Impact of phorate on malate dehydrogenases, lactate dehydrogenase and proteins of epigeic, anecic and endogeic earthworms

The effects of an organophosphate pesticide phorate on cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (cMDH), mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), supernatant and mitochondrial proteins of an epigeic (Perionyx sansibaricus), anecic (Lampito mauritii) and endogeic (Metaphire posthuma) earthworms were studied. The treatment of different concentrations (20, 40, 80 and 160 ppm) of phorate for 16 days gradually decreased the specific activities of cMDH, mMDH and LDH as well as cytoplasmic and mitochondrial protein contents. This showed the inhibitory effect of phorate on metabolic enzymes and proteins in tropical earthworms. The inhibition was dose- and time-dependent. The inhibitory response in mitochondrial enzyme (mMDH) and protein was somewhat earlier and more as compared to the inhibitory effect of phorate on cytoplasmic enzymes (cMDH, LDH) and protein. This indicates a greater interference of phorate in cellular respiration of earthworms. The phorate related decreases in enzyme and protein profiles were about 60% and 58% in P. sansibaricus, 54% and 49% in L. mauritii and 47% and 42% in M. posthuma, respectively. It reflects phorate-induced substantial decline in protein synthesis and aerobic and anaerobic capacity of earthworms. The maximum effect of phorate was on epigeic earthworm followed by anecic and endogeic species. The present findings suggest the differential sensitivity of different earthworm species in enzymatic and protein responses to phorate and the sensitivity was associated with the ecophysiological categories of earthworms.     

Comparative studies on carbofuran-induced changes in some cytoplasmic and mitochondrial enzymes and proteins of epigeic, anecic and endogeic earthworms

Exposure of epigeic (Perionyx sansibaricus), anecic (Lampito mauritii) and endogeic (Metaphire posthuma) earthworms to four different concentrations (10 ppm, 20 ppm, 40 ppm and 80 ppm) of carbofuran for 16 days induced specific activities of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (cMDH), mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). P. sansibaricus showed 33-52% increase in specific activities of aerobic (cMDH, mMDH) and anaerobic (LDH) enzymes and proteins (cytoplasmic and mitochondrial). In L. mauritii, the enhancement in enzyme and protein level was 30-46%. Similarly, M. posthuma indicated 29-43% increase in profile of enzymes and proteins. The significant increase was observed on 2nd or 3rd day and it was maximum on 16th day of carbofuran exposure. Maximum effect of carbofuran was on epigeic earthworm. The sensitivity of mitochondrial dehydrogenase and protein of different earthworm species to carbofuran appears to be associated with oxygen availability in different strata of soil habitats. Inductions in enzyme specific activity and protein content were concentration and time-dependent. The effect was more pronounced on aerobic enzymes (cMDH, mMDH) as compared to anaerobic (LDH) one. The increases in mitochondrial enzyme (47%) and protein (43%) were more than the cytoplasmic enzymes (35%) and protein (31%), which suggest a greater effect of carbofuran on respiratory metabolism of earthworms. The carbofuran-dependent increase in cytoplasmic and mitochondrial enzymes and proteins might be due to increased synthesis of metabolic enzymes and stress proteins.     

Piperonyl butoxide-mediated inhibition of cytochrome P450-catalysed insecticide metabolism: a rational approach

The inhibitory effect of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) on cytochrome P450 was studied by theoretical methods. Binding conformations of PBO were obtained by the recently developed low-mode conformational search within the active site of cytochrome P450_cam. Increased activity of PBO relative to other methylendioxyphenyl inhibitors was rationalized by its decreased conformational mobility and the steric block created by its long side-chain in the substrate access channel of the enzyme. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

黄淮海地区夏玉米对干旱和涝渍的生理生态反应

利用黄淮海地区多站点的夏玉米水分控制试验,探讨旱涝对夏玉米发育进程、光合能力、干物质分配、叶面积扩展、产量结构及最终产量的影响,进而分析旱涝对夏玉米生长过程的影响机制。结果表明:干旱减缓了夏玉米营养生长阶段的发育速率,但加快了生殖生长阶段的发育进程,而涝渍对夏玉米发育进程的影响较小;夏玉米全生育期土壤湿度距适宜湿度减小1%,其叶片最大光合速率将下降0.3 mol·m~(-2)·s~(-1),比叶面积上升8×10-6hm~2·kg~(-1);夏玉米全生育期土壤相对湿度下降1%,其地上总干重和穗干重均下降0.55%,而产量将减少155kg·hm~(-2);干旱不仅使玉米灌浆时间变短,而且使叶片光合能力下降;营养生长阶段干旱使干物质更多地分配向茎秆,导致叶面积扩展乏力,生殖生长阶段干旱减少干物质向贮存器官的分配而影响产量构成;尽管干旱使叶片变薄而促进其扩展,但仍不足以减缓干旱的整体负面影响,最终导致玉米减产;而涝渍主要使玉米叶片光合能力下降,并导致干物质向穗的分配减少而减产。     

田间小菜蛾抗药性监测及毒理机制研究

田间监测结果表明，福州地区小菜蛾Plutella xylostella(L.)已对生产上常用的各类杀虫剂产生不同程度的抗性，从9月至次年5年期间，田间小菜蛾表现出较高水平的抗性，而在8月份则表现出明显低的抗性水平，短期高温和长期低温的环境条件可明显抑制小菜蛾幼虫的AChE和CarE活性，但短期低温的环境条件对小菜蛾幼虫的AChE和CarE活性影响不大，饲养温度的变化不会影响小菜蛾幼虫AChE和Ki值，但在较高的酶与杀虫剂的反应温度下，有机磷对小菜蛾、菜青虫和黄曲条跳甲AChE的抑制作用显著增高，此外，探讨了田间影响小菜蛾抗性水平的环境因素及毒理学机制。     

Concentration related responses of chlorpyriphos in antioxidant, anaerobic and protein synthesizing machinery of the freshwater fish, Heteropneustes fossilis

Impacts of chlorpyriphos (2, 4, 6 ppm) on the profiles of antioxidant (catalase) and anaerobic (lactate dehydrogenase) enzymes and other macromolecular contents (DNA, RNA, protein) of various tissues of the freshwater fish, Heteropneustes fossilis were studied. Chlorpyriphos significantly decreased the specific activity of catalase (CAT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the brain, liver, gill and skeletal muscle of the fish. The reduction in specific activity might be due to the binding of chlorpyriphos or its metabolites with the enzyme molecules or affecting the synthesis and/or degradation of the enzymes. Like enzymes, the DNA, RNA and protein contents decreased in the brain, liver, gill and skeletal muscle of the fish as a function of increase in chlorpyriphos concentrations (2-6 ppm). The chlorpyriphos-induced reduction in these biochemical constituents might be because of alteration in their turnover (synthesis/degradation) in different tissues. The maximum effects on CAT, LDH, DNA, RNA and protein were obtained in response to 6 ppm chlorpyriphos. The present findings suggest chlorpyriphos concentration related impairment in antioxidative, anaerobic and protein synthesizing capacity of the fish. Therefore, the use of higher concentrations of chlorpyriphos should be avoided to protect the health of economically important freshwater food fish.     

Note: Systemic effects of a spinosad insecticide onLiriomyza huidobrensis Larvae

In an effort to expand the spectrum of larvicides effective againstLiriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), the effect of spinosad was studied on the mortality of the leafminer under laboratory conditions. Bean plants infested with various leafminer stages (egg through third instar) were treated by dipping leaves in a liter of water containing 24, 48 or 96 mg a.i. spinosad or by drenching the soil of plants with 200 ml of water containing 12 mg, 24 mg or 48 mg a.i. spinosad. In general, leaf dipping was more efficacious and adverse effects were observed sooner than with soil drench. All concentrations of spinosad significantly reduced the number of adults that emerged except leaf dip of third instar; only the highest concentration caused significant reduction of pupae and adults. Spinosad would likely be a valuable insecticide for control of the pea leafminer,L. huidobrensis. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Nov. 4, 2005.     

Evaluation of the time-concentration-mortality responses of Plutella xylostella larvae to the interaction of Beauveria bassiana with a nereistoxin analogue insecticide

Six bioassays were conducted to evaluate the interaction between Beauveria bassiana SG8702 and a nereistoxin analogue insecticide, diammonium S,S'-(2-dimethylaminotrimethylene)di(thiosulfate), which is highly compatible with the fungal biocontrol agent against diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.). Second-instar larvae were exposed to sprays of B. bassiana alone (assay 1) at concentrations of 21-38, 157-232 and 822-1133 conidia mm(-2) or together with the insecticide at the low application rates of 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 microg AI ml(-1) (assays 2-6), and then maintained at 25 degrees C and 12:12 h light:dark photoperiod for daily monitoring of mortality for 8 days. Based on the modelling of the resultant time-concentration-mortality data sets, the fungal agent was highly virulent to P. xylostella with an LC50 decreasing from 269 conidia mm(-2) on day 4 to 107 on day 8. Lower lethal concentrations or shorter median lethal times resulted from fungal sprays including the tested chemical rates; the latter never caused higher mortalities than the fungal treatments alone. The fungal action over 3-7 days after spray was significantly enhanced by including in the fungal sprays the chemical at rates of > or =25 microg ml(-1) for 2.6- to 1756-fold reduction of LC50 values, > or =50 microg ml(-1) for 4- to 274-fold reduction of LC70 values and 100 microg ml(-1) for 9- to 33-fold reduction of LC90 values respectively. These rates were equivalent to 5-20% of the chemical rate labelled for field application. The fungal and chemical interaction outlined above highlights the feasibility of combined formulation or application of B. bassiana and the chemical insecticide for P. xylostella control.     

Benzpyrimoxan: Design,synthesis, and biological activity of a novel insecticide

Benzpyrimoxan (5-(1,3-dioxan-2-yl)-4-{[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methoxy}pyrimidine, NNI-1501) was discovered as a novel insecticide structurally characterized by a pyrimidine derivative substituted with 1,3-dioxanyl and 4-trifluoromethylbenzyloxy groups. The compound showed remarkable activity against nymphs of rice planthoppers, including strains resistant to existing insecticides. Furthermore, benzpyrimoxan had low adverse effects on pollinators and beneficial arthropods. Because of these features, benzpyrimoxan is expected to be a suitable part of an integrated pest management strategy. In this report, the history of the discovery to reach benzpyrimoxan and details of the structure–activity relationships are described.     

Impact of malathion stress on lipid metabolism in Limnonectus limnocharis

Despite mounting concerns about amphibian population declines, information on impact of pesticides on physiological changes is meager. The present study deals the influence of an organophosphate pesticide—malathion on the lipid metabolism of Limnonectus limnocharis under laboratory conditions. Changes in the lipid metabolism were analyzed in the liver, muscle, ovary, and testis of frogs exposed to lethal (10.67 mg L⁻¹ for 1, 2, 3, and 4 days) and sub-lethal (2.13 mg L⁻¹ for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days) concentrations of malathion. Upon lethal concentration treatment, against the increase of fatty acids, glycerol, and lipase activities in all tested tissues, there was decrease in the total lipids content over different durations. On the other hand, exposure to sub-lethal concentration, the amount of total lipids content, free fatty acids, glycerol and lipase activity increased. Changes in the lipid metabolism due to lethal concentration of malathion exposure could depict the negative impact on the reproductive success, which would result in decline of amphibian population.     

The biochemistry of insecticide resistance in Anopheles sacharovi: Comparative studies with a range of insecticide susceptible and resistant Anopheles and Culex species

Fourth instar larvae, the progeny from wild-caught Anopheles sacharovi females, were subjected to a number of biochemical tests and the results were compared to those from similar tests on laboratory insecticide resistant and susceptible strains of anopheline and culicine mosquitoes. DDT resistance in An. sacharovi is associated with the ability to rapidly metabolise DDT to DDE. The organophosphorus and carbamate resistance was not associated with quantitative changes in esterases, multifunction oxidases, or glutathione S-transferase. The acetylcholinesterase was less sensitive to malaoxon and propoxur than laboratory susceptible An. albimanus, and plots of inhibition suggest that the population was polymorphic for more than one form of acetylcholinesterase. Metabolism studies on malathion and pirimiphos methyl did not indicate resistance due to increased metabolism. There was no evidence of penetration barriers contributing to resistance to either DDT or malathion, and there was no indication of any resistance to pirimiphos methyl in our tests.     

Dynamics of insecticide resistance in Bemisia tabaci: a case study with the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen

The dynamics of pyriproxyfen resistance in Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) have been studied intensively in cotton fields and greenhouses in Israel. High resistance to pyriproxyfen evolved one year after its introduction for use on flowers in greenhouses, after three successive applications. After ten years of pyriproxyfen use in cotton fields, with only one application per season, a high level of resistance was observed, but its rate of development differed among localities. It is hypothesized that these differences reflect temporal and spatial variations in the availability of alternative host plants for B tabaci, and that pyriproxyfen resistance evolved most readily in geographically isolated areas. It is also likely that the occurrence and development of resistance is partially biotype-related. Pyriproxyfen use has ceased in high-resistance localities, but in areas with low frequencies of resistance, cotton growers have continued to achieve acceptable control of B tabaci with pyriproxyfen. Due to the absence of applications of pyriproxyfen in some cotton fields, resistance levels tended to decline between 1998 and 2001. Laboratory experiments support the hypothesis that this decline reflects, in part, fitness costs associated with pyriproxyfen resistance.     

Age-specific expression of resistance to a neonicotinoid insecticide in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci

Neonicotinoid insecticides retain a crucial role within many chemical and integrated control strategies for the tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, in spite of the establishment of potent and widespread resistance in many areas. Metabolic resistance mechanisms mediated by overexpression of P450-dependent monooxygenases have been implicated in neonicotinoid resistance in the two most prevalent B. tabaci biotypes. Further characterisation of resistance to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid in populations of both these B- and Q-types is reported.Expression of resistance to imidacloprid was age specific in B- and Q-type strains of B. tabaci. The highest observed resistance ratio at LC(50) expressed in prepupal nymphs was 13, compared with at least 580 in their adult counterparts. For all strains, resistance expressed in immatures was not sufficiently potent to compromise recommended imidacloprid application rates.Targeting neonicotinoids towards immature life stages of B. tabaci may circumvent the protection conferred by current mechanisms of resistance, simultaneously reducing the selection pressures imposed. However, such tactics may enhance the expression of existing resistance mechanisms in immatures, or promote the establishment of novel ones expressed in all life stages.     

Identification of a novel trait associated with phytotoxicity of an insecticide etofenprox in soybean

Synthetic insecticides are widely used to control pests in various crop fields. Especially in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] fields, the insecticide etofenprox, which is a pyrethroid derivative, has been used to manage hemiptera pests. To date, soybean phytotoxicity response has not been reported to etofenprox derivatives, two Korean cultivars, Danbaek and Kwangan, were first identified to show leaf shape shrinkage damage after etofenprox application. We confirmed that the causal substance for phytotoxicity is etofenprox and that it had dosage effects. Through genetic analysis using three F₂ populations, sensitivity to etofenprox is confirmed to be managed by a single dominant gene, and that gene is the same in Danbaek and Kwangan. Although further genetic research is required to identify the gene responsible for sensitivity to etofenprox, the results of this study will help to elucidate the interaction between plants and chemicals when breeding new cultivars or developing pesticides.     

Foraging mode: a factor affecting the susceptibility of spiders (Araneae) to insecticide applications

Field experiments have revealed that some species of spiders are more sensitive to insecticides than others. Among many factors influencing their susceptibility, foraging mode seems to play an important role. Aspects of foraging mode that appear to be relevant are whether the spider is diurnal or nocturnal, a hunter or a web-maker. Six spider species, Araniella opisthographa, Clubiona neglecta, Dictyna uncinata, Pardosa agrestis, Philodromus cespitum and Theridion impressum were used in the study. P agrestis and P cespitum are diurnal hunters that may come into direct contact with insecticide. C neglecta is nocturnal and so is exposed to residues only. The remaining three species are web-makers building webs that vary in the extent to which they can protect the spider from direct spray. The effect of sprays was tested under laboratory conditions (Potter tower) with three commercial insecticides, an insect growth regulator (hexaflumuron), a selective organophosphorus (phosalone) and a non-selective pyrethroid insecticide (permethrin) using a four-day exposure period. Data were analysed using bootstrap method and randomization tests. The results obtained showed that hunting spiders were more susceptible to the insecticides tested than web-makers (in their webs). Diurnal hunting spiders (Philodromus and Pardosa) were severely affected only by permethrin. A high mortality was observed for the nocturnal hunter, Clubiona, after application of phosalone and permethrin. This species appears to be very sensitive to residues of both insecticides. Comparing the effect on web-making spiders, with and without webs, it was observed that the sparse orb-web of Araniella did not protect its owner at all, but the dense cribellate and frame-webs of Dictyna and Theridion, respectively, reduced the mortality caused by permethrin significantly in comparison with specimens without webs. Of other factors studied, posture (normal and upside-down position) did not influence the susceptibility. Mortality increased slightly with body size after permethrin application. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ecophysiological characteristics of five weeds and a wheat crop in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains,India

The objective of this research was to compare selected ecophysiological parameters for a wheat crop found in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains of India and its five dominant weeds. The dominant and regionally ubiquitous weeds in the wheat field that was selected for the study were Anagallis arvensis, Chenopodium album, Melilotus albus, Phalaris minor and Rumex dentatus. Taller weeds, such as C. album and P. minor, constituted one group along with the crop, with a low photosynthetic rate, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen mass basis, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic nitrogen‐use efficiency and leaf area ratio, in comparison to shorter weeds, such as A. arvensis, M. albus and R. dentatus, which formed another group with a high photosynthetic rate, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen mass basis, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic nitrogen‐use efficiency and leaf area ratio. Interspecific variations in the photosynthetic rate were driven mainly by variability in the specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content. The taller weeds and the crop had a low specific leaf area later in the season, whereas the smaller weeds had a relatively high specific leaf area, which might be an adaptation to the shaded environment below the canopy. The result indicates that any weed management in the wheat fields of the Indo‐Gangetic Plains will need two different approaches because of the different strategies followed by the two weed groups that were identified in the present study.