Control of the codling moth (cydia pomonella) in apple and pear orchards in Israel by mating disruption

Control of the codling moth,Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), by pheromone-mediated mating disruption, was studied in Israel using two types of dispensers: Shin-Etsu twist-tie (normal and long-life) and TNO matrix formulation (square wafers). Factors affecting mating disruption: initial pest population density, timing of the pheromone application, early season insecticide treatments and monitoring of the pest, were evaluated. Efficacy of mating disruption was assessed by comparing catch of males in pheromone traps located in pheromone-treated and chemically sprayed control plots. Fruit infestation during the season and at picking time was the major criterion to assess mating disruption. The preferred time for pheromone application was before the first flight of the moth. When pheromones were applied at a later stage, one or two early insecticide sprays had to be used to reduce the initial level of the codling moth population. In all tests, trap catch in pheromone-treated plots was drastically reduced as compared with respective control plots. In pheromone-treated plots where total seasonal trap catch (after pheromone application) was less than 12 males/trap, fruit infestation was less than 1.5%; zero trap catch resulted in 0.1-0.3% infestation. At high population levels, mating disruption was ineffective, with the rate of infestation at picking-time being similar in pheromone-treated and control plots. All the field tests indicated that mating disruption with either Shin-Etsu ropes or TNO squares can control codling moth infestations in apple and pear orchards, at relatively low densities of the pest, as efficiently as commercial insecticide sprays.     

考虑灌溉及气候变化条件下葡萄花翅小卷蛾在中国的潜在地理分布

葡萄花翅小卷蛾Lobesia botrana(DenisSchiffermüller,1775)是我国重要的检疫性害虫,目前尚未传入我国,为了解该害虫在中国的潜在地理分布,根据该物种在全球已知的最新分布情况,利用CLIMEX 4.0.2在考虑灌溉条件的情景下,预测其在不同气候条件下的潜在地理分布。结果显示,葡萄花翅小卷蛾在我国的潜在地理分布范围较广,我国的主要葡萄产区均为葡萄花翅小卷蛾的适生区,且随着气候变化,至2030年,葡萄花翅小卷蛾在我国黑龙江、青海、四川省的部分适生区有所增加,适生程度也有所提高。因此应加强对葡萄花翅小卷蛾的检疫力度,防止其传入我国,保护我国葡萄种植业的生产安全。     

Effect of multiple infestations from insect pests and other stresses on irrigated rice in the Philippines: I. Damage functions

Artificial infestation methods were employed to generate damage function graphs for guilds of three rice insect pests. In the vegetative stage, infestation of whorl maggot (Hydrellia philippina Ferino) and defoliators (a mixed population of Naranga aenescens Moore and Rivula atimeta [Swinhoe]) was applied as a combined or single pest attack. Infestation of yellow stemborer (Scirpophaga incertulas [Walker]) and leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis [Guenée]) each were infested in one or two crop growth stages. Combinations of three stresses (four N application rates, solar radiation from the wet or dry season, and/or the presence or absence of weeds) were applied to each guild to develop more holistic economic injury levels (EILs). Slopes on the linear portion of damage curves of each pest guild became steeper with each additional stress applied, whether from multiple insect pest attack, low N, low solar radiation, or weeds. EILs can be developed by pest managers from the graphs of the damage functions for the variables quantified in this study.     

Integrated management of Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on onion in north‐western Italy: basic approaches for supervised control

BACKGROUND: Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a major pest on onion, Allium cepa L., worldwide. In 2010, research was conducted in a commercial onion field in north‐western Italy in order (i) to evaluate the efficacy of different insecticides and of the SAR activator acibenzolar‐S‐methyl, (ii) to correlate thrips infestation levels with bulb size and weight at harvest and (iii) to implement a reliable thrips sampling method. Efficacy of the three active ingredients spinosad, lambda‐cyhalothrin and acibenzolar‐S‐methyl on local thrips populations were also evaluated in laboratory bioassays. RESULTS: During field surveys, the highest and the lowest thrips infestations were observed in plots treated with lambda‐cyhalothrin and with spinosad and acibenzolar‐S‐methyl respectively. The effectiveness of spinosad was also confirmed in laboratory bioassays. At harvest, bulb size and weight did not significantly differ between treatments. A high correlation with visual inspection made plant beating a suitable sampling method for routine practice, enabling a good estimate of thrips infestation. CONCLUSION: Damage caused by thrips is often not severe enough to warrant the frequent pesticide applications the crops receive in north‐western Italy. The use of spinosad and acibenzolar‐S‐methyl is suggested as an alternative to conventional insecticides for the preservation of natural enemies. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Invasive weed facilitates incidence of Colorado potato beetle on potato crop

We examined whether the invasive silverleaf nightshade, Solanum elaeagnifolium (Cavanilles) can facilitate the infestation of potato (Solanum tuberosum (L.)) by the Colorado Potato Beetle, CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) in Greece, which would have important financial and pest management implications for the growing of potato crops. In laboratory tests, CPB from Lesvos could utilise S. elaeagnifolium if supplied with whole plants. In the field, however, CPB was only found on S. elaeagnifolium after the start of the spring potato harvest and the resulting loss of potato foliage, and no eggs were laid. This suggests that S. elaeagnifolium provides only a temporary food resource for adult beetles. One of 10 surveyed summer potato fields near the study population of S. elaeagnifolium was infested with CPB. It is likely that the presence of S. elaeagnifolium in the vicinity of spring and summer potato fields can help maintain CPB population viability in the immediate post harvest period of the spring potato crop, which may in turn facilitate the infestation of summer potato fields with CPB.     

Corn as trap crop to control Helicoverpa zea in tomato fields: importance of phenological synchronization and choice of cultivar

Trap cropping is an environmentally friendly “alternative” pest management strategy. To maximize the efficiency of corn, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), as a trap crop for Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), we (i) tested the trap crop potential of corn varieties that are not a source of infestation, and (ii) determined the best corn planting time so as to concentrate H. zea in this trap crop and divert the pest from tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanaceae). When corn silk emergence was synchronized with tomato flowering and fresh corn silk was present during the tomato flowering stage, H. zea infestation was lower in the tomato field with a corn border than in those without a corn border. Sugar Jean and Java corn varieties were good trap crops because few larvae persisted on the silks and their growth was low. These two varieties could reduce the risk of H. zea development and dispersion from corn borders.     

亚致死剂量氟啶虫胺腈对灰飞虱细胞色素P450的影响

为明确氟啶虫胺腈对灰飞虱Laodelphax striatellus细胞色素P450的影响,评估其抗药性风险,采用点滴法、酶活力分析法和实时荧光定量PCR法分别测定了氟啶虫胺腈对灰飞虱的毒性及对其细胞色素P450酶活力和P450基因表达量的影响。结果表明,氟啶虫胺腈对灰飞虱的致死中量LD_(50)随着虫龄的增加而升高,1~5龄若虫的LD_(50)为0.10~0.94 ng/头,雌、雄成虫的LD_(50)分别为1.09 ng/头和1.07 ng/头。氟啶虫胺腈对4龄若虫的亚致死剂量LD_(10)、LD_(30)和LD_(50)分别为0.17、0.41、0.76 ng/头,处理灰飞虱4龄若虫后可将其体内P450酶活力分别显著提高1.60、1.97和1.22倍;而各处理响应的P450基因的种类和数量不同,但相对表达量均受到诱导;CYP4DE1、CYP426A1、CYP303A1、CYP4C、CYP6FK1和CYP4C71v2的相对表达量表现出时间效应,表达量高峰在处理后24 h或48 h。表明不同亚致死剂量的氟啶虫胺腈在特定时间点可提高相应的细胞色素P450基因表达量,从而使酶蛋白量增加,可能导致灰飞虱体内细胞色素P450酶活力上升。     

Sublethal effect of Beauveria bassiana on feeding and fecundity of the sunn pest,Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae)

The sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton, is a major pest of wheat in West and Central Asia. Studies were conducted to investigate the effect of Beauveria bassiana (teleomorph; Cordyceps bassiana) isolates on the sunn pest. Bioassays were done with adult insects collected from overwintering sites at three different times. The effect of sublethal doses of fungi on the insects’ feeding and fecundity was determined. When the sunn pest adults were treated with 2 × 10⁷ conidia mL^?1, all isolates caused significant sunn pest mortality varying between 24 and 100% 12 days after inoculation. There were significant differences between mortality, depending on the date of fungal application. Adult sunn pests treated with B. bassiana at sublethal concentrations caused significantly less damage to wheat leaves than sunn pests in the control. The number of eggs laid by the sunn pest was significantly fewer when wheat plots in plastic greenhouse and field cages were infested with adult sunn pests treated at sublethal concentrations, compared with sunn pests in control plots. Results show that sublethal dosages of B. bassiana reduced sunn pest feeding and fecundity. Applying B. bassiana in sunn pest overwintering sites minimizes the pest populations, which would move to wheat fields in spring.     

The effects of intercropping with cereals and minimal permethrin applications on insect pests of cowpea and their natural enemies in Nigeria

Abstract

Major insect pests and their natural enemies were sampled on cowpea in monocrop and cereal intercrop plots in southern and northern Nigeria. Populations of flower thrips, Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom), were reduced by 42% and predators, mostly Orius spp. (Anthocoridae), by 23% on cowpea in maize intercrop plots at Ofiki in the south. Infestation by pyralid pod borer, Maruca testulalis Geyer, was unaffected by cropping system. The results suggest that tasselling maize attracts flower‐eating beetles (Meloidae) to intercrop plots, and that pod‐sucking Hemiptera were increased by cereal intercrops at Yankara in the north. Three u.l.v. applications of permethrin at 150 g a.i./ha to monocrop cowpea reduced pest populations by 50 to 85% in the south and increased yield sevenfold. However, the sprayed crop in the north was lost due to a heavy infestation of pod‐sucking bug, Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål, and outbreaks of Aphis craccivora Koch on sprayed plots in both localities suggested damage to natural enemies. It is concluded that the pest management potential of intercropping is variable and dependent on environmental factors, but it is recommended that intercropping be used in integrated pest management systems with the progressive decrease in insecticide use.     

Current status of red palm weevil in Turkey

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) is the most serious pest of palms in Turkey. Weevil infestation was first detected in Turkey in summer 2005 in parks and gardens of Mersin province, along the Mediterreanean coast of Turkey. Following the discovery of the pest, destruction of infested plant material, prophylactic insecticide chemical treatments, as well as adult weevil trapping were carried out on palm plantations. Traps containing a commercial aggregation pheromone were hung on palm trees at a high density, in order to monitor the pest infestation and reduce the weevil population by mass trapping. A significant decrease in the number of trapped beetles and destruction of infested plant material was observed in 2009 and continued in the following years in several cities in Turkey. Therefore, it has been observed that mass trapping and curative pesticide applications have played a significant role in the suppression of R. ferrugineus populations in palm plantations.     

Changes in Pteridium aquilinum growth and phototoxicity following treatments with lime, sulphuric acid, wood ash, glyphosate and ammonium nitrate

The comparative effects of lime, sulphuric acid, wood ash, glyphosate and ammonium nitrate on Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn growth and development were evaluated in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) clear-cut stand in south-east Sweden over a 4-year period. P. aquilinum growth was effectively controlled following the application of glyphosate, but the other treatments generally had little effect on growth in terms of shoot density and length. Shoot length was positively related to the number of shoots on plots treated with ammonium nitrate but negatively correlated with the number of P. aquilinum shoots found on wood ash-treated and control plots. In a bioassay aspen (Populus tremula L.) seedling emergence and pH were significantly lower in humus treated with sulphuric acid, glyphosate, ammonium nitrate and in untreated humus as compared with the humus treated with lime and wood ash. The negative effect of humus on emergence of aspen seedlings may be caused by phytotoxic compounds at a lower pH level. Forest regeneration might be performed with shade-tolerant species such as Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) planted beneath a thin canopy of trees to prevent the rapid increase of P. aquilinum.     

Management of phytophthora root rot in radiata pine seedlings

Chemical and biological agents were evaluated for their ability to suppress root rot, caused by Phytophthora cactorum , in field-grown radiata pine seedlings in New Zealand. Trials were conducted over two seasons in an area of a forest nursery with a natural infestation of P. cactorum , and a history of root rot. In each season, symptoms of root rot developed during April, one month after root pruning, when seedlings were approximately six months old. In trial one, root rot incidence by mid July 2007 was 9·1% in untreated plots and 8·4% in plots that had been treated with metalaxyl-M/mancozeb (14 kg ha⁻¹) at seedling emergence. Disease incidence was lowest (2·1%) in plots that received seven monthly applications of phosphorous acid (6·5 L ha⁻¹). Other treatments, including seed coating with thiram or Trichoderma spp., and foliar applications of methyl jasmonate, did not control disease. In trial two, effects of treatment timing relative to root pruning were investigated. By late June 2008, three months after root pruning, root rot incidence was 22·2% in the untreated plots. Phosphorous acid was the most effective treatment and almost completely suppressed disease (0·1% incidence) when applied fortnightly from February until May (seven applications). Metalaxyl-M/mancozeb (15 kg ha⁻¹) was not effective (21·4% incidence) when applied five months before root pruning. However, disease incidence was reduced when the chemical was applied one week after root pruning (14·9% incidence) and greater control was achieved (8·2% incidence) when the application rate was increased to 50 kg ha⁻¹.     

Combined use of a synthetic trail pheromone and insecticidal bait provides effective control of an invasive ant

BACKGROUND: Except for sex pheromones, use of pheromones in pest management has been largely unexplored. A high concentration of trail pheromone disrupts ant trail following and foraging, and thus synthetic trail pheromone can be a novel control agent for pest ants. In this study, a year‐long treatment of small areas (100 m² plots of urban house gardens) with synthetic trail pheromone, insecticidal bait or both was conducted to develop a novel control method of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Mayr). RESULTS: The ant population could be maintained lower than or similar to the initial level only by combined treatment with synthetic trail pheromone and insecticidal bait. Actually, the ant population was nearly always lowest in combination treatment plots. Throughout the study period, the ant population in plots treated with either one of synthetic trail pheromone or insecticidal bait remained similar to no‐treatment plots. CONCLUSIONS: Combination treatment may be a more effective and environmentally friendly method for controlling invasive ants than conventional methods. Extermination of ants by insecticidal bait and inhibition of re‐infestation by pheromone may be the mechanism of the combination effect. This is the first study to show a significant effect of synthetic trail pheromone on ant population. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Anoplophora species in Europe: infestations and management processes1

By the end of summer 2005, four sites of infestation by Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) had been detected in three European countries: Austria in 2001, at Braunau am Inn; France in 2003, at Gien, and in 2004, at Sainte‐Anne‐sur‐Brivet; and Germany in 2004, at Neukirchen am Inn. Two sites of infestation by Anoplophora chinensis have been detected in two European countries: Italy in 2000, at Parabiago, and France in 2003, at Soyons. The history of the A. glabripennis and A. chinensis discoveries is presented, as well as the respective management responses (monitoring and destruction of the infested trees). By the end of summer 2005, the eradication was not yet fully achieved in any of the four A. glabripennis‐infested sites. In contrast, no new A. chinensis‐infested trees had been found at Soyons, France, since 2003. At Parabiago, Italy, monitoring is taking place: the A. chinensis infestation affects 16 municipalities over more than 60 km². By summer 2005, destruction on a large scale of the infested trees had not yet taken place, but tree‐cutting of more than 1000 trees had been planned for winter 2005‐06. Given the current substantial extent of the A. chinensis infestation near Milan, and the density of the established A. chinensis populations, there is a high probability that the status of the pest in Italy will soon be raised from ‘introduced’ to ‘invasive’.     

Relative abundance of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and its parasitoids,and the impact of augmentative release of Eretmocerus spp. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on the population dynamics of the pest in Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Whitefly infestations and parasitism were monitored year-round in overlapping cotton crops sown on three dates in Burkina Faso. The relative abundance of B. tabaci (Gennadius) and its parasitoids, Eretmocerus spp. and Encarsia spp., was recorded in control and insecticide-sprayed plots. Low B. tabaci populations developed during the first half of the rainy season. Pest populations increased when rainfall was ending, and the levels reached were higher in insecticide-treated plots (48 nymphs/leaf) than in control plots (25 nymphs/leaf). Parasitism reached 88.7% in control plots, and 53.7% in insecticide-treated plots. Eretmocerus spp. nymphs were more abundant than Encarsia spp. in both treated and control plots. A positive and significant curvilinear relationship was observed where % parasitism, on a linear scale, rose to a plateau with logarithmic increase in host density. In general % parasitism was correlated with the abundance of pest populations except in March and April where parasitism increased while B. tabaci populations decreased. In a separate experiment, adult Eretmocerus spp. were released into caged cotton plants to study the impact of augmentative releases of the parasites on the population dynamics of the pest. Pest densities increased from 1.47 nymphs/leaf to 39.4 nymphs/leaf in the control, but were reduced to 0.8 and 0.6 nymphs/leaf in the cages where, respectively, 4 and 8 parasitoids were released per plant. It appears that parasitism is an important factor reducing B. tabaci populations during and after the cotton-growing season, and that Eretmocerus spp. are promising biological control candidates against the pest in cotton.     

Control of Solatium karsensis in grain sorghum

Solatium karsensis Symon, an Australian native perennial, has become an important weed in irrigated summer crops in far western New South Wales. A screening trial of 14 herbicides showed that atrazine was the most effective treatment, though 2,4-D also suppressed S. karsensis in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. cv. Rico) for the duration of the crop. Grain sorghum yields were higher in plots treated with atrazine at 2–5 kg (a.i.) ha^?1 than for any other herbicide treatment or the untreated control. Because the root system remained viable annual herbicide application would be necessary for the continued control of 5. karsensis.     

Direct and indirect efficacy of truck-mounted applications of s-methoprene against Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is a globally significant vector that complexifies management programs already contending with Aedes aegypti (L.). The Ae. albopictus mosquito is a daytime biting, container breeding, anthropophilic mosquito that is generally considered unresponsive to operational larviciding that does not also incorporate source reduction. S-methoprene is a readily available juvenile hormone mimic common to pest management. This 14-week study examines direct and indirect treatment efficacy using s-methoprene as an ultra-low volume (ULV) truck spray in area-wide operations against Ae. albopictus in the southeastern United States. An overall 63.3% reduction of Ae. albopictus adults and 47.8% reduction of deposited eggs in treatment areas were observed compared with control. Indirect plots saw reduction in Ae. albopictus adults by 32.7% and eggs by 32.3%. Using insect growth regulator bioassays, truck-mounted ULV application of s-methoprene was effective to an inhibition of emergence (IE) of ≥92% within directly treated (sprayed) areas and >65% IE among containers placed up to 90 m away. S-methoprene could still benefit urban vector management programs when applied at an operational scale.     

Attractiveness of three weed species to polyphagous predators and their influence on aphid populations in adjacent lettuce cultivations

The utilization of olfactory responses of predators and ­parasitoids to the allelochemicals emitted by phytophagous arthropods and their host plants is becoming more important in biological pest control. The effects of three weed ­species, i.e. wormwood Artemisia vulgaris L., tansy Tanacetum vulgare L. and stinging nettle Urtica dioica L., which were planted as accompanying vegetations into a lettuce field, were examined for the predatory species Coccinella septempunctata L., Adalia bipunctata (L.), Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) and Chrysoperla carnea (Steph.) (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae), as well as for aphids during the summer of 2000. The presence of weeds significantly increased the density of adults and larvae of the predators on the lettuce plants in relation to the control (lettuce field without weeds). However, the differences remained smaller for eggs and pupae. C. septempunctata tended to be the most abundant species, followed by P. quatuordecimpunctata. Remarkable differences among the attractiveness levels of the weeds in the 3 treatments were not observed. The increased populations of predators were accompanied by significantly reduced infestation rates with aphids in the treatments in relation to the control. Myzus persicae Sulzer was in general the most abundant aphid species followed by Nasonovia ribisnigri Mosley and Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas. The results of the present study are discussed with respect to the management of agroecosystems and the use of weeds in biological control.     

褐飞虱与白背飞虱为害诱导水稻防御反应的比较

为探究2种稻飞虱——褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens(St?l)和白背飞虱Sogatella furcifera(Horváth)诱导的水稻防御反应差异,于室内测定了水稻在分别受褐飞虱或白背飞虱产卵雌成虫为害时,其茉莉酸、水杨酸、乙烯、H_2O_2以及挥发物含量的变化。结果表明,尽管褐飞虱和白背飞虱产卵雌成虫的为害均可以诱导水稻茉莉酸、水杨酸、乙烯和H_2O_2等防御相关信号分子以及一些水稻挥发物含量的增加,但是二者的诱导作用存在差异。水稻在受白背飞虱产卵雌成虫为害时,茉莉酸的含量在3 h时就显著升高,12 h时含量达到最高;而受褐飞虱产卵雌成虫为害时,6 h时茉莉酸含量才显著升高,72 h时含量达最高;并且在2种稻飞虱为害的3～48 h内,白背飞虱为害诱导的茉莉酸含量始终显著高于褐飞虱为害诱导的。水稻受白背飞虱产卵雌成虫为害24 h后诱导的水杨酸含量、为害48 h后诱导的乙烯含量、为害72 h后诱导的H_2O_2含量及为害24 h后诱导的挥发物释放量分别是褐飞虱产卵雌成虫为害诱导的1.28、1.45、4.10和1.77倍。表明水稻能识别褐飞虱和白背飞虱的为害,从而做出针对害虫种类特异性的防御反应;并且水稻对白背飞虱产卵雌成虫为害所做出的防御反应比对褐飞虱的更强烈。     

über das Auftreten der Lapplandschabe (Ectobius lapponicus [Linné 1758]) in Geb?uden

In Germany, the dusky cockroach (Ectobius lapponicus [Linné, 1758]) lives in woodland. Dwelling of these insects which are not considered a pest, in buildings is an extremely rare observation. In early summer of 2000, several areas of a forest hospital were found to be infested withEctobius lapponicus. In contrast, the German cockroach (Blattella germanica [Linné, 1767]) had not been found in that, hospital for years. In the light of the literature available, an attempt is made to provide a survey of infestation of buildings with the dusky cockroach.