Laboratory evaluation of some pesticides on the cabbage aphid,Brevicoryne brassicae L. and their side effects on some important natural enemies

The susceptibility of adults of the cabbage aphid,Brevicoryne brassicae and two of the most important predators,Coccinella undecimpunctata andChrysopa carnea to pesticides was assessed. Most of the organophosphorus and carbamate compounds tested were toxic to the aphids. Profenophos was highly toxic to the adult virginoparous aphid at Lc50 level. Malathion demonstrated the highest toxicity to, the aphids. The application of profenophos for the cabbage aphid at Lc50 level exhibited no toxicity forCoccinella but was highly toxic forChrysopa. Pirimicarb proved to be the most selective of the compounds tested for the control of aphids when it was used at a concentration that caused 50% mortality as it was found to be unharmful to bothChrysopa andCoccinella. Dimethoate, on the other hand, was found to be very harmful and highly toxic to bothCoccinella andChrysopa adults and would probably be destructive to those natural enemies in the field. Laboratory evaluation indicates that both pirimicarb and malathion have potentials for use, in IPM program for vegetable pest control.     

Using flower strips to promote green lacewings to control cabbage insect pests

Habitat management improves biological control by increasing the abundance and fitness of natural enemies through the provision of floral resources along field edges or between crops. Among the natural enemies reliant on flower resources, green lacewings often stand out due to their abundance, predation capacity and polyphagy. We evaluated the impact of tailored flower strips on the enhancement of natural enemies, especially green lacewings, in three organic cabbage (Brassica oleracea) farms in Southern Sweden. Insects were sampled from the flower strips, and cabbage pests and predators were visually recorded in the crop. In a laboratory assay, the pollen feeding preferences of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836) were evaluated in a dual-choice test. The pollen consumed by the Chrysopidae was extracted from laboratory and field specimens, then quantified and identified. Flower strips were found to attract predators and parasitoids, whose abundance increased as flowers bloomed. Cabbage plants next to the flower strips showed lower pest infestation as compared to cabbage plant control, although no significant differences were observed in the number of predators. Chrysopidae used flower strips as feeding, reproduction and shelter sites and mainly consumed pollen from Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. Under laboratory conditions, C. carnea showed a preference for P. tanacetifolia and Coriandrum sativum L. pollen over Borago officinalis L. and Fagopyrum esculentum Moench. We show that tailored flower strips could be an efficient tool for enhancing beneficial arthropods and should be considered in integrated pest management for cabbage crops.

     

Release of two predators and two parasitoids to control aphids and whiteflies

The potential of the two predators,Chrysoperla carnea Steph. andCoccinella undecimpunctata Reich., as well as the two parasitoidsDiaeretiella rapae andEretmocerus mundus in an open field and under green house were conducted after several releases againstAphis gossypii, A. fabae, Brevicorine brassicae andBemisia tabaci. Double releases ofC. carnea (1∶5 predator∶aphids) achieved 100% reduction inA. gossypii after 12 days. A single release ofC. undecimpunctata (1∶50 predator∶aphids) resulted in 99.97% reduction in the same aphid. Releasing ofD. rapae to controlB. brassicae at the rate of 1∶50 resulted in 29% parasitism. ReleasingE. mundus for the control ofB. tabaci in cabbage at the rate of 5 adults/m² resulted in 32% parasitism. Three releases ofC. undecimpunctata adults in a greenhouse cultivated with soybean, decreasedA. fabae population from 207 to 7.6 aphids/plant.     

Effect of GCSC-BtA biocide on population dynamics of cabbage pests and their natural enemies from fields in southeastern China

The present paper deals with the effect of the biocide GCSC-BtA on population dynamics of cabbage pests, i.?e., Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep., Plutellidae), Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hom., Aphididae), Liriomyza sativae Blanch. (Dip., Agromyzidae), Phyllotreta vittata Fabric. (Col., Chrysomelidae) and their natural enemies, i.?e., Apanteles plutellae Kurdj. (Hym., Braconidae), Erigonidium graminicola (Sundv.) (Araneida, Linyphiidae), Coccinella septempunctata L. (Col., Coccinellidae), in common head cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) fields in the southeastern China. The experiments were conducted at the experimental farm of Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, PR China in April?–?June, 2001. The results showed that, at the end of sampling, the pest populations of P. xylostella, B. brassicae and P. vittata reached averages of 39.7, 68.3 and 6.2 ind. / 30 plants in the plot treated with GCSC-BtA, which were about 1.5, 11 and 0.7 times lower than those treated with methomyl, respectively. In contrast, the natural enemy populations were, on average, 23.5 ind./30 plants for A. plutellae, 24.6 ind./30 plants for E. graminicol and 12.2 ind./30 plants for C. septempunctata in the plot treated with GCSC-BtA, about 6, 5 and 3 times higher than for those treated with methomyl, respectively. The GCSC-BtA biocide demonstrated greater effectiveness in controlling the cabbage pests, e.?g., P. xylostella, B. brassicae and P. vittata, having final decreasing ratios of 83.60, 97.05 and 53.67?% compared to 57.63, 64.89 and 30.88?% with the methomyl insecticide. However, it was less toxic to natural enemies, e.?g., A. plutellae, E. graminicola and C. septempunctata, final decreasing ratios being 47.68, 17.84, 27.81?%, than methomyl, with 90.94, 80.80, 74.55?%, in comparison to the populations in the control plots, respectively. So, because of the low toxicity of GCSC-BtA to the natural enemies, it is recommended that, on one hand, its application should be carried out after mass migration of the pests to the fields, on the other hand, the alternative agent GCSC-BtA should be used with the aim of minimizing the harmfulness to the natural enemies in the whole program of integrated pest management in cabbage fields.     

Population growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pieris brassicae</Emphasis> (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) on different cole crops under laboratory conditions

The effect of different host plants including cabbage, cauliflower, mustard, radish, and broccoli on biological parameters of Pieris brassicae (L.) was studied in the laboratory at 28°C, 65 ± 5% RH and 12L:12D photoperiod. Duration of each life stage, longevity, the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r _m), net reproductive rate (R ₀), mean generation time (T), doubling time (DT), and finite rate of increase (λ) of the cabbage white butterfly on the different cole crops were estimated. Differences in fertility life table parameters of the P. brassicae among host plants were analyzed using pseudo-values, which were produced by Jackknife re-sampling. The results indicating that cabbage might be the most suitable food for P. brassicae due to the shorter development time (16 days), longer adult longevity (12 and 9 days for female and male, respectively), higher fecundity (281 eggs/female), higher intrinsic rate of natural increase (0.1156 females/female/day), lower doubling time (6.00), lower larval mortality (70.33%), and higher yield of adult (30%). Therefore, it can be concluded from the present study that P. brassicae prefers cabbage for fast and healthy development with low larval mortality and highest number of adult yield than other cole crops.     

Screening brassicaceous plants as biofumigants for management of Phytophthora cinnamomi oak disease

Brassicaceous plants rich in glucosinolates have been used as biofumigants for the management of soilborne pathogens. Efficacy of Brassica plant tissue has mainly been attributed to toxic isothiocyanates released upon the hydrolysis of glucosinolates. Management of Phytophthora cinnamomi, the causal agent of oak root rot in rangeland ecosystems using biofumigation, is promising, but requires further validation. The biofumigation activity of 14 brassicaceous plants was evaluated under experimental conditions. All evaluated plants rich in sinigrin suppressed (100%) the mycelial growth of P. cinnamomi, while plants rich in aromatic or other aliphatic glucosinolates had little or no suppressive effect. Simulating soil amendment in field conditions, the effects on natural soil artificially infested with P. cinnamomi chlamydospores were examined with Brassica juncea, Eruca vesicaria and Lepidium sativum, three species with different glucosinolate profiles. Only B. juncea decreased the viability of chlamydospores significantly in comparison with untreated soil only 1 day after biofumigation, whereas E. vesicaria needed 8 days to reach significance and L. sativum had no effect at all. Despite the decreases in soil inoculum, biofumigation with B. juncea did not prevent the root infections in a highly susceptible host (Lupinus luteus). However, biofumigation with plants rich in sinigrin, such as B. juncea, decreased P. cinnamomi soil inoculum under the experimental minimum threshold for oak disease expression. Although biofumigation should be considered as an effective measure to be incorporated in integrated control of the oak disease, biofumigation by itself would not be effective enough for the substantial suppression of P. cinnamomi inoculum.     

Performance of Lipaphis erysimi (Homoptera: Aphididae) on different Brassica species in a tropical environment

A 2-year study on the preference and performance of Lipaphis erysimi on different Brassica species in the field and under greenhouse conditions revealed that rapeseed (B. campestris var. BSH-1, B. campestris var. YSPB-9) and mustard (B. juncea RH-30) were better hosts for this aphid than other Brassica species (B. napus, B. nigra, Eruca sativa, B. carinata). On the first group of plants, the rate of nymphal development, longevity and fecundity of this pest were significantly less than on the second group of plants. Development was significantly prolonged when the aphid was reared on second group of plants.     

Antibiotic properties of the glucosinolates of Brassica oleracea var. acephala similarly affect generalist and specialist larvae of two lepidopteran pests

Glucosinolates may deter generalist insect feeding as their toxicity causes fitness damage, whereas insects specialized in brassicaceous plants may circumvent the toxic effect. By using no-choice leaf tests, we investigated whether larval development time, body weight, mortality and feeding rate of the generalist Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) and the specialist Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), were affected by six genotypes of Brassica oleracea var. acephala, selected for having high or low concentration of sinigrin, glucoiberin (aliphatics) and glucobrassicin (indole). Two phenological plant stages were used. On young plants, M. brassicae most consumed the high sinigrin and low glucoiberin genotypes. Larvae weighed more on the high sinigrin plants. Development time took longer on the low glucoiberin genotype. On mature plants, consumption rate decreased on the high glucoiberin genotype. Larval weight decreased on the high sinigrin, glucoiberin and glucobrassicin genotypes, and development time increased with high glucobrassicin concentration. Pupal weight and mortality rate increased on mature plants, irrespective of the genotype. Pieris rapae fed most on young plants with high sinigrin, and larval weight increased on the high glucoiberin genotype. Mortality increased with low glucoiberin and low glucobrassicin. On mature plants, larval weight decreased with high sinigrin and glucoiberin. The high glucoiberin genotype was the less consumed and also induced a longer development time. High content of aliphatic glucosinolates offered mature plants significant antibiosis defence against both the lepidopterans, whereas the indole glucosinolate was marginally effective. Young plants were more consumed and increased larval weight likely because glucosinolate concentration was still not optimal.     

Untersuchungen zur Wirkung verschiedener Insektizide auf Prädatoren von Getreideblattläusen unter Freilandbedingungen

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe von Freilandversuchen wurde die Wirkung der Insektizide E 605 f, Metasystox R und Pirimor Granulat auf die PrädatorenCoccinella septempunctata L.,Chrysopa carnea Steph. undSyrphus corollae F. untersucht. Dazu wurden in einem Winterweizenfeld Regenrinnen ausgelegt, um nach Insektizidapplikation die geschädigten bzw. abgetöteten Versuchstiere aufzufangen. E 605 f wirkte sehr stark auf alle 3 untersuchten Nützlinge. Im Freiland wurden die meisten toten Tiere in der Regel in den E 605 f-Varianten gefunden. Aber auch Metasystox R war gegenüber den Coccinelliden und Syrphiden toxisch. Chrysopiden wurden dagegen zu einem großen Teil geschont. Von den getesteten Präparaten war Pirimor Granulat das selektivste. Es schonte die Larven vonC. septempunctata undCh. carnea. Larven vonS. corollae wurden dagegen zum Teil abgetötet. Die Mortalität der Schwebfliegen war allerdings bei Pirimor Granulat etwas geringer als bei den anderen Insektiziden.

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Field-studies on the effect of three pesticides on predators of cereal aphids

In field tests the toxicity of three insecticides to the predatorsCoccinella septempunctata L.,Chrysopa carnea Steph., andSyrphus corollae F. was investigated. Small pieces of plastic troughs were placed in winterwheat fields to collect dead an diseased predators after pesticide applications. E 605 forte proved to be the most toxic of all the compounds tested. It caused high mortality to all three beneficial arthropod species. Metasystox R was highly toxic to coccinellids and syrphids but showed only a slight, insignificant toxicity to chrysopids. Pirimor Granulate was the most selective of the compounds tested. It had no effects on larvae ofC. septempunctata andCh. carnea but some larvae ofS. corollae were killed. However, the mortality of syrphid larvae was somewhat lower in comparison with E 605 f and Metasystox R.

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Mit einer Tabelle     

Synthetic and green vegetable isothiocyanates target red blood leukemia cancers

Isothiocyanates (ITCs), the breakdown products of glucosinolates found primarily in species of Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), are potential anti-cancer compounds. This review compiles data on how through different modes of action ITCs and their synthetic counterparts target leukemia.     

Zur Wirkung von Precocen 2 und Fenarimol auf die Kohlblattlaus,Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) und ihren ParasitoidenDiaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh)

The anti-hormone compounds, precocene-2 (anti-juvenile hormone) and fenarimol (anti-ecdysone) were evaluated against the green cabbbage aphid,Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) alone and for their compatibility with the endoparasiteDiaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh). The results revealed that precocene-2 provided more than 90% control ofB. brassicae acted on larvae within 72 h after the treatment, while fenarimol was less effective. Moreover, either precocene-2 or fenarimol extremely reduced the reproductive potentiality ofB. brassicae surviving adults. Both anti-hormone compounds demonstrated compatibility withD. rapae, a parasitoid ofB. brassicae. No considerable difference was detected when parasite emergence was compared from treated and untreated individuals.     

Combining banker plants to achieve long-term pest control in multi-pest and multi-natural enemy cropping systems

Banker plants increase biological pest control by supporting populations of non-pest arthropod species, used as alternative hosts or prey by natural enemies. Due to the specificity of trophic interactions, banker plants may not efficiently promote natural enemies with different ecologies. Yet in most cropping systems, different pest species are present together and require different biocontrol agents to efficiently control them. In the present study, we tested the combined use of two banker plants and their associated prey/host to enhance populations of the specialist parasitoid Encarsia formosa targeting the main tomato pest Bemisia tabaci, and a polyphagous ladybird Propylea japonica targeting the secondary pest Myzus persicae in tomato crops. In a laboratory and a greenhouse experiment, we measured the abundances of these four species using the Ricinus communis—Trialeurodes ricini banker plant system alone, in combination with the Glycines max—Megoura japonica system, or in absence of banker plants. We found that the first banker plant system enhanced populations of E. formosa, resulting in increased suppression of B. tabaci populations and the suppression of their outbreak in both our laboratory and greenhouse experiment. Conversely, abundances of P. japonica were not affected by this first system, but were significantly increased when the second was present. This resulted in increased control of M. persicae populations and the suppression of their early and late outbreaks. Our study demonstrates the potential for combined banker plants to provide long-term, sustainable control of multiple pests by their target natural enemies in complex agroecosystems.

     

Attract,reward and disrupt: responses of pests and natural enemies to combinations of habitat manipulation and semiochemicals in organic apple

The widespread use of pesticides along with the simplification of the landscape has had undesirable effects on agroecosystems, such as the loss of biodiversity and the associated ecosystem service biological control. How current production systems can be remodelled to allow for a re-establishment of biological pest control, while preserving productivity, is a major challenge. Here, we tested whether a combination of tools could augment or synergize biological control of insect pests in apple (Malus domestica), comprised of a tortricid pest complex, a geometrid pest complex and the rosy apple aphid. The tools aimed at disrupting mating behaviour of multiple pest species (multispecies mating disruption, “Disrupt”, MMD), attracting natural enemies (a blend of herbivory-induced volatiles, “Attract”, A), or providing refuge and rewards for a diverse insect community (perennial flower strip, “Reward”, R) over a 3-year period. Suction samples were consistently richer in generalist predators but not in parasitoids when multiple tools including MMD?+?A?+?R or MMD?+?A were employed. In addition, lepidopteran pest levels were significantly lower in these plots than in MMD or MMD?+?R at the end of the 3-year experiment. This was, however, not reflected in survival of artificially established aphid colonies. Our data indicates that multiple, complementary tools can greatly enhance natural enemy level, but also that long-term implementation is needed to fully realize the augmentatory or synergistic potential of complementary components and restore biological control as an ecosystem service of practical relevance.

     

Disruptive effects of non-specific airborne and substrate-borne vibrations on aphids

Insects are known to be negatively impacted by noise from anthropogenic sources. Recently, pest control methods have been developed using specific airborne (sound) and substrate-borne vibratory signals. However, there is limited information available on the effects of non-specific vibrations on pest insects, especially those not known to use sound or vibration for communication. Here, we tested whether non-specific substrate-borne or airborne vibrations (white noise) cause reductions in the number of aphids of three species on single plants in short-term (24 h) laboratory trials. Substrate-borne vibrations transmitted through the host plant reduced total numbers of all three species (45 to 62% reductions in total aphid numbers), while airborne vibrations played through speakers had no detectable effect. The effect of substrate-borne vibrations on aphid numbers appeared to be mostly due to inducing aphids to leave the plant, rather than reducing the reproductive output of remaining aphids. To our knowledge, our results provide the first proof-of-concept indicating that non-specific substrate-borne vibrations can affect pests not known to use vibrations to communicate and should be explored further as a physical pest control method. Future research in this area is needed to investigate longer-term effects of non-specific vibrations on pests, their host plants, and their natural enemies.

     

Impact of indigenous aphids on development of the invasive common ragweed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ambrosia artemisiifolia</Emphasis> L.) in Hungary

The common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia is a widespread invasive weed species in Europe. In order to estimate the deteriorative effect of native arthropods on the invasive ragweed the effect of three indigenous aphid species on plant development and pollen production was studied. Common ragweed plants grown in a greenhouse were artificially infested with five apterous individuals of either Aphis fabae, Brachycaudus helichrysi or Myzus persicae at the 4-leaf stage. Feeding by all three aphid species over a 5-week period significantly reduced plant height, the number of male inflorescences, the length of racemes, pollen emission and plant dry mass. Brachycaudus helichrysi produced the largest colonies, followed by A. fabae and M. persicae. In a host plant choice test, B. helichrysi showed significant preference for ragweed over sunflower, whereas A. fabae preferred sunflower and M. persicae did not show any preference. In a field experiment, the growth rate of A. fabae on caged ragweed plants was similar to that in the greenhouse, but the final numbers of B. helichrysi and M. persicae after 30 days was ten and seven times lower than under greenhouse conditions, respectively. On exposed field plants, B. helichrysi was more abundant than other species. However, no aphid species affected the height or dry mass of either caged or exposed plants during a 30-day period. Under controlled conditions aphids effectively hampered development and pollen production of ragweed, however, under Hungarian field conditions the development of ragweed was much more dynamic, therefore no deleterious effect of aphid feeding occurred.     

Effects of different neem preparations in comparison to synthetic insecticides on the whitefly parasitoid Encarsia sophia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) and the predator Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on cotton under laboratory conditions

The contact and feeding toxicity of NeemAzal T/S (EID Parry, Chennai, India) to the parasitoid Encarsia sophia (Girault & Dodd) was compared with three synthetic insecticides (chlorpyriphos, endosulfan and triazophos) against immatures and adult emergence. NeemAzal T/S (1.0%) at lower dose (200 mg/l) did not cause any effect on the emergence of E. sophia adults, but there was a significant reduction in emergence at higher doses (800 mg/l). Also, it did not show contact toxicity to adults of E. sophia, but there was a significantly high feeding mortality in a dosage dependant manner, whereas chlorpyriphos, endosulfan and triazophos showed high toxicity both by contact and feeding method. Three neem preparations registered in India, NeemAzal T/S, Nimbecidine (T. Stains, Coimbatore) and Godrej Achook (Godrej Agrovet, Mumbai) were tested against egg and larval stages of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) at three dosages, using a synthetic insecticide, triazophos 40 EC (200 mg/l), for comparison under laboratory conditions. The three biorationals did not induce any adverse effect on the hatchability of C. carnea eggs. The mortality of the first instars of C. carnea was not affected by any of the azadirachtin enriched formulations; however, at higher dosage of 800 mg/l these neem based products resulted in increased mortality of the first and second instar larvae of C. carnea relative to the untreated controls. Whereas, triazophos induced very high mortality rates (85.0, 89.0 and 81.5%) of all the three larval instars. The neem based insecticides showed a dosage-dependant effect on the larval instars of C. carnea. Thus, these biorationals show that there is a potential to use them in an IPM system, being safe for natural enemies of B. tabaci in cotton.     

Effects of neonicitinoid seed treatments on soybean aphid and its natural enemies

Insecticidal seed treatments are increasingly being applied to soybeans in North America, and several recent studies question what they add to current pest management. Here, we examine the effects of two neonicotinoid insecticidal seed treatments on insect populations (pest and natural enemies) in SD soybeans over 2 years. Moreover, we conducted laboratory experiments to determine the duration that seed treatments remained effective against the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines, Hemiptera: Aphididae) and how thiamethoxam affected survival of one of the aphid’s predators, Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) on soybean. Soybean aphids, thrips, and grasshopper populations were unaffected by the insecticidal seed treatments in the field. The laboratory trial revealed that all bioactivity of the seed treatments against soybean aphids was gone within 46 days after planting, prior to aphid populations damaging the crop. Bean leaf beetles, a sporadic pest in our area, were reduced by the seed treatments. But, there were no yield benefits of insecticidal seed treatments over the 2 years of the study at this location. Natural enemy communities were significantly reduced by thiamethoxam seed treatments relative to the untreated control, particularly populations of Nabis americoferus (Hemiptera: Nabidae). Chrysoperla (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) adults were reduced in the imidacloprid-treated plots. In the laboratory, rearing O. insidiosus on soybean plants treated with thiamethoxam resulted in higher mortality for both the nymphs and the adult stage. Offering the predator insect prey on the thiamethoxam-treated plants improved survival of the adult stage, but not the nymphal stage. This work confirms that insecticidal seed treatments offer little benefit to soybean producers of the Northern Great Plains and adds to the discussion by suggesting that generalist predators are adversely affected by the insecticides.     

Zur Verbesserung der Massenzucht der KohlfliegenPhorbia brassicae Bouché undPh. floralis Fallén durch Konservierung der Larvennahrung

Zusammenfassung Die Massenzucht der Kleinen Kohlfliege (Phorbia brassicae Bché.) und der Großen Kohlfliege (Phorbia floralis F.) stößt im Laboratorium, besonders bei Verwendung von gelagerten Kohlrüben, auf Schwierigkeiten. Kohlrüben zur Ernährung der Larven verderben sehr rasch im Brutschrank. In den Zuchtschalen entstehen Nahrungsmangel und erhebliche Vernässung, wodurch ein hoher Prozentsatz der Larven abstirbt. Da die Larven nur in einem pH-Bereich über 6,0 Nahrung aufnehmen, müssen an die Konservierungsmittel bestimmte Anforderungen gestellt werden. Eine Reihe von Chemikalien wurde getestet, wobei ein Gemisch von 0,1% Propionsäure und 0,2% Kaliumrhodanid, mit einem Phosphatpuffer auf pH 6,2 eingestellt, die günstigste Wirkung gegen Mikroorganismen aufwies.

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Summary Larvae of cabbage maggots (Phorbia brassicae Bouché andPh. floralis Fallén) were reared in the laboratory on. rutabagas(Brassica napus var. napobrassica). Stored rutabagas root rapidly in the rearing trays and cause through food shortage and watering a high mortality of the larvae. A number of chemicals was tested for preserving the rutabagas. The pH-value of such a chemical must be at least 6.0, since larvae do not feed at values below 6.0. From the chemicals tested a mixture of 0.1% propionic acid and 0.2% potassium rhodanide buffered with phosphate to a pH of 6.2 gave the best antimicrobial effects.

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Mit Förderung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Impact of glucosinolate in relation to leafminer,Liriomyza brassicae Riley (Diptera: Agromyzidae) infestation in crucifers

Eight species belonging to the Family Cruciferae were classified to lafminer resistant, tolerant and susceptible on the basis of leafminer infestation. They were analyzed for the glucosinolate content and correlated with leafminer infestation. Total glucosinolate content in general and sinigrin content in particular appeared to have the ability to repel the attack ofLiriomyza brassicae, while gluconapin appeared to attract them. The percentage of infestation, the number of mines and the number of living larvae were estimated for evaluating the glucosinolate efficacy againstL. brassicae on cabbage.