Contribution of contact toxicity and wheat condition to mortality of stored-product insects exposed to spinosad

Spinosad, a reduced-risk commercial insecticide derived from a bacterial fermentation product, possesses both contact and oral toxicities against insects. Contact toxicity of spinosad to adults of Rhyzopertha dominica (F), Sitophilus oryzae (L), and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) was evaluated by exposure for 24 or 48 h to treated glass Petri dishes. Adults were exposed to different deposits (0.001-0.79 mg cm(-2)) of spinosad in 24-h tests and to deposits of 0, 0.0016 and 0.016mg cm(-2) in 48-h tests. Rhyzopertha dominica was most susceptible to spinosad in 24- and 48-h tests, followed by S. oryzae, and T. castaneum. The 24-h LD50 values were 0.0004, 0.077 and 0.189mg cm(-2) for R. dominica, S. oryzae, and T. castaneum, respectively. All R. dominica adults were dead following 48 h exposure to both spinosad deposits, whereas mortality of S. oryzae and T. castaneum ranged from 10 to 85% and 12 to 48%, respectively. Rhyzopertha dominica, T. castaneum, and O. surinamensis adults were exposed for 14 days to whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat flour treated with 0, 0.1 and 1.0 mg kg(-1) of spinosad. Rhyzopertha dominica adults were highly susceptible to spinosad, followed by O. surinamensis and T. castaneum. Immatures (eggs and larvae) of T. castaneum and O. surinamensis exposed for 14 days were more susceptible on spinosad-treated whole wheat than on treated cracked wheat and wheat flour. This is the first report documenting contact activity of spinosad, and the effect of grain condition on spinosad toxicity, to stored-product insects.     

Phosphorus utilization in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed practical diets and its consequences on effluent phosphorus levels

Excessive dietary phosphorous (P) concentrations in effluents from aquaculture present a major environmental problem. We therefore studied the effect of dietary P and vitamin D₃ on P utilization by rainbow trout-fed practical diets and on P concentrations in the soluble, particulate and settleable components of the effluent from fish tanks. Rainbow trout (average weight: 78 g, initial biomass: 13 kg in 0.7 m³ tanks) were fed for 11 weeks, practical diets that varied in total P, available P, and vitamin D₃ concentrations. Soluble, particulate (10–200 μm) and settleable (>200 μm) P in the effluent were sampled every 0.5–6 h for 1–3 days in the third and eleventh weeks of the experiment. Trout in all diets more than doubled their weight after 11 weeks. Increasing the concentrations of available dietary P from 0.24% to 0.88% modestly enhanced growth rate. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and biomass gain per gram P consumed decreased as dietary P concentrations increased. Carcass P, daily P gain, and plasma P concentrations were lower in fish fed with low P diets. Soluble P concentrations in the effluent peaked immediately after and again 4–6 h after feeding, and is a linear function of available dietary P. No soluble P would be produced during consumption of diets containing less than 0.22±0.02% available P. Above this dietary concentration, soluble P would be excreted at 6.9±0.4 mg/day/kg for each 0.1% increase in available dietary P. Particulate P concentrations in the effluent were independent of dietary P concentrations. Settleable, presumably fecal, P concentrations tended to increase with dietary P concentrations. In trout fed with low P (0.24% available P, 0.6% total P) diets, 60% of total dietary P were retained by the fish and the remaining 40% were excreted in the effluent as settleable P (20–30%) and particulate or soluble P (10–20%). In trout fed with high P (0.59–0.88% available P; 0.9–1.2% total P) diets, 30–55% of total dietary P was retained by fish, and the remaining 15–25% appeared in the effluent as settleable P, 20–55% as soluble P, and 5–10% as particulate P. Vitamin D₃ did not affect fish growth nor effluent P levels. Physicochemical management of aquaculture effluents should consider the effect of diets on partitioning of effluent P, the peaks of soluble P concentration following feeding, and the contributions of particulate P to total P in the effluent. Increasing our understanding of how dietary P is utilized and is subsequently partitioned in the effluent can contribute significantly towards alleviating this important environmental and industry problem.     

Prevention of organ allograft rejection by a specific Janus kinase 3 inhibitor

Because of its requirement for signaling by multiple cytokines, Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) is an excellent target for clinical immunosuppression. We report the development of a specific, orally active inhibitor of JAK3, CP-690,550, that significantly prolonged survival in a murine model of heart transplantation and in cynomolgus monkeys receiving kidney transplants. CP-690,550 treatment was not associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or lymphoproliferative disease. On the basis of these preclinical results, we believe JAK3 blockade by CP-690,550 has potential for therapeutically desirable immunosuppression in human organ transplantation and in other clinical settings.     

Control of spoilage and ripening in mango fruit by zineb and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate

Zineb (0.375%) in hot water as a post harvest dip reduced the spoilage due to fungi and delayed the ripening process in Alphonso and Pairi mangoes. Spoilage was minimal when the treatment was given soon after harvest. Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (0.4 %) was also effective in reducing the spoilage in Pairi mangoes although the treatment was delayed until 7 days after harvest. These compounds did not adversely affect the chemical composition or edible quality of the fruit.     

Management of five stored-product insects in wheat with pirimiphos-methyl and pirimiphos-methyl plus synergized pyrethrins

Hard red winter wheat was treated with pirimiphos-methyl at 4, 6 and 8 mg kg(-1), synergized pyrethrins at 0.38, 0.75, 1.13 and 1.5 mg kg(-1), and combinations of the two insecticides, to conduct laboratory bioassays against four beetle pests of stored grain, red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), rusty grain beetle Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (F), and rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae (L), and one moth pest, Indianmeal moth Plodia interpunctella (Hubner). Beetle adults and P interpunctella larvae survived well on control wheat, producing a large number of progeny (65-1037 insects per container). Kernel damage in control wheat among the insect species ranged from 9 to 99%. On pirimiphos-methyl-treated wheat, mortality of R dominica adults was > or =72%, but that of the other beetle species and P interpunctella larvae was 100%. Progeny were not produced on pirimiphos-methyl-treated wheat, and the kernel damage was negligible (< or =1%). Synergized pyrethrins were ineffective against the five insect pests. Pirimiphos-methyl combined with synergized pyrethrins was not superior to pirimiphos-methyl alone against the five insect pests. Pirimiphos-methyl is not registered in the USA for use on wheat, but our results suggest that it could be a viable grain protectant at rates of 4-8 mg kg(-1).     

Identification and characterization of EST-SSRs in finger millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleusine coracana</Emphasis> (L.) Gaertn.)

In recent years, microsatellites have become the most used markers for studying population genetic diversity. The increased availability of the DNA sequences has given the possibility to develop EST-derived SSR markers. A total of 1,927 ESTs of Eleusine coracana available in the NCBI database were mined for SSRs. Di-nucleotides are the most occurring motifs accounting for more than 50% of the repeats, of which GA was the most abundant motif and tetra-nucleotides are the least occurring motifs. Of the 132 markers identified, 30 primer pairs based were synthesized. SSR markers were used for variety discrimination and genetic assessment in 15 finger millet accessions; 20 primers showed polymorphism and 13 primers were identified as having a PIC value above 0.5. On the basis of the distribution of these polymorphic alleles, the 15 accessions were classified into two groups. This study has demonstrated the potential of EST-derived SSR primer pairs in finger millet. These primers will serve as valuable source for further breeding programs.     

Improvement in cooking quality of horse gram (Dolichos biflorus) by pre-soaking treatment with salt solution

Soaking of horse gram (Dolichos biflorus) in a solution of 1.5% NaHCO₃, 0.5% Na₂CO₃, and 0.75% citric acid for 12 h was found to be effective in reducing cooking time from 145 to 27 min. The treatment improved protein digestibility of cooked horse gram from 69 to 78%. Horse gram cooked after pre-treatment with soak solution had 35% less amount of polyphenols than that in untreated cooked samples. The suitability of this treatment for reducing cooking time of several other legumes was evaluated.     

Responses of Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) to pirimiphos-methyl, spinosad, and combinations of pirimiphos-methyl and synergized pyrethrins

Field control failures with pirimiphos-methyl against the rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton), in Weslaco, Texas, USA, led us to investigate the susceptibility of this particular strain to pirimiphos-methyl, spinosad, pyrethrins synergized with piperonyl butoxide, and pirimiphos-methyl combined with synergized pyrethrins. In laboratory bioassays, 50 eggs of C cephalonica were exposed to untreated and insecticide-treated corn and sunflower seeds to determine larval survival after 21 days, egg-to-adult emergence after 49 days, and larval damage to seeds at both exposure periods. Pirimiphos-methyl at both 4 and 8 mg kg(-1) did not prevent larval survival or egg-to-adult emergence of C cephalonica on either corn or sunflower seeds, and seed damage was evident at both rates. The C cephalonica strain was highly susceptible to spinosad at 0.5 and 1 mg kg(-1). At both spinosad rates, reduction in larval survival, egg-to-adult emergence, and seed damage relative to the control treatment was > or = 93% on both corn and sunflower seeds. Pirimiphos-methyl and spinosad were generally more effective against C cephalonica on corn than sunflower seeds. The C cephalonica strain was completely controlled on corn treated with 1.5 mg kg(-1) of pyrethrins synergized with 15 mg kg(-1) of piperonyl butoxide. Many larvae survived and became adults on corn treated with synergized pyrethrins at < or = 0.75 mg kg(-1). Corn treated with pirimiphos-methyl at 4, 6 or 8 mg kg(-1) in combination with 0.38 to 1.5 mg kg(-1) of synergized pyrethrins reduced larval survival by > or = 95%, egg-to-adult emergence by > or = 97%, and seed damage by > or = 94%. Our results suggest that the C cephalonica strain can be controlled on corn by combining pirimiphos-methyl with synergized pyrethrins or with synergized pyrethrins at the labeled rate. Although spinosad is not currently labeled for use on stored corn and sunflower seeds, it appears to be effective against C cephalonica on both commodities at very low rates.