Pests of the palm (Palmae sp.) and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) determined in Turkey and evaluation of red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae)

This paper covers the palm ( Palmae sp.) and date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ) pests which were determined by studies conducted in Turkey between 1941 and 2006. In total 15 species have been found to date: 1 belonging to Coccidae, 9 to Diaspididae, 1 to Margarodidae and 2 to Pseudococcidae families of the order Homoptera and 1 species to Scarabaeidae and 1 to Curculionidae families of the order Coleoptera. Among these pests, red palm weevil ( Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier) has caused a great deal of damage in recent years.     

Evaluation of entomopathogenic nematodes and their combined application against Curculio elephas and Polyphylla fullo larvae

Journal of Pest Science - The larvae of Curculio elephas (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Polyphylla fullo (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are major agricultural pests of chestnut and roots of cultivated...     

Differential susceptibility of Hyalomma excavatum adults and nymphs to the entomopathogens Metarhizium anisopliae ARSEF 4556 and Steinernema carpocapsae

This study investigated the virulence of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae strain ARSEF 4556, and the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae against adult and nymphal stages of the tick Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum. The fungus was tested at three different concentrations, 10⁶, 10⁷, and 10⁸ conidia ml^?1. Ticks were exposed to 4000 IJs of S. carpocapsae in 0.5 ml distilled water in Petri dishes lined with 2 layers of moist filter paper. Adult ticks were not susceptible to M. anisopliae, whereas the nymphs were highly susceptible. Nymph mortality was dose dependent with all ticks being killed at the highest dose 96 hours post-inoculation. In contrast, S. carpocapsae was much more effective against engorged adults than unfed adults or nymphs. Tick susceptibility was not influenced by gender. The mean mortalities of the unfed adult males, females, and nymphs were 30% ± 9.2%, 40% ± 7.5%, and 36% ± 4.7%, respectively. Nymphal mortality was 36% and there was a significant difference between nematode treatment and control group (P < 0.05).     

Biological control potential of Turkish entomopathogenic nematodes against the Mediterranean fruit fly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratitis capitata</Emphasis>

The entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema weiseri, S. feltiae, S. carpocapsae and two strains of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, isolated from Turkish soils, were evaluated against larvae of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata in plastic cups under laboratory conditions with sandy loam soil and 10% moisture level. At a rate of 100 infective juveniles (IJs)/cm², the last instar larvae of C. capitata were susceptible to the entomopathogenic nematodes: the S. feltiae 09-31 strain recovered from Aydin provided 78% mortality, whereas S. weiseri and S. carpocapsae killed 50% and 56% of the larvae, respectively. Both strains of H. bacteriophora species caused less than 50% mortality. Except for S. feltiae, the majority of infected medflies died as prepupae or pupae within the puparia. More than 90% larval mortality was recorded at 200 and 400 IJs/cm² for S. feltiae. None of the nematode isolates infected the medfly pupae within the puparia. In pot experiments containing soil, S. feltiae caused 96% and 97% mortality at 100 and 200 IJs/cm², respectively. In pot experiments with grass present, more than 94% mortality was obtained in the presence of grass roots.     

Relative potency of culture supernatants of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenorhabdus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Photorhabdus</Emphasis> spp. on growth of some fungal phytopathogens

In previous research, concentrated metabolites produced by bacteria of the genera Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus (which are symbionts of entomopathogenic nematodes) were reported to be highly suppressive to fungal and oomycete plant pathogens. Conceivably, application of non-concentrated bacterial filtrates would be more economically feasible compared to using concentrated metabolites. We evaluated the potency of 10 % v/v cell-free supernatants of the bacteria X. bovienii, X. nematophila, X. cabanillasii, X. szentirmaii, P. temperata, P. luminescens (VS) and P. luminescens (K22) against Fusicladium carpophilum (peach scab), F. effusum (pecan scab), Monilinia fructicola (brown rot), Glomerella cingulata (anthracnose) and Armillaria tabescens (root rot). A bioactive compound derived from Photorhabdus bacteria, trans-cinnamic acid (TCA), was also compared with the bacterial filtrates. Fungal colony size based on manual measurements was compared for accuracy to measurements taken by image analysis. Supernatants of Xenorhabdus spp. exhibited stronger suppressive effects on spore germination and vegetative growth when compared with Photorhabdus spp. Overall, TCA was the most effective treatment; vegetative growth was completely inhibited by TCA (1.27 mg/ml). TCA treatments also suppressed spore germination of F. carpophylium and F. effussum by approximately 90 %. The efficacy of supernatants varied among Xenorhabdus species depending on the species tested, but X. szentirmaii filtrates tended to cause greater inhibition relative to the other bacteria supernatants. Manual measurement of colony diameter required at least two replicate estimates of the colony to avoid a type II error. Area measurements were slightly overestimated based on ruler measurements, but did not affect the outcome of the analysis. Supernatants of Xenorhabdus spp., Photorhabdus spp., or TCA, did not cause any phytotoxic effects when applied to various plant species in the greenhouse. Our results indicate the potential of using TCA or Xenorhabdus cell free supernatants as bio-fungicides. Such a product, based on bacterial culture supernatants, would be economically viable, marketable and easily applicable by the end-users in many situations.