Assessment of field evolved resistance to some broad-spectrum insecticides in cotton jassid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amrasca devastans</Emphasis> from southern Punjab,Pakistan

Resistance management, targeting insect pests is one of the key components in developing integrated pest management strategies. Arguably, resistance monitoring is a scientific undertaking that can support and inform resistance management tactics and strategies. To monitor the current resistance status in Amrasca devastans against conventional insecticides (deltamethrin, bifenthrin, cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, acephate, and methomyl) which are used by the farming community as the predominant means to control this pest. Field populations of A. devastans were collected from six different districts: Multan, Bahawalpur, Khanewal, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh from Punjab in Pakistan. The adult populations tested were 11.10–92.87 times more resistant to deltamethrin, 5.87–14.11 times more to bifenthrin, 3.16–17.5 times more to cypermethrin, 2.65–36.42 times more to chlorpyrifos, 7.28–57.71 times more to profenofos, 1.65–11.13 times more to acephate and 2.55–43.31 times more to methomyl as compared to control (lab population). In our study, no to high levels of resistance were observed against pyrethroids and organophosphates. Development of resistance to these pyrethroids and organophosphates might be due to the injudicious use of these types of insecticides in field crops. This study suggests that use of these insecticides should be minimized to avoid development of resistance in A. devastans. Future studies are also recommended to use new chemistry insecticides with novel modes of action and/or insecticide mixtures that may reduce the reliance of the farming communities on these insecticides.     

Effectiveness of two insect growth regulators against Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and their impact on population densities of arthropod predators in cotton in Pakistan

Field efficacies of two insect growth regulators (IGRs) at two recommended application rates, buprofezin at 370 and 555 g AI ha(-1) and lufenuron at 37 and 49 g AI ha(-1), were determined against the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), and the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), in experimental plots of cotton at the Directorate of Cotton Research, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Adverse effects of the IGRs on populations of associated arthropod predators, namely geocorids, chrysopids, coccinellids, formicids and arachnids, were also assessed. Both IGRs significantly reduced populations of B. tabaci at each application rate 24, 48 and 72 h after treatment, and higher doses were more effective than lower doses. Buprofezin was not effective against H. armigera at any tested dose for any time of treatment in any spray. Lufenuron applied at 37 and 49 g AI ha(-1) effectively suppressed H. armigera populations, resulting in significant reductions in crop damage. At lower doses, both IGRs appeared safe to predator populations, which did not differ significantly in IGR-treated versus untreated control plots. Population densities of formicids and coccinellids were significantly lower at high concentrations of both IGRs in treatment plots, possibly as a result of reduced prey availability. The potential role of buprofezin and lufenuron for control of B. tabaci and H. armigera in a spray programme and the likelihood of direct toxic effects of IGRs on predatory fauna of cotton are discussed.     

Field evolved resistance to carbamates,organophosphates, pyrethroids,and new chemistry insecticides in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spodoptera litura</Emphasis> Fab. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Spodoptera litura Fab. (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest and has been shown to be resistant to a wide range of insecticides, which has led to sporadic out breaks of the pest and failure of crops. We were interested to establish if resistance to insecticides is diverse in different populations of S. litura collected from various areas with variable temperatures. We collected S. litura from eight different locations and compare the toxicity of insecticides. Resistance to the pyrethroids ranged from 20- to 11,700-fold compared with the Lab-PK (laboratory susceptible population). The resistance to bifenthrin was the lowest in a population collected from Multan and the highest to esfenvalerate in a population collected from Lodhran. Similarly, very high level of resistance to spinosad, indoxacarb, and methoxyfenozide was observed in all eight populations. In contrast, resistance to organophosphates was significantly lower than the pyrethroids, spinosad, indoxacarb, and methoxyfenozide, while toxicity of emamectin to field populations was similar to the Lab-Pk. The results are discussed in relation to integrated pest management (IPM) for S. litura with special reference to management of field evolved resistance to insecticides.     

Impact of integrated application of biochar and nitrogen fertilizers on maize growth and nitrogen recovery in alkaline calcareous soil

Biochar application has been considered as a rich source of carbon which helps to improve the physico-chemical properties and fertility of the soil. In Pakistan, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer is considered a serious problem, so it is of vital importance to examine the effect of biochar on soil with varying doses of nitrogen fertilizer. We hypothesized that addition of biochar to an alkaline calcareous soil could improve not only soil quality and crop yield but also nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), reducing the loss of nitrogen (N) in the form of denitrification, ammonia volatilization, and nitrate leaching. A pot experiment was conducted under 2-factorial completely randomized design having three replications to evaluate the NUE in biochar amended calcareous soil. Biochar was applied at the rate of 0%, 1% and 2% (w/w) in pots filled with 17 kg of soil using various levels of N (0%, 50% and 100% of recommended dose) on maize (Zea mays L.). Several soil quality indicators, uptake, and yield of maize were monitored. Biochar application significantly decreased soil pH, increased water-holding capacity, total organic carbon, maize yield, stomatal conductance, and nitrogen uptake in plant. The results of the study indicated that addition of biochar could not only decrease the use of inorganic fertilizers by improving its quality and yield as in our case biochar at the rate of 1% and N at the rate of 50% provided optimum output minimizing the economic cost eventually.     

Critical values of alternative organic amendments on kiwi seedling growth

The present research was conducted to explore the impact of alternative organic amendments on physicochemical properties of soil and their critical value for kiwi seedlings growth. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design with 3 replications and 20 seedlings per replication. The highest pH (8.0) was recorded in T3 (compost + silt) and the highest electrical conductivity (EC) of 5.91 dS/m, organic matter (24.11%), organic carbon (13.99%), organic nitrogen (1.51%) were recorded in T8 (compost + peat moss (PM) + leaf manure) and the highest soil porosity (SP) (45.95%) and lowest bulk density (0.67) were recorded in T4 (PM + garden soil (GS)). EC higher than 1.99 and SP (45.95%) were found critical and adversely affected seedling survival. The highest plant height (103 and 93 cm), number of leaves (23 and 20), number of first-order lateral roots (NFLRM) (9 and 8.5), whole seedling fresh mass (75 and 72 g), fresh root mass (FRM) (35 and 35 g), shoot fresh mass (46 and 40 g), root collar diameter (RCD) (13 and 12 mm), and shoot diameter (10 and 9 mm) were recorded in T5 (compost + GS) and T7 (compost + PM + GS). Strong and positive correlations were observed among NFLRP, RFM, and RCD (R² = 0.89 and 0.96) and all the above-ground seedling traits (R² = 0.86–0.98). It is concluded that compost is a good soil amendment for producing good quality graftable kiwi seedlings and evaluation of seedling root system architecture could be used to predict the potential and success of seedlings in the field.     

Effect of emamectin benzoate on life history traits and relative fitness of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Emamectin benzoate, a semisynthetic bioinsecticide, has been used frequently for the management of lepidopteran pests of cotton worldwide. To assess the resistance risk and design strategy for resistance management, life history traits were established for emamectin benzoate-resistant, unselected and susceptible S. litura strains based on the laboratory observations. Bioassay results showed that the emamectin benzoate-selected strain developed a resistance ratio of 911-fold compared with that of the susceptible strain. The emamectin-selected strain had a relative fitness of 0.37 and lower prepupal and pupal weights, prolonged larval duration and development time, lower fecundity and hatchability compared with the susceptible strain. Mean population growth rates, such as intrinsic rate of population increase and biotic potential, were lower for the emamectin-selected strain compared with the susceptible strain. Development of resistance can cost considerable fitness for the emamectin-selected strain. The present study provided useful information for determining potential management strategies to overcome development of resistance.     

Survival of cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), through winter cleanups of commercial vegetable greenhouses: Implications for insecticide resistance management

Cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a highly migratory and destructive pest of various crops in North America. Its infestations in vegetable greenhouses in western Canada are generally attributed to annual immigrations from southern overwintering areas, but whether it survives overwinter in western Canada is uncertain. Bioinsecticides based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins are commonly used in southwestern British Columbia where some T. ni populations have developed strong resistance to Bt-insecticides. In this study, overwintering success of T. ni populations was monitored outside and inside three commercial greenhouses in British Columbia. In both years, T. ni pupae placed outside greenhouses did not survive although pupae placed inside the greenhouses survived the unheated cleanup period and exposure to organophosphate insecticides commonly used in the cleanup procedure in the greenhouses. During the cleanup period, no moths were caught inside the unheated greenhouses, but once the heating was restored for the new growing season, adults were captured in pheromone traps. No developmental stages of T. ni were detected on nursery seedlings and visual monitoring of transplants at the beginning of the season found no signs of previous feeding damage. This strongly suggests that T. ni were not introduced with the seedlings. Our findings are important for understanding the potential risks of inadequate winter cleanup and the potential carryover of resistance to Bt-insecticides in populations from one season to the next that could complicate pest management.     

Sugar-Starch Metabolism and Antioxidant Potential in Potato Tubers in Response to Different Antisprouting Agents During Storage

Single applications of different antisprouting agents like hot water treatment, spearmint oil and clove oil were carried out on potato cultivar “Lady Rosetta” to compare their efficacy with that of synthetic chloro isopropyl N-phenyl carbamate (CIPC). The tubers were stored at ambient storage conditions (25?±?2 °C) for 81 days to assess changes in their sugar-starch concentrations and antioxidant potential. Antioxidant potential in the tubers was assessed as their total phenolic concentrations and radical scavenging activities. In addition, the enzymatic activities were also determined in order to evaluate the possible depletion of these antioxidants as substrate during storage. Results revealed significant response of stored potatoes to all antisprouting agents compared with the control (P?≤?0.05). CIPC and clove oil applications maintained tuber dormancy almost twice as long (81 days) as observed in the control (45 days). Application of spearmint oil and hot water treatment maintained tuber dormancy for almost 2 months. However, it was associated with an increased percentage sprouting during the last weeks of storage. At the end of storage, the highest starch (16.83%) and lowest sugar (0.99%) concentrations were estimated after CIPC application and maximum total phenolic concentration (143.57 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g), and highest antioxidant activity (39.73%) were found after clove oil application. Enzymatic activities were not statistically different between CIPC and clove oil application during most of the storage period. Results showed that efficient replacement of CIPC with clove oil in the premium potato cultivar might be useful; this may avert related food safety and environmental issues and would also ensure organic potato storage.     

Investigating phenotypic structures and allelochemical compounds of the fruits of Momordica charantia L. genotypes as sources of resistance against Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Plant resistance is an important component of integrated management of the melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) owing to difficulties associated with its chemical control. Various biophysical traits including fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit toughness, number of the longitudinal ribs, height of the longitudinal ribs, number of small ridges, depth of small ridges and pericarp thickness, and biochemical traits including total chlorophyll, pH, tannin, flavanol, phenol, ash and silica contents of fruit were studied on six genotypes of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) in relation to resistance against B. cucurbitae under field conditions in Pakistan. Faisalabad-long and Col-II were the most resistant whereas Chaman and Col-Vehari were the most susceptible among the tested genotypes. Fruit length, fruit diameter, number of the longitudinal ribs and number of small ridges had significant positive correlations whereas fruit toughness, depth of small ridges, height of the longitudinal ribs and pericarp thickness had significant negative correlations with the percent fruit infestation and larval density. Maximum variation in fruit infestation and larval density was explained by fruit toughness (63.4 and 49.2% respectively) followed by fruit diameter (23.2 and 22.4% respectively) and number of the longitudinal ribs (8.2 and 11.6% respectively) whereas the remainder of the physical traits explained <2.0% variation in fruit infestation. Total chlorophyll and pH were lowest in resistant and highest in susceptible genotypes whereas tannin, flavanol, phenol, ash and silica contents were highest in resistant and lowest in susceptible genotypes. Tannin and flavanol contents explained 96.5% of the total variation in fruit infestation and 97.7% of the total variation in larval density whereas rest of the biochemical traits explained <0.2% variation in fruit infestation.