Effect of spray volume on the deposition, viability and infectivity of entomopathogenic nematodes in a foliar spray on vegetables

BACKGROUND: Spray volume can influence the amount of free water on the leaf surface and subsequently the ability of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to move. In this study, an investigation was made of the effect of spray volume (548, 730 and 1095 L ha⁻¹) on the deposition, viability and infectivity of EPNs against Galleria mellonella on savoy cabbage, cauliflower and leek. RESULTS: Increasing spray volume decreased nematode deposition on 7.1 cm² leek leaf discs at a 15° angle with the spray nozzle. Although the number of living nematodes observed on leek after 240 min of exposure was not significantly different between the low-volume application (548 L ha⁻¹) and the high-volume application (1095 L ha⁻¹), a greater infectivity was obtained in the latter application. The higher number of droplets deposited on the leek discs in the high-volume application may have stimulated nematode movement. No significant effect of spray volume was observed on the relative deposition of Steinernema carpocapsae on the bottom side of cauliflower and savoy cabbage leaf discs. In spite of the low S. carpocapsae deposition on the bottom side of the savoy cabbage discs, high infectivity was obtained against G. mellonella. Using the lowest spray volume on savoy cabbage, infectivity decreased with increasing exposure time, while infectivity was not affected by exposure time when a spray volume of 730 L ha⁻¹ or more was used. CONCLUSION: Spray volume is an important application parameter, as it affects nematode infectivity. Future research should investigate the effect of spray volume in the field and its influence on the effect of adjuvants. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Persistence of Metarhizium flavoviride and Consequences for Biological Control of Grasshoppers and Locusts

The residual infectivity of an oil formulation of the fungal entomopathogen Metarhizium flavoviride was measured during a field trial against the rice grasshopper, Hieroglyphus daganensis, in north Benin. The pattern of infectivity was shown to decline exponentially following application, with a half-life of 6·8 days. In this environment, infections due to residual spores from the spray were identified as a key route of infection and accounted for 40–50% of the total infection measured 12 days after application. To examine the within- and between-season consequences of such residual infection, a simple host–pathogen model was developed. The model revealed that even very small increases in residual activity could provide large increases in total mortality and that under certain conditions, residual infection was essential for effective pest control. This aspect of the activity of mycopesticides is rarely considered. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of developing optimum spray strategies for locust and grasshopper control under different ecological conditions. © 1997 SCI.     

Wood losses and economical threshold of Btk aerial spray operation against spruce budworm

BACKGROUND: Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), causes cumulative defoliation and hence annual growth loss of the balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill, host tree. Annual growth increments of mixed balsam fir stands were measured by stem analysis over a 9 year period (1994–2002), when Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki (Btk) was applied to control spruce budworm defoliation. With this approach, it was possible to quantify the change in stand volume growth after aerial spray applications of Btk. RESULTS: Differences between the periodic volume increment of protected and unprotected plots were statistically significant, while differences between protected and budworm‐free plots were not significant. After 9 years, the difference in periodic increment between protected and unprotected plots was 20 m³ ha^?1, and the difference in periodic mortality was 20.5 m³ ha^?1. CONCLUSION: An economic assessment of Btk treatments indicates that biopesticide aerial spraying operations are justified, as they prevented substantial balsam fir mortality and growth losses over the 9 year study. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

沙漠蝗防控技术的综述

沙漠蝗Schistocerca gregaria为重大农业害虫,2020年初至今,沙漠蝗大面积暴发,导致多国进入紧急状态,联合国粮食及农业组织(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,FAO)号召全球共同应对沙漠蝗灾害.为有效防控沙漠蝗,本研究对沙...     

Biological Control of Sclerotinia Diseases of Rapeseed by Aerial Applications of the Mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans

Indoor and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of applying the mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans to the aerial parts of rapeseed plants at the flowering stage to control sclerotinia diseases caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Under controlled conditions, a petal inoculation technique was used to determine the effect of conidial suspensions of C. minitans on suppression of sclerotinia leaf blight. Results showed that C. minitans was effective in inhibiting infection initiated by ascospores of S. sclerotiorum on flower petals by restricting mycelial growth of the pathogen. Suppression of lesion development was related to the conidial concentration of C. minitans, with larger lesions at low concentration (5×10³conidia ml⁻¹), but smaller lesions at high concentration (5×10⁴ conidia ml⁻¹ or higher). When C. minitans-treated rapeseed leaves were inoculated with mycelia of S. sclerotiorum, C. minitans failed to prevent infection of leaves, but caused a significant reduction in number of sclerotia produced on the diseased leaves. No significant difference in efficacy was detected between the two isolates of C. minitans, LRC 2137 and Chy-1, on the two rapeseed cultivars, Westar (spring type) and Zhongyou 821 (winter type). Results of field trials showed a significant reduction of stem rot of rapeseed in four (1997, 1999, 2003 and 2004) out of five years by aerial application of C. minitans, compared with controls. No significant difference in suppressive efficacy was observed between the treatments of C. minitans (10⁶ conidia ml⁻¹), C. minitans (10⁶ conidia ml⁻¹) + benomyl (50 μg ml⁻¹) and benomyl (100 μg ml⁻¹) in 2003, and between the treatments of C. minitans (10⁶ conidia ml⁻¹), C. minitans (10⁶ conidia ml⁻¹) + vinclozolin (100 μg ml⁻¹) and vinclozolin (500 μg ml⁻¹) in 2004. Sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum collected from diseased plants in plots treated with C. minitans in 1999, 2000 and 2003, or with C. minitans + benomyl in 2003 were infected by C. minitans at frequencies ranging from 21.3 to 54.5%. This study concludes that aerial spraying of C. minitans is an effective method for controlling sclerotinia diseases of rapeseed.     

Evaluation of the Francome MkII exhaust nozzle sprayer to apply oil-based formulations of Metarhizium flavoviride for locust control

Conidia of the fungus Metarhizium flavoviride were formulated in a paraffinic oil, ‘Shellsol’ T, and sprayed using the Francome MkII exhaust nozzle sprayer. Germination of the conidia collected from the spray was reduced by 30% as compared to unsprayed conidia. However, in bioassays, there was no detectable difference in virulence with conidia collected from the spray samples and unsprayed formulation. This indicated that, despite the recorded reduction in the concentration of active conidia, the efficacy of the formulation remained unchanged after passing through the exhaust nozzle sprayer. The droplet size spectra produced by the sprayer were investigated using the Malvern series 2600cc particle size analyser. The optimum droplets for locust control produced by this sprayer were generated by the number 1 nozzle (internal diameter 2·5 mm) with the number 1 restrictor ring (internal diameter 12.5 mm) sprayed at a pressure of 0·2 bar. The droplets thus produced had a volume median diameter of 58 μm when the nozzle protruded between 1 and 2 mm above the level of the restrictor ring. Of the droplets in the spray plume created by these conditions, 33% were between 50 and 100 μm, a range recommended as an achievable optimum for the ultra-low-volume application of Metarhizium flavoviride. The role of the exhaust nozzle sprayer as a tool for the application of M. flavoviride for locust control is discussed with reference to other vehicle-mounted ultra-low-volume sprayers. © 1997 SCI     

Efficacy of aerial application ofBacillus thuringiensis to controlSpodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) infesting soybean cultivations in Egypt

The calculated percentage of droplets deposition ofBacillus thuringiensis var.kurstaki HD-1 Dipel 2X on the foliage of soybean plants in relation to the sensitive “Ciba Geigy” papers showed to be the highest (92.4%) after ground spray application, compared to an average of 67.4, 85.8 and 89.3% following aerial application of the same preparation in spray volumes of 10, 20 and 30 l/F, respectively. Aerial application ofB. t. showed to be more effective during the first 3 days after spraying soybean cultivations and the mortality ofSpodoptera littoralis larvae varied between 36.9–67.2% in correlation to the spray volume. The volume achieving the highest and significant suppression of infestation was 20 l/F. On the other hand, the yield of soybeans obtained from plots receiving a spray volume of 30 l/F was higher compared to plots sprayed with a volume of 20 or 10 l/F, but with no significant difference when compared to those plots receiving ground spray application.     

Evaluation of the biocontrol potential of various Metarhizium isolates against green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae)

BACKGROUND: Twenty‐three isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikof) Sorokin and M. acridum (Driver & Milner) JF Bischoff, Rehner & Humber from non‐aphid host insects around the globe were evaluated for their aphid biocontrol potential, which is not well known. RESULTS: The apterous adults of green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) were exposed to the fungal sprays of 11.5, 99 and 1179 conidia mm^?2 and blank control in three leaf‐dish bioassays. All the tested isolates except one were proven to be infective to the aphid species at 21 ± 1 °C and 14:10 h light:dark photoperiod, causing corrected mortalities of 10.1–95.3% at the high spore concentration. The data from ten isolates causing > 50% mortality at the high concentration were found to fit a time–concentration–mortality model well, yielding parameters for the estimates of their LC₅₀ and LT₅₀ that vary with post‐spray time and spore concentration respectively. Four isolates of M. anisopliae (ARSEF 759, 4132, 2080 and 576) had LC₅₀ values of 44–80 conidia mm^?2 on day 8 and LT₅₀ values of 4.9–6.8 days at 100 conidia mm^?2, with 91–98% of the killed aphids being well mycotised after death. CONCLUSION: The Metarhizium infectivity to M. persicae differs greatly among the tested isolates. The four mentioned isolates with desired virulence and sporulation potential are excellent candidates for microbial control of aphids. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

警惕沙漠蝗种群持续增加和入侵我国边境地区的风险

沙漠蝗Schistocerca gregaria是非洲大陆重要的成灾性害虫,寄主广泛,对非洲农业生产和生态安全都有严重威胁.1900年以来,沙漠蝗种群有多次暴发的历史记载,甚至经过阿拉伯半岛扩散至亚洲西南部、中东以及欧洲南部,是全世界为害最严重的害虫之一.沙漠蝗种群具有极强的迁移性、多食性、聚集性以及密度依赖性,开阔的...     

球孢白僵菌孢子萌发促进剂的筛选及其对杀蚜效果的增强作用

以生物学相容性较好的聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚为乳化剂,从五大类生化营养基质中筛选出海藻糖、葡萄糖、蛋白胨、酪氨酸和菜籽油作为孢子萌发促进剂的基本成份,采用5因子正交旋转组合设计并实施了36个组配试验以优化配方。将所获孢子萌发促进剂加入球孢白僵菌(Beauveria bassiana)孢子乳悬液中喷雾接种桃蚜(Myzus persicae)无翅成蚜,在20℃和12L:12D的条件下饲养并逐日观察发病死亡数。所获数据经时间-剂量-死亡率模型模拟分析,桃蚜接种后第4～6天为死亡高峰,在10~6～10~8个孢子/ml的浓度下喷雾处理6天后的累计死亡率为62.9％～88.7％,LT_(50)估计值为3.8～4.8天,接种后第4、5和6天的LD_(50)估计值分别为3.75×10~7、3.73×10~5和2.08×10~5个孢子/ml。在连续6天的观察中,接种成蚜日均产若蚜数比对照分别下降了40.7％～85.0％,下降幅度随孢子乳悬液浓度提高而增大。这些结果表明,以上孢子萌发促进剂具有作为球孢白僵菌孢子制剂添加剂的应用潜力。     

Mosquito adulticidal activity of a biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis

BACKGROUND: A biosurfactant, surfactin, produced by a strain of Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis (VCRC B471), was effective in killing mosquito larval and pupal stages. As it was lethal to the non‐feeding pupal stage, it was presumed that it could kill the adult mosquitoes also. In this study, the adulticidal effect of the biosurfactant was assessed in the laboratory against a malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi. RESULTS: The biosurfactant surfactin, separated from the culture supernatant of the production strain, showed mosquito adulticidal activity when tested as ultralow‐volume (ULV) spray in a Peet‐Grady chamber. Knockdown activity and mortality were found to increase with increasing surfactin dosage. Knockdown dosage (KD) and lethal dosage (LD) were calculated by statistical analysis. The KD₅₀ and KD₉₀ dosages were 10.73 and 26.39 mg m^?3 respectively. The LD₅₀ and LD₉₀ dosages were 16.13 and 39.21 mg m^?3. The average droplet size of B. subtilis surfactin was 17.5 ± 1.07 µm. CONCLUSION: The present study indicates that the biosurfactant surfactin, produced by B. subtilis subsp. subtilis (VCRC B471), is a potential bioadulticide for ULV spray against malaria‐transmitting Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. This is the first report of a mosquito adulticide from a microbial source. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

绿僵菌与高效氯氰菊酯复配对东亚飞蝗的增效作用

本研究测定了金龟子绿僵菌Metarhizium anisopliae与高效氯氰菊酯高纯度原药复配后对东亚飞蝗Locusta migratoria manilensis （Mey.）的增效作用。含0.5%~1.5%（w/v）高效氯氰菊酯的绿僵菌复配制剂的共毒系数（CTC）都高于120,其中复配制剂（1%高氯.1×1010孢子/ml绿僵菌油悬浮剂）的共毒系数在接种后第4、5d分别为268.92和375.93。该复配制剂按1∶2、1∶3比例稀释后室内喷雾接种,第5d蝗虫累计死亡率分别达97.8%和97.3%,显著高于绿僵菌对照组的累计死亡率（52.6%）;田间施药后蝗虫存活率在第6d分别下降到2.4%和4.4%,显著低于绿僵菌对照组药后第9d的存活率（37.7%）。结果表明：绿僵菌复配制剂增效作用明显,作用较快、防效高,克服了绿僵菌悬浮剂难以用于高密度蝗虫防治的缺陷。     

沙漠蝗在中国的潜在地理分布

为明确世界性害虫沙漠蝗Schistocerca gregaria入侵我国的风险性,根据沙漠蝗已知的全球最新分布数据,利用MaxEnt模型结合ArcGIS软件对其在我国的潜在地理分布进行预测,并对19个相关环境因子的贡献率进行分析。结果显示:陕西、宁夏、西藏、云南、新疆、青海、甘肃、河北、河南、山东、内蒙古、山西、四川、辽宁、北京、天津和广西等省(直辖市、自治区)都存在沙漠蝗的适生区,其中高度适生区主要集中在我国西北地区,且大多数适生区都生长有沙漠蝗偏好寄主蒺藜Tribulus terrester;影响沙漠蝗分布的主要气候因素为降水量,其中最干月降水量的贡献率最高,为40.2%。表明今后需加强沙漠蝗在我国适生区内的监测工作,预防其入侵扩散。     

Effects of temperature,vapour pressure deficit and radiation on infectivity of conidia ofBotrytis cinerea and on susceptibility of gerbera petals

The effect of vapour pressure deficit, temperature and radiation on the postharvest susceptibility of gerbera flowers toB. cinerea, on the water relations of gerbera flowers and on the lesion formation after conidial infection ofB. cinerea was studied. The temperature range in whichB. cinerea could germinate and growin vitro is 5–30 °C. In climate chamber experiments flowers had more lesions ofB. cinerea at temperatures of 20 and 25 °C than at 10 and 15°C. At 15, 20 and 25°C the infectivity ofB. cinerea conidia was negatively affected during a storage-period of 7 days. At a vapour pressure deficit (VPD) of 200 Pa significantly more conidia ofB. cinerea were infective than at 800 Pa. At a VPD of 800 Pa the susceptibility of gerbera flowers forB. cinerea was not significantly different than at 200 Pa. High radiation levels in glasshouses in spring and summer negatively influenced the infectivity of conidia ofB. cinerea on the flower surface, but did not affect the susceptibility of gerbera flowers forB. cinerea. In spring and early summer conidia lost their infectivity at high radiation levels, high temperatures and high levels of VPD. In summer gerbera flowers could be more susceptible toB. cinerea because of high temperatures in glasshouses, but the negative effect of radiation on the conidia ofB. cinerea seemed to overrule the temperature effect. Thus, the numbers of lesions in spring and summer can be low compared with the numbers in other seasons, although the numbers ofB. cinerea colonies on spore traps can be high. The effect of temperature on the susceptibility of gerbera flowers can probably be explained by changes of water status in the petals. At higher temperatures the number of lesions and the turgor (=water potential—osmotic potential) in the petals increased. Temperatures <10°C during lesion formation (RH>95% and VPD<50 Pa) had a temporary negative effect on the number of lesions. After 3 days of incubation the numbers of lesions were about equal (30 lesions/cm²) from 5 to 20°C. At 30°C no lesion formation was observed even after 3 days.     

Spray treatments combined with climate modification for the management of Leveillula taurica in sweet pepper

The effects of several spray and climate treatments on Leveillula taurica were tested under controlled and commercial greenhouse conditions either alone or combined with a climate treatment. Ampelomyces quisqualis AQ10 inhibited the germination of conidia on leaves, but not on glass. Trichoderma harzianum T39 inhibited germination on both surfaces. Neither the examined biological control agents (BCAs) nor the two tested mineral oils (AddQ and JMS Stylet-Oil) affected the viability of conidia. Sulphur drastically limited the germination and viability of L. taurica. In experiments at 15–25°C, AQ10 alone reduced hyphal leaf colonisation at 25°C. T. harzianum T39 significantly reduced leaf colonisation at all temperatures but significantly reduced disease only at 20–25°C. The oils significantly reduced leaf colonisation and sulphur reduced both leaf colonisation and disease at all temperatures. Results were confirmed in an experimental greenhouse. In a field experiment, azoxystrobin, polyoxin AL, neem extract, and T39 were effective; sulphur was superior to them. Under severe epidemic conditions the disease had a negative impact on yield; late fungicide treatments at spring-time were found unnecessary. Chemical sprays applied in alternation was compared with the ‘friendly’ spray regime (alternation of Heliosoufre, T. harzianum T39 + JMS Stylet oil, A. quisqualis AQ10+AddQ oil and Neemgard) in two climates i.e. (i.) day warm climate and (ii.) regular (cool) day climate regimes. In the warm climate, there was no significant difference in the performance of the ‘friendly’ spray regime and the chemical spray regime. However, in the cooler climate, the ‘friendly’ spray programme was not as effective as the chemical spray programme. It was concluded that a change in the greenhouse climate may affect the development of powdery mildew and, at the same time, promote the activity of BCAs and render a pathogen more vulnerable to these control agents, allowing for better disease suppression.     

Effect of passage through the gut of Eocanthecona furcellata on Spodoptera litura multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus infectivity and its subsequent dissemination

Infectivity of Spodoptera litura multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpltMNPV) was compared between before (P0) and after (P1–P4) passage in subsequent generations through the gut of Eocanthecona furcellata. Viable virus was detected in E. furcellata feces up to 6 days after feeding on infected S. litura larvae. NPV mortality ranged between 93% and 10% when test larvae were exposed to polyhedra voided in feces collected after 1 and 6 days post-infected meal, respectively. The mean number of polyhedral occlusion bodies (POBs) in excreta and their infectivity (%) at all passages did not vary significantly. The comparison of observed LD₅₀ and ST₅₀ values among all passages did not reveal significant differences owing to their overlapping confidence limits. The gut-passed virus did not show a detrimental effect on survival rate, longevity, fecundity and percent egg hatchability of E. furcellata in the subsequent three generations. A field trial was also conducted to estimate virus dissemination through feces of predators that were fed upon prey infected with polyhedra before passage, after passage and healthy (control) prey and subsequently released on cabbage plants. An additional viral mortality up to the magnitude of 13–17% was noticed in the former two treatments. However, within these two treatments the viral mortality did not vary significantly. It was concluded that E. furcellata disseminated the virus through their feces into the ecosystem without any adverse effect to it and infectivity of the SpltMNPV is not altered after passage through the gut of the predator.     

Persistence of Chlorpyrifos in Soils under Different Moisture Regimes

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphorus insecticide used to control insect pests in soil. The fate of chlorpyrifos in soils under different moisture regimes is of interest because application directions specify soil-surface treatments for a number of agricultural and urban pests. Chlorpyrifos was degraded rapidly in all air-dry soils and slightly more slowly in soils at field capacity and/or under submerged conditions. Degradation rates were influenced by clay-catalysed hydrolysis under air-dry conditions and neutral or alkaline hydrolysis under submerged conditions. Degradation was faster in Bellary soil (chromic haplustert) and slower in Chettalli soil (ustic palehumult) under all three moisture regimes. The calculated half-lives ranged from 1·6 to 10·0, 5·2 to 22·0 and 8·7 to 25·1 days under air-dry, field capacity and submergence respectively at an application rate of 10 mg kg^-1. © 1997 SCI.     

Natural occurrence of and inoculation experiments withConidiobolus coronatus andConidiobolus sp. in glasshouse populations ofBemisia tabaci

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), the sweetpotato whitefly, has only one known entomophthoralean pathogen,Erynia radicans (Entomophthoraceae). Two new pathogens have been isolated recently from a glasshouse population of this pest:Conidiobolus coronatus and another, undescribed species ofConidiobolus (Entomophthorales: Ancylistaceae). Artificial inoculation experiments revealed that eggs ofB. tabaci are practically immune to infection by either species. Second-instar larvae are highly resistant, only high doses of conidia causing between <1% and 4.6% mortality. Adults were found to be much more susceptible. Doses of 60 conidia/mm² ofC. coronatus caused average mortalities ofca 95%. The maximum mortality of adults caused byConidiobolus sp. was much lower,ca 30%, at a dose of 210 conidia/mm². The incubation period (inoculation to death) for both species, under our experimental conditions, is very short: 18–24 h forC. coronatus and 30 h forConidiobolus sp. Both fungi produced loricoconidia (conidia metamorphosed into resting spores) on cotton leaves and other dry surfaces. This ability allowedConidiobolus sp. to remain viable for 17–21 days on cotton leaves, in glasshouse conditions and in the absence of hosts, whileC. coronatus persisted for 10–14 days.     

Mortality of Isaria farinosa and Beauveria bassiana on sunn pests Eurygaster integriceps and Eurygaster austriaca

The effects of Isaria farinosa (Holm.) and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) on adult stages of sunn pests Eurygaster integriceps Puton and Eurygaster austriaca (Schrk.) were investigated at 27±1°C, 95% r.h. and 16L:8D in the laboratory. Two concentrations, 1×10⁶ and 1×10⁸ conidia ml^-1, were used. Mortality of inoculated and non-inoculated adults was counted at 6, 9 and 12 days after treatment. Beauveria bassiana caused higher mortality of both species than I. farinosa. Neither caused significantly high mortality at 1×10⁶ conidia ml^-1. Both were more pathogenic at 1×10⁸ conidia ml^-1 and caused more than 85% mortality 12 days post treatment. Both were more pathogenic to E. austriaca.     

Laboratory shelf-life of oil-formulated conidia of the locust and grasshopper fungal pathogen Metarhizium flavoviridae Gams & Rozsypal,in mixtures with the pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin

The addition of 20 ppm lambda-cyhalothrin pyrethroid insecticide to Metarhizium flavoviridae (Fungi: Deuteromycetes) dry conidia in oil kept germination above 80% for 2 and 12 months at temperatures of approximately 30 and 8°C respectively. At 30°C, conidia in oil alone maintained viability for only a few weeks, but this was doubled at 8°C. Even dry conidia retained good viability for only 5 months at the higher temperature. The extended viability of conidia given by adding the pyrethroid to the oil formulation is regarded as very valuable for areas where the fungus is to be used against locusts and grasshoppers.