Integrated pest management of Tuta absoluta: practical implementations across different world regions

Journal of Pest Science - The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato...     

What genetics tell us about the conservation of the critically endangered Balearic Shearwater?

The Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus is one of the most critically endangered seabirds in the world. The species is endemic to the Balearic archipelago, and conservation concerns are the low number of breeding pairs, the low adult survival, and the possible hybridization with a sibling species, the morphologically smaller Yelkouan shearwater (P. yelkouan). We sampled almost the entire breeding range of the species and analyzed the genetic variation at two mitochondrial DNA regions. No genetic evidence of population decline was found. Despite the observed philopatry, we detected a weak population structure mainly due to connectivity among colonies higher than expected, but also to a Pleistocene demographic expansion. Some colonies showed a high imbalance between immigration and emigration rates, suggesting spatial heterogeneity in patch quality. Genetic evidence of maternal introgression from the sibling species was reinforced, but almost only in a peripheral colony and not followed, at least to date, by the spread of the introgressed mtDNA lineages. Morphometric differences were not correlated with mtDNA haplotypes and introgression is probably due to a secondary contact between the two species several generations ago. Overall, results suggested that the very recent demographic decline in this critically endangered species has not yet decreased its genetic variability, and connectivity found among most colonies should help to reduce species extinction risk. Spreading of introgression should be monitored, but the species is not jeopardized at the moment by genetic factors and the major conservation actions should concentrate at enhancing adult survival.     

Decomposition processes in coastal lagoons and their implications for the assessment of ecological health

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Prospects for predatory mirid bugs as biocontrol agents of aphids in sweet peppers

Journal of Pest Science - In recent years, biological control strategies to control many major horticultural pests have been successfully implemented in the Eastern Mediterranean basin. However,...     

Correction to: Orius laevigatus strengthens its role as a biological control agent by inducing plant defenses

Journal of Pest Science - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01357-4     

Analysis of ochratoxin a in coffee by solid-phase cleanup and narrow-bore liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector-mass spectrometry

A method for the analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) in green and roasted coffee has been developed. OTA was extracted from coffee with 1% NaHCO(3), and the extract was filtered and purified by solid-phase cleanup using a polymeric column that exhibits reversed-phase and anion-exchange functionalities. OTA was analyzed on a narrow-bore reversed-phase C(18) HPLC column with acetonitrile/water (0.1% formic acid) (40:60) as mobile phase and quantified with a fluorescence detector. The presence of OTA in coffee was confirmed by single-quadruple mass spectrometry using an electrospray ionization source. The method has been validated, obtaining a recovery of 82.5% and a detection limit of 0.1 ng/g. It has been applied to 20 coffee samples from various countries and different manufacturers with no detection of OTA.     

Lessons from a failed translocation program with a seabird species: Determinants of success and conservation value

Conservation diagnosis of ex situ techniques (e.g. releasing chicks by hacking) cannot be evaluated without quantitative assessment of the fate of individuals, mainly their survival and recruitment. Here we use a long-term monitoring at a large spatial scale of a hacking programme (i.e. chick translocations) for Audouin’s gulls in an uninhabited site so as to establish a new breeding patch and reinforce the metapopulation. The success of the programme relied on the assumption that birds tend to recruit to the site where they fledge (i.e. they were philopatric). Multi-state capture-recapture models applied to a large dataset (more than 43,500 resights at 30 colonies during 1999–2010) were used to evaluate the survival of released chicks and the probability of being philopatric. Adult survival was high, but juvenile survival was lower than that of wild gulls, suggesting that there was a cost associated with hacking only during their first year of life. As expected, most released birds returned to the hacking site, but very few (including immigrants from abroad) attempted to breed here. Dispersal was inversely correlated with distance from the hacking site and positively associated with the population size of the patch (i.e. conspecific attraction). Even though most hacking procedures met the ecological conditions to succeed, results clearly showed that the program failed to establish a new breeding site. The ability of prospecting and the attraction made by conspecifics at established sites may be a constraint for the success of hacking programs, particularly for social and nomadic species.     

Use of zoophytophagous mirid bugs in horticultural crops: Current challenges and future perspectives

In recent years, the use of predatory mirid bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) in horticultural crops has increased considerably. Mirid bugs are zoophytophagous predators, that is, they display omnivorous behavior and feed on both plants and arthropods. Mirid bugs feed effectively on a wide range of prey, such as whiteflies, lepidopteran eggs and mites. In addition, the phytophagous behavior of mirid bugs can activate defenses in the plants on which they feed. Despite the positive biological attributes, their use still presents some constraints. Their establishment and retention on the crop is not always easy and economic plant damage can be caused by some mirid species. In this review, the current strategies for using zoophytophagous mirid bugs in horticultural crops, mainly Nesidiocoris tenuis, Macrolophus pygmaeus and Dicyphus hesperus, are reviewed. We discuss six different approaches which, in our opinion, can optimize the efficacy of mirids as biocontrol agents and help expand their use into more areas worldwide. In this review we (i) highlight the large number of species and biotypes which are yet to be described and explore their applicability, (ii) present how it is possible to take advantage of the mirid‐induced plant defenses to improve pest management, (iii) argue that genetic selection of improved mirid strains is feasible, (iv) explore the use of companion plants and the use of alternative foods to improve the mirid bug management, and finally (vi) discuss strategies for the expansion of mirid bugs as biological control agents to horticultural crops other than just tomatoes. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

UHPLC-MS analysis of juvenile hormone II in Mediterranean corn borer (Sesamia nonagrioides) hemolymph using various ionization techniques

The juvenile hormones (JHs) have been considered the most versatile hormones in the animal kingdom. JH-II is the most abundant JH in Sesamia nonagrioides, important maize pests in the Mediterranean basin. This study compared the sensitivities and matrix effects of four ionization modes on analyzing JH-II in S. nonagrioides hemolymph using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) in single ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The ionization techniques tested were electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), and APPI with the lamp turned off, which corresponds to atmospheric pressure thermospray ionization (APTSI). ESI was discarded because of the high matrix effect. APPI was discarded because the correlation responses between solvent and matrix on the instrumental quality parameters were worse than those for APTSI and APCI. In our analytical conditions, APCI has shown the best validation parameter values. APCI ionization is widely available in instrumental laboratories.     

Efficacy of vaccination with La Sota strain vaccine to control Newcastle disease in village chickens in Nepal

The efficacy of vaccination with Newcastle disease (ND) La Sota and R₂B (Mukteswar) modified live strain vaccines was determined by experimental challenge and with ND La Sota vaccine under field conditions in Nepal. Booster vaccination with ND La Sota vaccine after a primary vaccination with ND La Sota vaccine, induced a geometric mean titre (GMT) of 5.0 log₂ haemagglutination inhibition (HI) units, compared to a GMT of 6.0 log₂ HI units following booster vaccination with R₂B vaccine 1 month after primary vaccination with ND La Sota vaccine. Both vaccines provided 100% protection against challenge with a local field ND strain. Furthermore, booster vaccination with ND La Sota vaccine induced protective levels of antibody after field use in villages in Jhapa, and no outbreaks of ND occurred during the study period. The ND La Sota modified live vaccine is immunogenic and efficacious and is a suitable vaccine for use in vaccination programmes in village chickens in the rural areas of Nepal.