Management implications of earwigs' overwintering sites in a Mediterranean citrus grove

To promote earwigs as natural enemies of pests, or to control their populations if they damage crops, earwigs can be managed during their overwintering period on the ground. Here, we obtained more than a ton of soil to study earwigs' overwintering sites in a citrus grove. We found four species of earwigs: Forficula pubescens, Euborellia annulipes, Euborellia moesta, and Nala lividipes. Surprisingly, and although the European earwig Forficula auricularia is abundant in the citrus canopies the rest of the year, we did not find any F. auricularia, indicating that this species spends the winter outside the citrus grove. Therefore, farmers willing to manage European earwig populations in citrus orchards need to consider the possibility that earwigs may spend the winter outside the field. Earwigs that were overwintering in the citrus grove were more abundant at the south side beneath the canopies than at the north side or between rows, indicating that management practices such as soil tillage can impact overwintering earwigs only beneath the canopies, but not between citrus rows. Overall, our results provide insights into how earwig populations can be successfully managed during winter in citrus orchards.     

Can we forecast the effects of climate change on entomophagous biological control agents?

The worldwide climate has been changing rapidly over the past decades. Air temperatures have been increasing in most regions and will probably continue to rise for most of the present century, regardless of any mitigation policy put in place. Although increased herbivory from enhanced biomass production and changes in plant quality are generally accepted as a consequence of global warming, the eventual status of any pest species will mostly depend on the relative effects of climate change on its own versus its natural enemies' complex. Because a bottom‐up amplification effect often occurs in trophic webs subjected to any kind of disturbance, natural enemies are expected to suffer the effects of climate change to a greater extent than their phytophagous hosts/preys. A deeper understanding of the genotypic diversity of the populations of natural enemies and their target pests will allow an informed reaction to climate change. New strategies for the selection of exotic natural enemies and their release and establishment will have to be adopted. Conservation biological control will probably become the keystone for the successful management of these biological control agents. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Two new benzylbenzoate glucosides from Curculigo orchioides

An extract from in vitro cultures of Curculigo orchioides grown as bulbils in shake flasks, afforded two new glucosides of substituted benzylbenzoate - curculigoside C (3) and curculigoside D (4) - together with two known compounds - curculigoside A (1) and curculigoside B (2). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral evidence, in particular by using 2D NMR methods. Their vasoactive properties were assessed in isolated rat aortic rings.     

Control of postharvest diseases on citrus fruit by preharvest application of the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2: Part I. Study of different formulation strategies to improve survival of cells in unfavourable environmental conditions

The objective in the present study was to investigate the survival and effectiveness of different biological agent Pantoea agglomerans formulations against Penicillium spp. with different preharvest treatments. Results indicated a high sensitivity of non-adapted and osmotic-adapted P. agglomerans cells to environmental conditions in the field, resulting in preharvest treatments which were ineffective against Penicillium spp. In the second part of this study, dry conditions and solar radiation were identified as important environmental conditions that seriously affect populations of P. agglomerans cells. Different formulation strategies were tested in order to improve the resistance of cells to unfavourable environmental conditions. Osmotic-adapted P. agglomerans cells in the presence of 25 g L⁻¹ of NaCl in the production medium [osmotic-adapted treatment (P25)] or at water activities (a_w) of 0.98 [osmotic-adapted treatment (P98)] had higher survival rates than non-adapted cells, when these cells were sprayed on oranges and stored in hermetically sealed chambers at a low RH of 43%. Among seven additives tested, the presence of 5% Fungicover in the bacterial suspension improved adherence and persistence of P. agglomerans cells on oranges exposed to unfavourable conditions. Therefore, while P. agglomerans cells sprayed alone had log values of 0.5 CFU cm⁻², in combination with Fungicover the population level of P. agglomerans cells reached log values of 5 and 4.2 CFU cm⁻², at 0 and 24 h after application. Lyophilised cells showed greater resistance to unfavourable environmental conditions than fresh cells. The present study has demonstrated that the formulation improvement can provide better performance of biocontrol agents under environmental conditions non-conducive for growth and survival.     

生物碳可以防止土壤活性有机质矿化吗？

Biochar could help to stabilize soil organic(SOM) matter, thus sequestering carbon(C) into the soil. The aim of this work was to determine an easy method i) to estimate the effects of the addition of biochar and nutrients on the organic matter(SOM)mineralization in an artificial soil, proposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD), amended with glucose and ii) to measure the amount of labile organic matter(glucose) that can be sorbed and thus be partially protected in the same soil, amended or not amended with biochar. A factorial experiment was designed to check the effects of three single factors(biochar, nutrients, and glucose) and their interactions on whole SOM mineralization. Soil samples were inoculated with a microbial inoculum and preincubated to ensure that their biological activities were not limited by a small amount of microbial biomass, and then they were incubated in the dark at 21℃ for 619 d. Periodical measurements of C mineralized to carbon dioxide(CO_2) were carried out throughout the 619-d incubation to allow the mineralization of both active and slow organic matter pools. The amount of sorbed glucose was calculated as the difference between the total and remaining amounts of glucose added in a soil extract. Two different models, the Freundlich and Langmuir models, were selected to assess the equilibrium isotherms of glucose sorption. The CO_2-C release strongly depended on the presence of nutrients only when no biochar was added to the soil. The mineralization of organic matter in the soil amended with both biochar and glucose was equal to the sum of the mineralization of the two C sources separately. Furthermore, a significant amount of glucose can be sorbed on the biochar-amended soil, suggesting the involvement of physico-chemical mechanisms in labile organic matter protection.     

Evaluation of fungicides to control circular leaf spot of persimmon caused by Mycosphaerella nawae

The efficacy of ten fungicides against Mycosphaerella nawae, the causal agent of circular leaf spot (CLS) of persimmon, was evaluated in vitro and in field experiments. Field trials were conducted in 2009 and 2010 to investigate the comparative efficacy of the fungicides alone or combined using alternating sequences in spray programmes based on two, three or four applications. Disease incidence was assessed by estimating the percentage of affected leaves, which included leaves showing at least one necrotic spot and defoliation. Fenpropimorph, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole and thiophanate-methyl were the most effective fungicides in inhibiting mycelial growth of M. nawae isolates (EC₅₀ < 2 ppm). In field experiments, the most effective fungicides using two spray applications were captan, chlorothalonil, mancozeb and pyraclostrobin which significantly reduced disease incidence compared with untreated plots. Regarding the number of spray applications, two applications of captan and mancozeb were less efficient than three to control the disease. However, the percentage of affected leaves provided by three applications of captan and mancozeb alone or combined with pyraclostrobin using alternating sequences in spray programmes, was not significantly different from that provided by four applications. Experimental results demonstrated that spray programmes based on three applications of these fungicides could effectively control CLS of persimmon. The advantages of spray programmes based on alternated use of strobilurins and protective fungicides are discussed.     

Short-term Effects of a Partial Drawdown on Fish Condition in a Eutrophic Reservoir

Prescribed or natural drawdowns occur frequently in reservoirs but their effects on fish populations have been barely studied. As a consequence of a severe drought and the need to optimize water quality, a partial drawdown was prescribed in autumn 2005 to a eutrophic reservoir that provides water supply to a large metropolitan area (Barcelona, Spain). In order to avoid a potential massive fish kill given the reduced oxygen availability and high fish abundance, preventive purse seine fisheries were performed to reduce the fish stock. The fisheries had little effect on the fish assemblage because final population size structure and species composition did not change significantly. The species composition of the purse seine catches varied significantly during the drawdown with higher proportion of bleak (Alburnus alburnus) in pelagic water during the days of worst water quality, confirming that bleak is more tolerant than roach (Rutilus rutilus) to poor water quality and a potential good indicator of water pollution. The weight–length relationship (i.e. condition) of roach and bleak also varied significantly during the drawdown following the same tendency in both species, losing and recovering their weight (4.99% in roach and 5.96% in bleak) in only 16 days. The close relationship found between water quality and fish condition demonstrates that fish condition can be a good metric of the well being of fish, even for extreme short-term changes.     

Mortality impact of recreational angling techniques and hook types on Trachynotus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758) following catch-and-release

We evaluated the post-release mortality (PRM) following catch-and-release in Trachynotus ovatus, one of the main target species of north-western Mediterranean recreational fisheries. In this study, we observed the line-caught fish for 10 d in a holding tank in order to investigate the independence and impact on mortality of several explanatory variables, including fish size, surface temperature, anatomical hooking location, bleeding, hook type, and line cutting. We observed a total PRM of 24.1% and the most important mortality factor by far was the anatomical position of the hook. Anatomically deeper hooking events were highly correlated with fish size and the presence of blood during hooking injuries. The PRM obtained in this study was higher than values reported in previous studies of this species, mainly because we considered the effects of passive angling techniques. Passive angling increased the incidence of deep hooking and consequently increased mortality compared to active angling. This technique also led to an increase in deep hooking by circle hooks. Therefore, we recommend that active angling techniques be encouraged and we emphasize the need for education on the correct use of circle hooks. This study provides guidelines to managers, scientists, and anglers that will promote sustainable development of the recreational fisheries of the Mediterranean.