Search results for "integrated pest management."
showing 10 items of 51 documents
Effect of mass rearing on the genetic diversity of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii
2019
Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a predatory mite used to control whiteflies and thrips in protected crops. This biocontrol agent, originating from the Eastern Mediterranean region, has been mass-reared for commercial use since 2005 and is widely used in augmentative biocontrol programs. As a polyphagous predator, it has to cope with different biotic and abiotic factors. However, possible adaptation to mass rearing for production might be hindering its resilience and capacity for optimum performance in the field. In this study, we investigated the effect of long-term mass rearing on the genetic diversity of A. swirskii. We identified six microsatellite loci from w…
Can Mating Disruption Be a Possible Route to Control Plum Fruit Moth in Mediterranean Environments?
2020
Simple Summary Grapholita funebrana is a main pest of plum throughout the Palearctic region. The management of this pest is generally carried out with chemical insecticides. In this study we investigated the suitability of the mating disruption as alternative method of control of this pest. Experiments were carried out in organic plum orchards during 2012 and 2014. Trap catches and fruit sampling were carried out to estimate the efficacy of this technique in reducing males catch and fruit infestation. The results indicated that the males caught in traps placed in the treatment plots was always significantly lower than untreated plots. The chemical analysis of the pheromone emission from the…
Do Grapholita funebrana Infestation Rely on Specific Plum Fruit Features?
2019
The effective control of the plum fruit moth, Grapholita funebrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) still represents a difficult challenge for organic plum farming. Little information is available on the susceptibility of plum cultivars to this moth pest. We investigated the roles of several fruit parameters (i.e., shape, volume, hardness, fruit colour, and physiochemical properties) on the susceptibility of four different plum cultivars (Angeleno, Friar, President and Stanley) to G. funebrana attack. Field data demonstrated the importance of some fruit parameters (i.e., elongation index, sugar degree, titratable acidity, cover colour percentage) on susceptibility to G. funebrana infestation. Und…
Agronomic practices as potential sustainable options for the management ofPentastiridius leporinus(Hemiptera: Cixiidae) in sugar beet crops
2009
International audience; Cixiid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) have been shown to vector phloem-limited prokaryotes associated to prominent plant diseases world-wide. However, little information is available on the management of such insects that spend a significant part of their life cycle underground as nymphal stages. Preliminary assays were carried out to analyse the potential of some agronomic practices to reduce the underground populations of Pentastiridius leporinus, a cixiid vector of plant pathogenic bacteria to sugar beets that completes its life cycle in the cropping rotation sugar beet-winter wheat. A first field assay was carried out to test the effect of spri…
Stress for invasion success? Temperature stress of preceding generations modifies the response to insecticide stress in an invasive pest insect
2012
Adaptation to stressful environments is one important factor influencing species invasion success. Tolerance to one stress may be complicated by exposure to other stressors experienced by the preceding generations. We studied whether parental temperature stress affects tolerance to insecticide in the invasive Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Field-collected pyrethroid-resistant beetles were reared under either stressful (17°C) or favourable (23°C) insecticide-free environments for three generations. Then, larvae were exposed to pyrethroid insecticides in common garden conditions (23°C). Beetles were in general tolerant to stress. The parental temperature stress alone affect…
Sublethal effects of deltamethrin exposure of parental generations on physiological traits and overwintering inLeptinotarsa decemlineata
2013
Although the evolution of insecticide resistance has received a lot of attention, less is known about sublethal effects of insecticide stress experienced by the preceding generations on the performance of pest populations. We investigated whether three generations of parental exposure to a deltamethrin insecticide influences physiological traits and overwintering success of offspring in Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Beetles descending from insecticide-exposed parents had lower adult body mass but higher relative lipid content and resting metabolic rate than those descending from non-insecticide-exposed parents. Also, a higher proportion of beetles descending f…
Hymenoptera Complex Associated with Myzus persicae and Hyalopterus spp. in Peach Orchards in Northeastern Spain and Prospects for Biological Control …
2019
Aphids are a serious pest for peach crops. They have traditionally been managed with insecticides, but there is increasing concern about the risk that insecticides pose to both humans and the environment. As a first step to use biological control in aphid management, we conducted a 3-year field survey in northeastern Spain to determine which parasitoids and hyperparasitoids were most prevalent on two aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Hyalopterus spp. Koch, the most harmful to peach trees. We collected 11 parasitoid species from M. persicae, with Aphidius matricariae (Haliday) being the most abundant. Two parasitoid species were also collected from Hyalopterus spp., Aphidius transcaspicus …
Preconditioning of the generalist herbivoreTrialeurodes vaporariorumto greenhouse monocultures and its subsequent performance on wild polycultures
2016
Generalist herbivores can face many challenges when choosing their host plant. This can be particularly difficult if their choice and performance are affected by host experience. Greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is an invasive generalist herbivore, which has established in year-round greenhouses at northern latitudes where it cannot overwinter outdoors. It mainly uses crops such as cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and ornamentals as host plants. However, every summer the insect escapes greenhouses and is exposed to natural vegetation. We evaluated the performance of T. vaporariorum on diverse vegetation outside…
Developing green insecticides to manage olive fruit flies? Ingestion toxicity of four essential oils in protein baits on Bactrocera oleae
2020
Abstract Effective and eco-friendly plant-borne insecticides for developing lure and kill control tools against tephritid flies are scarce. Herein, the activity of four essential oils (EOs) obtained from two Apiaceae, Pimpinella anisum L. and Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague, and two Lamiaceae, Thymbra spicata L. and Ocimum gratissimum L., was evaluated against the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), a key pest of olive groves. The EO chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. The four EOs incorporated in protein baits were tested for ingestion toxicity on B. oleae adults, mimicking lure and kill assays. Results showed con…
Transgenerational effects of insecticides - implications for rapid pest evolution in agroecosystems
2018
Although pesticides are a major selective force in driving the evolution of insect pests, the evolutionary processes that give rise to insecticide resistance remain poorly understood. Insecticide resistance has been widely observed to increase with frequent and intense insecticide exposure, but can be lost following the relaxation of insecticide use. One possible but rarely explored explanation is that insecticide resistance may be associated with epigenetic modifications, which influence the patterning of gene expression without changing underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small RNAs have been observed to be heritable in art…