Sex-related differences in the tolerance of Oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta) to organophosphate insecticides

In vivo toxicity assays have shown that organophosphate insecticides are less toxic to male than to female Oriental fruit moths Grapholita molesta. While male moths have higher levels of acetylcholinesterase and general esterase activities, female moth acetylcholinesterase enzymes are less sensitive to aromatic and aliphatic organophosphates than male enzymes. Elevated esterase and acetylcholinesterase activities in male moths explain their greater tolerance to aromatic and aliphatic organophosphates. Male and female acetylcholinesterase enzymes are equally tolerant to heteroaromatic organophosphates, the most widely used of this class of insecticides in G molesta control. This observation, in contrast to the greater sensitivity of male acetylcholinesterases to aromatic and aliphatic organophosphates, shows the potential for the evolution of insensitive target sites in male moths, which would increase male G molesta tolerance to these insecticides. Significant sex-linked differences in insecticide tolerance have not been reported previously in lepidopterans. The practical implications of the observed differences in tolerance in male and female G molesta question the practice of using pheromone traps to monitor populations of these moths in orchards.     

Efficacy of Plectranthus glandulosus (Lamiaceae) and Callistemon rigidus (Myrtaceae) Leaf Extract Fractions to Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

As part of on-going efforts to use eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides, methanol crude extracts of Plectranthus glandulosus and Callistemon rigidus leaves were sequentially fractionated in hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol to establish the most active fraction(s) against Callosobruchus maculatus in cowpea. Cowpea seeds (25 g) were treated with 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 g/kg of extract to evaluate the contact toxicity and F₁ progeny production of the beetles in the laboratory. Mortality was recorded 1, 3, and 7 d postexposure. P. glandulosus hexane fraction was more toxic than the other fractions recording 100% mortality at 4 g/kg, within 7 d with LC₅₀ of 0.39 g/kg. Hexane fraction of C. rigidus showed superior toxicity, causing 100% mortality at 4 g/kg within only 1 d of exposure with LC₅₀ of 1.02 g/kg. All the fractions greatly reduced progeny emergence, with C. rigidus hexane fraction being the best progeny inhibitor. Fractions of P. glandulosus and C. rigidus leaves had sufficient efficacy to be a component of storage pest management package for C. maculatus.     

Creams Formulated with Ocimum gratissimum L. and Lantana camara L. Crude Extracts and Fractions as Mosquito Repellents Against Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae)

Mosquitoes are the most deadly vectors of parasites that cause diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and filariasis. In view of the recent increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticides, the objective of this study was to determine the repellent activity of creams formulated with methanol crude extract (MCE), hexane fraction (HF), and ethyl acetate fractions (EAFs) of Ocimum gratissimum and Lantana camara leaves in single and combined actions against female Aedes aegypti. Evaluation was carried out in the net cages (30 by 30 by 30 cm) containing 60 blood-starved female mosquitoes each and were assayed in the laboratory condition following World Health Organization 2009 protocol. All formulations (single and mixture) were applied at 2, 4, 6, and 8 mg/cm² in the exposed area of human hands. Only acetone + white soft paraffin served as negative control and odomos (12% DEET) as positive control. All the formulations presented good protection against mosquito bites without any allergic reaction by the human volunteers. The repellent activity was dependent on the strength of the extracts and fractions. Among the tested formulations, the maximum protection time was observed in MCE (120 min) and EAF (150 min) of O. gratissimum; MCE:MCE (150 min) and HF:HF (120 min) mixtures of both plants. In addition, MCE:MCE and HF:HF mixtures from both plants showed possible synergistic effect. From the results, the combination of O. gratissimum and L. camara to formulate natural mosquito repellent using small amount of extracts can be encouraging to be an alternative to conventional DEET.     

Seasat mission overview

During some 3 months of orbital operations, Seasat collected a unique set of global synoptic data on ocean winds, waves, temperature, and topography. All indications from a preliminary analysis of these data are that most of the mission's proof-of-concept objective-the demonstration of nearly all-weather microwave surveillance of the world's oceans-will be met.     

Seasat low-rate data system

The Seasat low-rate data system is a distributed, nonreal-time, magnetic-tape system for information processing. Its function is to apply the necessary calibrations, corrections, and conversions to yield geophysically meaningful products from raw spacecraft telemetry data. It also provides a remotely accessible catalog of satellite data.