Effects of different potato cultivars on life history and demographic parameters of Phthorimaea operculella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Potato tuber worm, Phothorimae operculella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a common pest of potato which causes a heavy loss in yield either in fields or storage. The effect of six potato cultivars (Agria, Florida, Impala, Picasso, Satina, and Sprint) were evaluated on the life history, life table and demographic parameters of P.operculella under laboratory conditions, which could be appropriate indices in resistance and susceptibility evaluation of potato cultivars. The longest development time was on Picasso (28.76 ± 0.36d) cultivar. The male longevity ranged from 4.83 ± 0.44d on Sprint to 7.45 ± 0.60d on Picasso. Impala and Satina with 53.22 ± 7.78 and 28.74 ± 3.54 eggs/individual had the highest and the lowest net reproductive rates (R₀). The highest values for the intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) and finite rate of increase (λ) were on Impala (r_m: 0.119 day^?1, λ: 1.75 day^?1), and the lowest value was on Sprint (r_m: 0.090 day^?1, λ: 1.01 day^?1). The results indicated that Sprint was the most resistant cultivar for the feeding of P.operculella, which could be useful in the development of integrated pest management programs for this pest.     

Potential of a strain of Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) for the control of the potato tuberworm,Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller)

The potato tuberworm, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller), is one of the most important pests of potato, Solanum tuberosum L., worldwide. We evaluated six Beauveria bassiana strains with potential for control of larvae. Strain SD was the most virulent, causing up to 98% mortality 10 days after inoculation of first instars. The other tested strains (HL, XJ, SC, JL and GZ) were only marginally virulent compared to the controls. In cage trials, SD strain applied to potato plants significantly reduced the survival of tuberworm larvae. Our results suggest that strain SD may be recommended for effective biological control of P. operculella.     

Studies on the development of a mating disruption system to control the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta Povolny (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

BACKGROUND: The tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta Povolny) has rapidly colonised the whole Mediterranean and South‐Atlantic coasts of Spain, and it has become a key problem in both outdoor and greenhouse crops. New control methods compatible with biological control are required, and mating disruption appears to be a perfect method in current agriculture, as it is an environmentally friendly and residue‐free technique. IPM packages tested have included the use of pheromones to detect populations, but there has not been much previous research on mating disruption of T. absoluta. In this work, pheromone doses varying from 10 to 40 g ha^?1, emitted at a constant rate over 4 months, were tested in greenhouses with different levels of containment in order to evaluate the efficacy of mating disruption on T. absoluta. RESULTS: Trials on containment level revealed that the flight of T. absoluta was satisfactorily disrupted with an initial pheromone dose of 30 g ha^?1, and levels of damage did not significantly differ from those in reference plots with insecticide treatments. Later efficacy trials confirmed previous experiences, and release studies showed that control of damage and flight disruption were taking place when releasing at least 85 mg pheromone per ha per day. CONCLUSION: Effective control using pheromone application against T. absoluta can be achieved, in greenhouses with high containment levels, for 4 months, with initial doses of 30 g ha^?1. Further research must be conducted in order to evaluate the prospect of outdoor application of mating disruption systems. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Life-table analyses for the tomato leaf miner,Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): effects of plant genotype

BACKGROUND

Host plant resistance plays an important role in integrated pest management programs. Crop resistance assessments commonly focus on only a single dependent variable, such as larval survival/plant damage, which limits the ability to appreciate the impact of host plants on pest populations in the full sense. Therefore, we performed life-table analyses for tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta, on 19 Solanum lycopersicum genotypes and a wild Solanum habrochaites accession. These analyses assess the ability of the pest to attain a high population density on different tomato genotypes. Based on the resulting ranking of tomato resistance at the vegetative stage (45-day-old plants), we tested the resistance of six selected genotypes at the reproductive stage (4-month-old plants).

RESULTS

T. absoluta performance was significantly inferior on vegetative-stage S. habrochaites plants (LA 1777); time taken for the first instars to mine the leaves (5 ± 0.14 days), development time of early- and late-stage larvae (8.8 ± 0.2 and 4.2 ± 0.2 days, respectively), pupal period (11.2 ± 0.58 days), and total developmental time (29.4 ± 0.83 days) were significantly longer, fecundity was significantly lower (18.66 ± 7.24 days), and the highest total mortality (63.33%) also recorded compared with other genotypes, resulting in the lowest net reproductive rate (R₀) (11.20 ± 2.51). For the six selected genotypes, the ranking of plant resistance did not change between plants at the vegetative and reproductive stages.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that of 20 screened tomato genotypes, LA 1777 and EC-620343 are the least suitable hosts for T. absoluta to establish fast-growing populations, and thus can be employed in integrated T. absoluta management. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Attract‐and‐kill: a new strategy for the management of the potato tuber moths Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) and Symmetrischema tangolias (Gyen) in potato: laboratory experiments towards optimising pheromone and insecticide concentration

BACKGROUND: Sex pheromones of the potato tuber moths Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) and Symmetrischema tangolias (Gyen) are ideal tools to monitor pest flight activity but are not used as means of control. The aim of the present study was to test the suitability of an attract‐and‐kill strategy consisting of pure pheromones and the contact insecticide cyfluthrin as the active ingredient, formulated with plant oils and ultraviolet absorbers, and applied in droplet sizes of 100 µL. RESULTS: Cyfluthrin at a concentration of 5 g L^?1 resulted in the highest and fastest killing of males after 48 h, with a 100% mortality after 3–4 days. In contrast, control males survived for 13 days. In olfactometer experiments, the pheromone concentration of 0.5 g L^?1 was significantly most attractive against eight virgin females. At controlled conditions (20 °C), no reduction in efficacy of the attract‐and‐kill formulation was observed for a minimum period of 36 days, whereas under natural environmental conditions the efficacy reduced gradually after day 6 of exposure. The longer the droplet was exposed, the longer was the time to reach 100% mortality of males. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with attract‐and‐kill studies for other pest species, the results are promising as a means of achieving highly effective control of potato tuber moths under field conditions. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Diurnal variation of walnut tree volatiles and electrophysiological responses in Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many studies have been carried out on the behavioural and electrophysiological responses of Cydia pomonella (L.) to host volatile emissions, to find alternative attractants to the sex pheromone for pest monitoring. These studies have focused on apple and pear, and very little has been done on walnut. In the present work, the diurnal and seasonal variation in walnut volatile emissions and the electrophysiological response of C. pomonella have been studied. RESULTS: Ninety compounds were detected in walnut emissions, mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The most abundant compound was β‐pinene, which, together with (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate, (E)‐β‐ocimene, limonene, germacrene D, 1,8‐cineole, sabinene, (E)‐β‐farnesene, (E)‐β‐caryophyllene, β‐myrcene and β‐phellandrene, constituted between 81.9 and 90.5% of the total chromatographic area. Differences between seasonal periods were significant for 39 compounds, and between daytimes for 14 compounds. Discernible and consistent EAD responses were detected to 11 walnut‐origin compounds, and confirmed with synthetics to seven of them. Except for alloocimene, pinocarvone and caryophyllene oxide, all these compounds are also emitted by apple. CONCLUSION: Walnut volatile emissions differ widely from apple ones, but both share many compounds that are EAD‐active in C. pomonella. However, among EAD‐active compounds there are three walnut‐specific ones, which should be further tested in behavioural assays. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Volatiles emitted by Carya illinoinensis (Wang.) K. Koch as a prelude for semiochemical investigations to focus on Acrobasis nuxvorella Nuenzig (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

BACKGROUND: Plant volatiles have complex intra‐ and interspecific effects in the environment that include plant/herbivore interactions. Identifying the quantity and quality of volatiles produced by a plant is needed to aid the process of determining which chemicals are exerting what effects and then examining whether these effects can be manipulated to benefit society. The qualitative characterization of volatile compounds emitted by pecan, Carya illinoinensis (Wang.) K. Koch, was begun in order to establish a database for investigating how these volatiles affect Acrobasis nuxvorella Nuenzig, a monophagous pest of pecan. Headspace solid‐phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used for the analysis of the volatile constituents of pecan during three phenological stages (dormant buds, intact new shoot growth and intact nutlets) of the Western Schley and Wichita cultivars. RESULTS: About 111 distinct compounds were identified from the two cultivars, accounting for ～99% of the headspace volatiles. The chromatographic profiles of both varieties revealed variations in the volatile composition and proportion between cultivars, with a predominance of terpene hydrocarbons, of the sesquiterpenes class, as well as monoterpenes. CONCLUSION: The significantly higher responsiveness recorded for the larvae of A. nuxvorella to C. illinoinensis shoots indicates that the larvae may be activated by terpenes emanating from the new shoot growth. This is the first study that has examined volatiles of pecan in Mexico. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Behavioural responses of the maize weevil,Sitophilus zeamais,to host (stored‐grain) and non‐host plant volatiles

BACKGROUND: Four‐arm olfactometer bioassays were conducted to assess the behavioural responses of the adult maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), to harvested seeds of host plants, i.e. white maize, yellow maize (Zea mays L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (Poaceae), and non‐host plant materials, i.e. alligator pepper, Aframomum melegueta (Rosk) K. Schum (Zingiberaceae), rhizomes of ginger, Zingiber officinale (Roscoe) (Zingiberaceae), and West African black pepper, Piper guineense Thonn and Schum (Piperaceae). Additional bioassays with host plant volatiles were conducted in the presence of three doses of non‐host plant materials. RESULTS: Both sexes of the weevil showed strong attraction to maize and wheat seed volatiles, but were significantly repelled (P < 0.001) by odours from A. melegueta, Z. officinale and P. guineense. Furthermore, S. zeamais avoided maize and wheat seeds presented in combination with the non‐host plant material at 10% (w/w) and 33% (w/w) levels. CONCLUSIONS: A. melegueta, Z. officinale and P. guineense have the potential for use in the protection of stored grains by resource‐poor farmers with local access to these plants. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

寄主营养和次生代谢物质对牛角花齿蓟马(缨翅目：蓟马科)产卵选择的影响

为探究牛角花齿蓟马Odontothrips loti的产卵选择及寄主营养和次生代谢物质对其产卵行为的影响,本研究观测了牛角花齿蓟马在苜蓿Medicago sativa、草木樨Melilotus officinalis、红豆草Onobrychis cyri和红三叶Trifolium pratense 4种豆科牧草叶片上的产卵量和卵孵化率,同时测定、分析了牧草主要营养和次生代谢物质含量与蓟马产卵选择的相关性。结果表明,无选择条件下,牛角花齿蓟马在苜蓿上产卵量最高,为59.1粒/复叶,其次是草木樨,15.7粒/复叶,在红豆草和红三叶上的产卵量仅为0.9粒/复叶和1.1粒/复叶。卵孵化率在苜蓿上最高,为85.05%,在草木樨和红豆草上分别为40.09%和39.18%,红三叶上最低,为5.48%。两两选择条件下,牛角花齿蓟马明显偏好在苜蓿叶片上产卵,在其他牧草叶片上不产卵或产卵量极低。相关性分析表明,牛角花齿蓟马的产卵量与寄主可溶性蛋白含量显著正相关(r=0.722,P=0.002),卵孵化率与可溶性蛋白(r=0.673,P=0.004)和淀粉(r=0.586,P=0.017)含量显著正相关。牛...     

Reduction in an almond moth Ephestia cautella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) population by means of mating disruption

Pheromone-based mating disruption of the almond moth (Ephestia cautella) (Walk.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was carried out in a chocolate factory in Sweden. Population monitoring was conducted with pheromone-baited traps and water traps. Pheromone traps showed a 94% catch reduction, and monitoring with water traps showed a significant decrease in total catch (5.0 and 1.6 individuals per trap per week before and during treatment respectively). The significance of the results was tested by fitting the observed data to a first-order autoregressive model. This made it possible to test the data with a 95% confidence interval, comparing trap catches before mating disruption treatment with trapping data during the experiment. It is suggested that this statistical approach may be used more frequently in mating disruption experiments where it is extremely difficult to control external factors and therefore equally difficult to use a comparable control plot to evaluate the treatment.     

Disruption of mating in codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by chlorantranilipole, an anthranilic diamide insecticide

The influence of the anthranilic diamide insecticide chlorantranilipole (DPX-E2Y45; Rynaxypyr against the adult stage of codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., was examined. Insecticide residues in plastic cups sprayed with 56 mg AI L(-1) (equivalent to the recommended field rate) had a minimal effect on adult survival or fecundity, but significantly fewer female moths were mated in treated than in untreated cups. Similar results were found in field studies with adults placed in screened cages on treated apple foliage for up to 3 weeks. Mating was disrupted when either sex was topically dosed with technical material (0.01-0.1 microg). Males were more sensitive to the disruptive effects of chlorantranilipole than females. A 2 h exposure significantly reduced male activity (walking and wing fanning), but not female calling. A 25 h exposure significantly reduced the activity of both sexes. The proportion of males landing near a sex pheromone source in a flight tunnel was significantly reduced following exposures of 2-4 h and completely eliminated following a 17 h exposure. Male moths partially recovered from either topical or residual exposure to chlorantranilipole, but the extent of their recovery was dose and time dependent. Male response to sex pheromone recovered within 2 h following a 4 h exposure, but following a 17 h exposure only a partial recovery occurred after 48 h. Mating by moth pairs exposed to chlorantranilipole residues for 24 h did not significantly increase during recovery periods of 24-96 h, except in cups treated with 10% of the standard concentration. The proportion of field-collected female codling moths caught in pear ester-baited traps that were mated was significantly lower in apple orchards treated season-long with chlorantranilipole compared with females caught in either untreated orchards or those treated with sex pheromones to cause mating disruption.     

Metabolic mechanisms involved in the resistance of field populations of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) to spinosad

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) resistance to insecticides has become a significant problem in many tomato production areas in South America. New insecticides are now available for the management of this pest (i.e. spinosad), however there is scarce information about their efficacy on field populations.With the aim of determining the susceptibility of T. absoluta to spinosad we evaluated the response of second instar larvae, from five field populations (Azapa 1, Azapa 2, Lluta, Colín and Valdivia) and a laboratory reference strain (S), to a diagnostic concentration of the insecticide. We also determined the activity of the detoxifying enzymes mixed-function oxidases (MFO), glutathione-S-transferases (GST) and esterases (EST) in the same larval stage. Larval mortality in field populations was significantly lower in Azapa 1 (50.0%), Azapa 2 (44.9%), Lluta (39.9%) and Colín (53.5%) when compared to the laboratory strain (91.7%). MFO activities in field populations were between 1.8 and 4.6 times higher than those observed in the S strain, while for EST, the ratio varied from 1.7 to 14.7. The lowest ratios were observed for the GST (0.5-2.7), however, significant differences were detected for the three enzyme systems. We conclude that the evaluated mechanisms would be involved in spinosad resistance of populations of T. absoluta, presenting an increased MFO activity in all populations.