Search results for "Pest Control"
showing 10 items of 221 documents
Evolutionary Considerations in Potato Pest Management
2013
Incorporating our knowledge of fundamental evolutionary processes into pest control practices is essential for maximizing their efficiency. The insect pest complex of potato is characterized by a high degree of plasticity and adaptability. In particular, the Colorado potato beetle quickly expanded its host range to include cultivated potato, and has shown a remarkable ability to evolve resistance to a wide variety of chemicals. Another major pest of potatoes, the green peach aphid, is also very adaptable to insecticides. Both of these insects can also develop resistance to non-chemical methods of their suppression, such as biological control and crop rotation. In addition, understanding ins…
Broad-spectrum cross-resistance in Spodoptera exigua from selection with a marginally toxic Cry protein.
2009
BACKGROUND:Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) has developed resistance to a wide range of chemical insecticides. Products based on Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins are used in integrated pest management as an ecologically friendly alternative for pest control. Since there are few B. thuringiensis Cry proteins highly active against S. exigua, it is desirable to apply appropriate resistance management strategies to prevent the evolution of resistance to these proteins. RESULTS:Spodoptera exigua larvae were selected with Cry1Ab, a protein with low activity against this pest. Selected larvae developed > 30-fold resistance to Cry1Ab in 13 generations, relative to an unselected strain. The estimated rea…
IPM-recommended insecticides harm beneficial insects through contaminated honeydew
2020
The use of some systemic insecticides has been banned in Europe because they are toxic to beneficial insects when these feed on nectar. A recent study shows that systemic insecticides can also kill beneficial insects when they feed on honeydew. Honeydew is the sugar-rich excretion of hemipterans and is the most abundant carbohydrate source for beneficial insects such as pollinators and biological control agents in agroecosystems. Here, we investigated whether the toxicity of contaminated honeydew depends on i) the hemipteran species that excretes the honeydew; ii) the active ingredient, and iii) the beneficial insect that feeds on it. HPLC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that the systemic insec…
Control of freshwater fish louse Argulus coregoni: a step towards an integrated management strategy
2008
Harmful infections by ectoparasites of the genus Argulus occur repeatedly in freshwa- ter fish farming operations where the management has largely been ineffective. Preventative meth- ods and regular monitoring are rarely applied, so that chemical interventions become necessary. According to the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, a sustainable management or control program for a parasite should be based on knowledge of the ecology of the parasite along with adop- tion of several prevention and control methods, the application of which is dependent upon the pre- vailing infection level. The application of multiple management tactics is especially important because parasites can devel…
Biological protection against grape berry moths. A review
2018
International audience; Grape is a major crop, covering 7.5 M ha worldwide, that is currently being confronted with three main challenges: intensive pesticide use that must be reduced, invasion by new pests/diseases, and climate change. The biological control of pests and vectors would help address these challenges. Here, we review the scientific literature on the biological control of grape moths by macroorganisms (excluding nematodes). Two components, biological control with an active human role, mainly using biocontrol agents through inundation or inoculation, and conservation biological control, are considered. The major points are the following. (1) Tortricid grape moths seriously dama…
Risultati della lotta biologica contro ilDacus oleae Gmel. a mezzo dell'Opius concolor Sz. siculus Mon.
1965
The Author reports on the essays of artificial biological control of the olive fly (Dacus oleaeGmel.) made by himself andGenduso with the specific parasiteOpius c. siculusMon. found in Sicily. The Authors followingDelanoue's technic have bred theseOpius in laboratory on larvae ofCeratitis capitataWied; so they were able to release: in 1961 — 1000Opius in a small olive plantation near Palermo; in 1962 — 24000Opius in the island of Pantelleria (Sicily); in 1963 — 40000Opius in the island of Salina (Eolic Islands-Sicily); in 1964 — 180000Opius also in the island of Salina.
Biological Responses of <I>Rhynchophorus ferrugineus</I> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to <I>Steinernema carpocapsae</I> (Nemat…
2013
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier 1790) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is becoming a serious problem in Mediterranean areas where it is well-adapted, and now is present even in the United States (California). The infestations are primarily in urban areas where chemical control is not advisable and million of Euros are spent to control it. The effects of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) on mortality, growth, as well as the immune activity of R. ferrugineus larvae, were investigated. R. ferrugineus mortality exhibited a positive trend with the dosage and duration of exposure to S. carpocapsae. The median lethal dose and median lethal time, impor…
Pathogenicity bioassays of isolates of Beauveria bassiana on Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
2014
BACKGROUND The control of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), the main palm pest in the Mediterranean Basin, is problematic because of its biology and the current restrictions in many European countries on the use of chemical insecticides in urban areas. Entomopathogenic fungi have been studied as potential biological control agents, but information on their natural incidence is limited. Strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin were isolated from symptomatic insects collected on dead palms, and their pathogenicity against different instars of R. ferrugineus was evaluated in the laboratory. RESULTS The overall percentage of infected insects found in Canary palms was 7%. In laborato…
Parasitization ofEphestia kuehniellaZeller (Lep., Pyralidae) byPhanerotoma (Phanerotoma) ocularisKohl (Hym., Braconidae)
1993
Laboratory studies of the parasitism by P. (P.) ocularis into E. kuehniella showed that this parasitoid had a great capacity to parasitize the host. Real parasitism rate turned between 84.5% and 100% whereas effective parasitism and adult emergence rate were, comparatively, lower. Superparasitism rate was low (16.57 %). Zusammenfassung Parasitierung von Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lep., Pyralidae) durch Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) ocularis Kohl (Hym., Braconidae). Parasitismus, Superparasitismus und Schlupfraten Laboruntersuchungen zur Parasitierung von Ephestia kuehniella durch P. (P.) ocularis zeigten, das dieser Parasitoid eine sehr hohe Parasitierungsleistung hat. Die reale Rate lag zwisc…
A model species for agricultural pest genomics: the genome of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
2018
AbstractThe Colorado potato beetle is one of the most challenging agricultural pests to manage. It has shown a spectacular ability to adapt to a variety of solanaceaeous plants and variable climates during its global invasion, and, notably, to rapidly evolve insecticide resistance. To examine evidence of rapid evolutionary change, and to understand the genetic basis of herbivory and insecticide resistance, we tested for structural and functional genomic changes relative to other arthropod species using genome sequencing, transcriptomics, and community annotation. Two factors that might facilitate rapid evolutionary change include transposable elements, which comprise at least 17% of the gen…