Prevention methods for pest control and their use in Poland

Prevention methods can still be a cost‐effective and efficient tool for pest control. Rational use of prevention methods is a feasible way to reduce dependency on chemical protection in agriculture. Costs, workload and farmers' awareness are key issues, however. In Poland, crop rotation is used as a method for pest control only to a limited extent owing to the high share of cereals in the crop structure. The choice of resistant varieties is satisfactory, but farmers should make use of qualified seed material more often. Liming is recommended on the majority of farms on account of widespread soil acidity. Favourable aspects as regards the prevention of pest development are biodiversity and the popularity of prevention cultivation techniques. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Use of Encarsia formosa adults in biological control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum on glasshouse vegetable crops1

In Poland, where possibilities for complete microclimate regulation in glasshouses are limited and there is a relatively low degree of automation and computerization, satisfactory biological control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum with Encarsia formosa depends on precise and uniform release of the parasite in the glasshouse, as well as on rapid reaction to increasing pest numbers. This can be achieved by a method, developed in Poland and presented here, of using adults of E. formosa in specially prepared capsules. This paper reports on the principles for using E. formosa in capsules, and on the numbers and frequency of release of the parasite which are appropriate for different crops.     

Frankliniella occidentalis on ornamental crops in Poland and its control1

Best results in Frankliniella occidentulis control on gerbera, with very good long-term effects, were obtained only with the following plant protection products: Tamaron LC 600 (0.1 %) among organophosphorus compounds, Marshal 25 EC (0.15%) and Mesurol 500 FS (0.1%) among carbamates, Baythroid 0.35 SC (0.05%) and Rufast 15 EC (0.1%) among pyrethroids, Applaud 25 WP (0.05%), Cascade 5 EC (0.3%), GR-572 10 EC (0.1 and 0.25%) and Konfidor 200 EC (0.08%) among insect growth regulators.     

Some new pests of glasshouse crops in Bulgaria and their control by an IPM programme1

Growing of vegetables and ornamentals in the open or as protected crops all the year round is a factor responsible for changes in the biology and ecology of some insects and mites, which can be summarized as follows: (1) the life cycle closes and development occurs all the year round; (2) pests adapt and new strains and populations appear (anholocyclic forms of Aphis naslurtii on capsicum; (3) northwards movement of distribution limits (Peridroma saucia, Chrysodeixis chalcites, Aculops lycopersici, Polyphagotarsonemus latus, Empoasca decipiens); (4)indifferent organisms become pests (Udea ferrugalis). From this point of view, the idea of a new pest must be given a wider interpretation. Details are given on P. latus, E. decipiens, U. ferrugalis and C. chalcites and their control. The following treatments are suitable for IPM programmes: seedling treatment with the systemic insecticide oxamyl, spraying with Thiozol 80 (a.i. 80% wettable sulphur) and Morestan (a.i. 25% quinomethionate) against P. latus; use of light traps and electric killers against Lepidoptera and spraying with Lepidocide (Bacillus thuringzensis) against caterpillars.     

Economics of integrated pest control in protected crops

Decision-makers in the protected crop environment face similar pest-management decisions, in economic terms, to growers of field crops or grain store managers. As a result, the principles of economic thresholds, cost: benefit analyses and risk minimisation apply equally to each of these systems. Growers are faced with several general classes of pest-control decisions: the general control strategy to adopt, and then tactical questions such as when to start control and when to stop or change control practices. However, there are a number of aspects of protected crops which require a somewhat different view of the problem. Several economic models for these questions are examined. The high density of protected crops means that a great deal is at risk at any one time. The protected environment reduces uncertainty about losses, but by optimising temperatures and humidities it increases the probability of loss. The feeling of being able to “control” the environment may extend to pests as well, increasing the use of standard pesticide or biocontrol programmes, rather than responsive pest management based on thresholds. The relatively small scale of protected crops, their accessibility for inspection and the high level of management skills involved in their production improve prospects for monitoring and predicting crop levels, insects and diseases, thus reducing uncertainty. However, the high probability of loss may reduce the value of gathering information, and encourage growers to rely on standard prophylactic procedures which allow them to devote management effort to more productive activities, such as marketing. The balance may be shifted towards more information-based decisions in the future to try to avoid excessive pesticide use because of more stringent regulations on pesticide residues and changing market demand for more organic produce. This may affect disease control in particular, where prophylactic biological control is not an option. At the policy level, feedback on environmental impacts to consumers and policy-makers is poor and decisions with expensive implications for the economy and for environmental quality may not be made in an optimal manner.     

北京农作物有害生物灾害及其应对

本文概述了1949-2009年60年来北京地区农作物有害生物灾害发生和应对情况。分析了灾害形成的原因,同时从减灾的角度提出了一些对策。     

Advances in biological control of Leptinotarsa decemlineata in Poland1

Results of research, and practical attempts at biological control of Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), are reviewed. Attempts to introduce parasitic or predatory insects from North America and establish them permanently in Europe were unsuccessful. Studies conducted in Poland and Europe revealed 237 species of indigenous arthropod natural enemies of Colorado beetle (in North America only 61) and over 15 species of microorganisms (mollicutes, fungi, protozoa and nematodes). The combined action of indigenous natural enemies lowers density of Colorado beetle by 30–80%, but this is still above the economic threshold so that chemical control remains necessary. Under a cooperative project (Poland, Czechia, USA), it was demonstrated in Poland that three treatments with the biopesticides Mycotrol or Novodor provided a level of potato protection similar to that of two treatments with a synthetic pyrethroid.     

USDA pest risk assessment of biological control organisms1

Today, as managers of plant pest control programs seek more and more alternatives to chemical pesticides, the demand for biological control organisms in the USA has increased significantly in volume and variety. There is a corresponding increase in the numbers of permit requests for biological control agents from foreign sources. Environmentalists, Federal and State plant regulatory agencies in the USA are concerned over the long-term effects of these ‘beneficials’ on the target hosts, non-target organisms, codependency of flora and fauna, and on the general environment. Within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of USDA, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) protects US agriculture from the introduction and dispersal of harmful plant pests. It does this with the help of a network of Plant Quarantine Officers. PPQ strongly supports biological control strategies and the importation of more effective agents by accommodating the needs of agribusiness under appropriate safeguards. Although most biological control organisms are not plant pests, certain precautions are in order prior to release since shipments may contain unwanted pests, other contaminants and prohibited plant material.     

Integrated thrips control on glasshouse cucumbers1

Thrips are among the most dangerous pests of glasshouse cucumbers in Poland. The most frequent species, causing the greatest damage, are Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci. The integrated programme of glasshouse cucumber protection against thrips consists of prophylactic treaments, use of the predators Amblyseius barkeri and Neoseiulus cucumeris, and agrotechnical measures.     

Novel approaches to integrated pest and disease control in glasshouse vegetables in the Netherlands

As a result of government policy and consumers' attitudes to environmentally compatible growing systems, research is focused on reduction of pesticide input into the environment. This aim is approached in different ways. With so-called “closed growing systems”, soil fumigants are no longer needed, resulting in an estimated 60% reduction in the total use of pesticides. Further, far smaller quantities of (systemic) pesticides need to be added to plants, via the nutrient solution, than with soil-grown crops. Water disinfestation is essential to minimize the spread of diseases and heat treatment and ozonization are already used under commercial conditions. Filtration appears to be neither reliable nor practical. Other disinfestation methods are under investigation. Ventilators may be provided with insect-proof screens to minimize infection pressure, especially on young plant material. Air filters in combination with mechanical ventilation may be an option for the future to raise healthy plants. A further reduction in the use of pesticides can be achieved by developing biological and integrated control of insects and fungi. Simultaneous application of several biocontrol methods in the fruit vegetable area has increased the complexity of IPM. Open rearing systems of parasitoids on alternative hosts to control cotton aphids and leaf miners are promising. IPM is highly dependent on the availability of selective chemicals. Biological control of root-infecting fungi in substrate crops shows promise. Integrated control of powdery mildew in cucumbers using a combination of nutritional and climatic management and varieties showing partial resistance will be studied. Improvement of application techniques for pesticides is being studied by plant pathologists in cooperation with technical experts. The aim is to reduce pesticide application rates, to minimize losses to the environment and to avoid health risks for the worker. By developing decision-support systems for crop protection, optimal use of beneficial insects is achieved and unnecessary applications of chemicals are avoided. A programme to develop such a system for the sweet pepper crop is under way.     

New quarantine glasshouse pests in Poland and coloured sticky traps for their monitoring1

Trapping methods are being evaluated in Poland in connection with the addition of the following pests to the new Polish Quarantine List: Liriomyza trifolii, L. sativae, L. huidobrensis, Amauromyza maculosa, Thrips palmi, Frankliniella occidentalis, Bemisia tabaci. Variations were observed in the response of F. occidentalis, Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bradysia spp. to colour, size and method of hanging of the traps. The highest numbers of F. occidentalis were found on blue traps of different shades, of T. vaporuriorum on yellow traps, and of Bradysia on orange and yellow traps.     

我国主要农作物蚜虫生物防治的研究进展、应用与展望

蚜虫是农业生产上的重大害虫,不仅通过取食韧皮部直接为害植物,还会传播很多植物病毒病,严重影响农作物产量和品质。目前防治蚜虫仍以化学农药为主,然而生物防治作为绿色环保、可持续的防治策略在这几十年中也得到了长足发展。该文对我国近60年关于主要农作物蚜虫生物防治的研究进展进行概述,包括主要农作物蚜虫的天敌资源（主要寄生性天敌196种,主要捕食性天敌16种,主要病原微生物6种）、蚜虫主要天敌生物学和生态学研究、人工扩繁及应用技术及植物抗蚜机制和抗蚜种质资源挖掘,并对目前蚜虫生物防治中存在的问题及未来的研究方向进行展望,以期为蚜虫生物防治技术的发展和推广应用提供参考。     

十字花科蔬菜害虫生物防治研究进展

十字花科蔬菜主要害虫有菜青虫、小菜蛾、甜菜夜蛾、猿叶虫等,其中有些害虫抗药性的迅速增加导致频繁暴发,因此生物防治对于防治十字花科蔬菜害虫是至关重要的。本文综述了国内外目前对十字花科蔬菜害虫天敌昆虫、病原微生物的调查研究进展,并探讨对植物提取物和昆虫生长调节刑等的利用现状。     

Potential biological control of clubroot on canola and crucifer vegetable crops

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is an emerging threat to canola (Brassica napus) production in western Canada, and a serious disease on crucifer vegetable crops in eastern Canada. In this study, seven biological control agents and two fungicides were evaluated as soil drenches or seed treatments for control of clubroot. Under growth cabinet conditions, a soil‐drench application of formulated biocontrol agents Bacillus subtilis and Gliocladium catenulatum reduced clubroot severity by more than 80% relative to pathogen‐inoculated controls on a highly susceptible canola cultivar. This efficacy was similar to that of the fungicides fluazinam and cyazofamid. Under high disease pressure in greenhouse conditions, the biocontrol agents were less effective than the fungicides. Additionally, all of the treatments delivered as a seed coating were less effective than the soil drench. In field trials conducted in 2009, different treatments consisting of a commercial formulation of B. subtilis, G. catenulatum, fluazinam or cyazofamid were applied as an in‐furrow drench at 500 L ha^?1 water volume to one susceptible and one resistant cultivar at two sites seeded to canola in Alberta and one site of Chinese cabbage in Ontario. There was no substantial impact on the susceptible canola cultivar, but all of the treatments reduced clubroot on the susceptible cultivar of Chinese cabbage, lowering disease severity by 54–84%. There was a period of 4 weeks without rain after the canola was seeded, which likely contributed to the low treatment efficacy on canola. Under growth cabinet conditions, fluazinam and B. subtilis products became substantially less effective after 2 weeks in a dry soil, but cyazofamid retained its efficacy for at least 4 weeks.     

Biological control methods of pest insects in oilseed rape

Parasitoids, predators, insect pathogenic fungi, nematodes and microsporidia have all shown promise in the biological suppression of the key target pest, the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus in rapeseed, as well as in the control of other rapeseed pests. Under favourable conditions pollen beetles are locally and temporarily already under efficient natural control by one or several of these agents, but overall the pollen beetle remains the number one pest of rapeseed in Finland, as well as elsewhere in Europe. Conservation biological control to enhance natural control appears the most feasible approach to solve the problem. Field and simulation data are used to demonstrate how a simple change in the tillage practice may be enough to obtain efficient control of the pollen beetle. Several other options are, or will be available, subject to successful registration of microbial products based on the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana , and the nematode Steinernema feltiae . Strategies and methods of applying these agents have been developed to facilitate either inundative treatments, or ecosystem restoration to (re-)establish the presence of these agents in agricultural fields. Critical components of agricultural practice have been identified for maximising control by biological agents within a functioning IPM system.     

Concepts and methods in biological control of diseases in apple orchards1

The project ‘Promotion of Biological Methods in Apple Growing’ which started in Switzerland in 1985 concentrates on the control of Venturia inaequalis (scab) and Podosphaera leucotricha (powdery mildew). The project considers the selection of suitable cultivars resistant or only slightly susceptible to fungal diseases and the assessment of tolerable economic loss. It also includes curative treatments with sterol-synthesis-inhibiting fungicides, according to scab infection periods, as well as applications of plant extracts (proposed by the Institute of Biological Husbandry) and suspensions of antagonists or their culture filtrates as plant-protecting agents. Screening experiments on apple seedlings showed that root extracts of Rumex obtusifolium significantly reduced powdery mildew infections under greenhouse conditions. In field experiments treatments with R. obtusifolium extracts at intervals of 7–10 days were less effective. Saponin-containing extracts of different plants gave satisfying control of scab on seedlings in the growth chamber but were not very effective in the field. Applications of spore suspensions and culture filtrates of the phyllosphere fungi Chaetomium spp. reduced scab and mildew infections on apple seedlings to some extent. It was found that in the last 2 years even primary infections of P. leucotricha were severely parasitized by Ampelomyces quisqualis. Preliminary studies showed that the lack of efficacy of this biocontrol system is due to the delayed spread of the hyperparasite.     

Development of glasshouse pests of cucumber under different conditions,in relation to possibilities for their biological control1

Experiments were performed under controlled conditions on the development of four cucumber pests (Trialeurodes uaporariorum, Tetranychus urticae, Aphis gossypii and Thrips tabaci). The main variables were temperature, photoperiod and light intensity. The effect of these factors on the natural enemies Encarsia formosa and Amblyseius mckenziei was also assessed. Comparison of the results allows recommendations on manipulation of the glasshouse environment to favour biological control.     

An information-management system for pest warning in field crops in Sweden1

Since 1988 a pest-warning system has covered the southern and central parts of Sweden. These parts are divided into five plant protection regions with a centre in each. Approximately 1000 fields in eleven crops are assessed each Monday from May to July. The same day the results are computerized and distributed by fax to the advisers. The following morning the advisers in the region discuss the results and what measures to take, by telephone conference. Immediately after the conference, plant protection letters are written with the guidance of there commendations agreed by the conference. This system is fast, has a very good coverage and is much appreciated amongst extension staff.     

生防真菌遗传转化方法研究进展

生防真菌是一类非常重要的环境微生物,在防治有害生物中具有广阔的发展潜力.近年来,都采用菌株改良的途径来提高生防真菌的毒力.其中基因工程技术被认为是最有效的菌株改良途径,成为研究生防真菌分子生物学的新工具.为此,对生防真菌的遗传转化方法进行了综述.主要包括原生质体转化、电激转化、基因枪法、限制性内切酶介导转化(REMI)法、根癌农杆菌介导转化法,并对其应用前景进行了展望.