的影响

分析了化学农药对茶园节肢动物结构组成、多样性、均匀性等的影响。结果表明化学农药对茶园节肢动物的影响主要表现在物种数量、结构组成、多样性指数、物种分布的均习性等方面。农药费用高的茶园优势害虫种群密度大,尤以假眼小绿叶蝉明显。农药费用低的茶园,天敌的控制作用明显增强,节肢动物的多样性指数、均匀性指数增大。     

Effects of integrated pest management, biological control and prophylactic use of insecticides on the management and sustainability of soybean

This study aimed to evaluate the prophylactic use of insecticides (PUI) in comparison with integrated pest management (IPM) and biological control (BC) strategies. Five replicated experiments were carried out independently in two Brazilian soybean-producing states, Goiás and Paraná, where those pest-control strategies were evaluated during two consecutive growing seasons. The evaluated treatments were integrated pest management (IPM); prophylactic use of insecticides (PUI), a practice that has been increasingly adopted by soybean growers in Brazil as well as in other Latin American countries; biological control (BC) and the control (C), which involved no pest treatment. Although the pest infestation rates in the BC and IPM treatments were higher than that in the PUI treatment, crop productivity, in general, was similar among these treatments and differed only from the control with no pest treatment. These results indicate that the prophylactic use of insecticides on soybeans does not result in higher productivity in the field and that this practice merely requires larger amounts of pesticides, which can impair the sustainability of the soybean crop. Therefore, the use of IPM still remains the best alternative for pest management in soybean fields.     

Crop protection services in Southern Africa

Despite the considerable progress made in different farming systems in Southern Africa, effective crop protection services remain a major constraint in their agricultural production systems. Factors responsible for these limitations include the following: the low government priorities still accorded crop protection services; the scarcity or complete lack of trained experienced professional and technical crop protection personnel; the fact that techniques for pest and disease control either are not available to small-scale farmers, or, where available, are not appropriate to the local situation; the inadequacy or lack of cooperation and communication between scientists, extension workers and farmers. A rigorous research, extension and training programme with an efficient infrastructure is advocated. In order to set priorities for appropriate integrated pest management (IPM), a standardized survey of pests of important food crops as well as losses suffered by small-scale farmers in each country of the region is imperative. The crop protection services can also be strengthened through the establishment of a Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) Crop Protection Collaborative Network to coordinate crop protection activities, as described below.     

The effects of pesticides and crop rotation on the soil-inhabiting fauna of sugar-beet fields. Part I: The crop and macroinvertebrates

The effects of two insecticide treatments (seed-furrow aldicarb, and gamma-HCH sprayed overall), herbicide and crop rotation on pest attack to sugar-beet seedlings, and pest and predator populations, were studied in a 3-year field trial. On continuous-beet plots without insecticide, seedling establishment declined sharply from the first to the third year of the trial due to a build-up in the numbers of pygmy beetles, Atomaria linearis Steph., a sugar-beet pest. Crop rotation, and both insecticides, decreased damage by the pest and thereby increased establishment considerably, in the second and third years of the trial whereas herbicide had no effect. The effects of the insecticides on numbers of creatures caught in pitfall traps varied with species and with insecticide. For example, more Bembidion lampros Herbst., a carabid beetle, were trapped on plots treated with gamma-HCH than on untreated plots, whereas the effect was less marked on aldicarb-treated plots and was not observed in other carabid species with either insecticide.     

Comparison of different strategies for cotton insect pest management in Africa

Anticipating the direction for change in the current cotton insect pest management system in francophone African countries, different pest management strategies were investigated to reduce cotton protection costs and to improve overall pest control decision-making at the farmer level. Four strategies aimed at timing and limiting insecticide applications, were designed to fit the semiliterate level of farmers and pest profiles. Strategy 1 focused on using control thresholds early in the season, Strategy 2 on reducing the dosage in mixtures, while Strategies 3 and 4 were associated with the use of single active ingredients instead of mixtures. These strategies were assessed at the main research station Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, and were shown to be effective when compared with the current protection programme. The number of treatments and the amount of insecticides applied was reduced while achieving equal or better pest control and yields. The strategies proved to be safer to some beneficial arthropods. Their cost-effectiveness needs to be assessed in more detail at farm level to select the most financially attractive strategy.     

Compatibility of entomopathogenic nematodes (Nematoda: Rhabditida) with registered insecticides for Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under laboratory conditions

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is considered the main key pest of corn crops in Brazil. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) may be used to control this pest, applied together with other different entomopathogen agents or phytosanity products in the spraying mixture. Thus, the objective of work was to evaluate the compatibility of EPNs with different insecticides used of S. frugiperda control in laboratory conditions. Three species of EPNs (Heterorhabditis indica, Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema glaseri) and 18 insecticides registered to control of S. frugiperda in corn crops were tested. Compatibility of the insecticides with EPNs was evaluated by observing mortality and infectivity of infecting juveniles (IJs) 48 h after immersion in solution of the insecticide formulations. Among all insecticides tested, Lorsban™ (chlorpyrifos), Decis™ (deltamethrin), Match™ (lufenuron), Deltaphos™ (deltramethrin + triazophos), Dimilin™ (diflubenzuron), Stallion™ (gamacyhalothrin), Karate Zeon™ (lambdacyhalothrin) Tracer™ (spinosad), Vexter™ (chlorpyrifos), Galgotrin™ (cypermethrin), Certero™ (triflumuron), and Talcord™ (permethrin) were compatible (class 1) with the three nematode species tested under laboratory conditions.     

Insecticide resistance in Brazilian populations of the cotton leaf worm, Alabama argillacea

The cotton leaf worm, Alabama argillacea, is a key cotton pest in Brazil and is managed with repeated insecticide applications. Reports of insecticide control failures have recently increased, particularly with pyrethroids. The present work assessed the resistance status of A. argillacea to a number of different insecticides currently used in cotton crops. Bioassays were conducted to estimate the response of 2nd-instar A. argillacea populations to deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos, endosulfan, abamectin and spinosad. A leaf dip bioassay with diluted insecticide formulations was performed in the laboratory with five to nine populations depending on the insecticide. LC₅₀ values were estimated by probit analysis after correction for control mortality data and used to calculate the resistance ratios (RR). All assessed populations exhibited varied and significant levels of resistance to all insecticides tested, but only moderate levels of resistance to deltamethrin were observed (RR = 52.3). The LC₅₀ values for deltamethrin were higher than 30 mg/l for most populations, and above the field rate (12.5 mg/l). This suggests that the frequency of resistant individuals in these populations was likely above the critical frequency. There was low to moderate resistance to abamectin, chlorpyrifos, endosulfan and spinosad formulations (the highest RRs observed were 4.2, 8.4, 11.1 and 23.5, respectively). Despite the moderate levels of resistance to pyrethroids in A. argillacea, overall results indicate the presence of low to moderate resistance of A. argillacea to insecticides currently used against cotton pests in Brazil.     

Möglichkeiten und Genzen des integrierten Pflanzenschutzes im Gemüsebau

Since the presence of pest species on cultural plants does not mean always a real economical loss, crop loss assessment is to be considered the first step towards developing integrated control in vegetable crops. In our field-experiments there was no difference in the yield between treated and untreated cauliflowers or cabbage, inspite of a considerable attack ofErioischia brassicae Bouché in the area. Also the application of a herbicide (Aretit) to pea-culture did not increase the yield. Establishing the ‘economic threshold’ for potential pests is illustrated on the Cabbage maggot fly inBrassicas, and weeds in pea-culture. Different ways of helping to reduce the population density of a definite pest species were discussed: choosing the most adequate cultivation site, sanitary measures, intercrop relationships, using resistant crop varietes, choice and application of fertilizers. Biological control measures promise a good possibility:Aleochara-release againstE. brassicae in the UdSSR, sterile-male-technique against the onion fly in the Netherlands. Properties of pesticides allowed in integrated control programmes were discussed with examples: Non-persistance, high selectivity, accumulation-danger from previous crops etc. Lastly some problems caused by incorrect interpretation of the expression ‘integrated control’ as well as the possible limits of the procedure were discussed.