Nonpreference for Oviposition of Sugarcane Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Sugarcane Seedlings Is Influenced by Ripening Group and Plant Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 692-698
Author(s):  
Vinícius Soares Sturza ◽  
Uemerson Silva da Cunha ◽  
Daniel Bernardi ◽  
Mayara Guelamann da Cunha Espinelli Greco ◽  
Dori Edson Nava

Abstract The sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is considered the main sugarcane pest in many countries. The use of plant genotypes less preferred by insects are among the alternative methods to control this species which can be used alone or associated with other control methods such as biological control in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. We assessed if the nonpreference for oviposition of D. saccharalis in sugarcane genotypes established by seedlings is different according to ripening group and plant age. For that purpose, four experiments were performed: 1) seedlings of early-ripening genotypes, 2) seedlings of late-ripening genotypes, 3) and mix of early- and late-ripening genotypes, seedlings, and 4) plants. There were least preferred genotypes for oviposition by D. saccharalis among seedlings of early-ripening (RB965902 and RB966928) and late-ripening (RB987935) genotypes. It was also observed when the groups were mixed as seedlings (RB965902) or plants (RB925345). The nonpreference for egg deposition in different ripening groups and plant age might be useful to integrate with other strategies for the management of D. saccharalis. Moreover, results of egg distribution might indicate the likely position of resistance factors on leaves, whether morphological or chemical.

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Horne ◽  
Jessica Page

Integrated Pest Management for Crops and Pastures describes in straightforward language what is required for farmers to successfully implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in cropping and grazing operations. It explains the differences between conventional pesticide-based controls and IPM, and demonstrates the advantages of IPM. Effective control of pests depends on a number of approaches, not just chemical or genetic engineering. The opening chapters cover the different approaches to pest management, and the importance of identification and monitoring of pests and beneficials. Most farmers and advisors can identify major pests but would struggle to recognise a range of beneficial species. Without this information it is impossible to make appropriate decisions on which control methods to use, especially where pests are resistant to insecticides. The book goes on to deal with the control methods: biological, cultural and chemical. The biological control agents discussed include both native and introduced species that attack pests. Cultural changes that have led to an increase in the incidence or severity of pest attack are also examined. The chapter on chemical control describes the different ways chemicals can affect beneficial species, also detailing acute, sub-lethal and transient toxicities of pesticides, drawing on examples from horticulture where necessary. Finally, the authors bring all the components of integrated pest management together and show farmers how to put their IPM plan into action.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1038
Author(s):  
Avichai Harush ◽  
Elazar Quinn ◽  
Anatoly Trostanetsky ◽  
Aviv Rapaport ◽  
Moshe Kostyukovsky ◽  
...  

Insect contamination of stored grain is a major concern for the grain industry. Phosphine is currently the standard fumigant used to control insect pests in stored grain. However, some species and populations of insects that infest stored grain exhibit resistance to this fumigant and consumers are concerned about pesticide residues. Therefore, alternative methods of effective pest control are needed to partially or completely replace the use of phosphine. There is growing interest in biological control via parasitoid wasps. However, there is evidence that biological control will succeed only if used alongside other pest-management measures. Integrating biological control with the use of chemical insecticide is challenging and may lead to severe reductions in parasitoid survival and success. The main aim of the current study is to shed light on a greatly overlooked issue: the parasitoid community found in stored grain before and after phosphine treatment. The current study results indicate that there is a high level of parasitoid biodiversity within grain stores. We found common parasitoids at both semi-arid and Mediterranean sites, suggesting that those parasitoids can be active across a wide range of abiotic conditions. This research indicates that the community may recover even though phosphine has an immediate negative effect on a parasitoid community. Nevertheless, the parasitoid wasps seem to reduce the host population insufficiently. In light of the findings presented here, those interested in implementing pest-management strategies that include both phosphine treatment and biological control should consider conservation and augmentation of the naturally occurring parasitoid population. These studies should take into account interactions between and within parasitoid populations and phosphine distribution within the grain storage. To limit the effect of phosphine on the parasitoids, pest-management strategies should also reflect careful consideration of the timing of phosphine treatment and the need for sufficient refuge for the parasitoids.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spiridon Mantzoukas ◽  
Panagiotis A. Eliopoulos

Among the non-chemical insect control methods, biological control is one of the most effective human and environmentally friendly alternatives. One of the main biological control methods is the application of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF). Today, biological crop protection with EPF plays a key role in projects for the sustainable management of insect pests. EPF have several advantages over conventional insecticides, including cost-effectiveness, high yield, absence of harmful side-effects for beneficial organisms, fewer chemical residues in the environment and increased biodiversity in ecosystems. Apart from direct application as contact bioinsecticides, EPF are able to colonize plants as endophytes acting not only as pest and disease control agents but also as plant growth promoters. The present paper presents an outline of the biocontrol potential of several EPF, which could be harnessed for the development of new integrated pest Management (IPM) strategies. Emphasis is given on benefits of endophytic EPF, on issues for practical application and in fields in need of further research. Our findings are discussed in the context of highlighting the value of entomopathogenic fungal endophytes as an integral part of pest management programs for the optimization of crop production.


1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Lashomb ◽  
William Metterhouse ◽  
Robert Chianese

AbstractThe U.S. public is expressing strong preference for the use of biological control methods in the management of U.S. agricultural, forest, and rangeland insect pests. This follows from a widespread understanding among citizens that synthetic insecticides have potentially harmful side effects on humans and that they are spreading increasingly as pollutants in the environment. Major recent increases in the number of pesticide-resistant insect species also put pressure on the agricultural community toward adoption of alternative non-agchemical plant and animal protection strategies. Movement in the direction of such alternatives has been facilitated by the fact that in the last two decades much progress has been made in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through an improved understanding of the interactions of pests with their hosts. In that time period, many advances have been made in describing and predicting insect movement, seasonal cycles, and the effects of secondary plant compounds on insect reproduction. Simultaneously, much has been learned about the behavior, physiology, and population dynamics of insect parasitoids, i.e. parasites on insect pests. In the 1990's and subsequently, Biological Control Intensive Pest Management (BCIPM) will require continuing research to attain needed advancement in knowledge of growth and development of host plants, population dynamics of pests and parasitoids, and ecology of secondary pests that may interfere with implementation of BCIPM programs. Extension and research personnel will then be increasingly able to devise useful control methods for pests within selected cropping systems. We describe here examples to illustrate present and potential future use of BCIPM in different practical plant systems in New Jersey.


1984 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 1259-1266 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Herbert ◽  
R. F. Smith ◽  
K. B. McRae

AbstractThree biological control methods were evaluated for the reduction of damage to chrysanthemums by the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess). Yellow sticky boards trapped adults and reduced the damage by 50%, Afugan 30 EC effectively controlled the damage to chrysanthemums, and interplanting with field beans as a trap crop showed potential for reducing damage. A specific integrated pest management program can not be recommended as yet; more information is needed.


Author(s):  
J. R. Adams ◽  
G. J Tompkins ◽  
A. M. Heimpel ◽  
E. Dougherty

As part of a continual search for potential pathogens of insects for use in biological control or on an integrated pest management program, two bacilliform virus-like particles (VLP) of similar morphology have been found in the Mexican bean beetle Epilachna varivestis Mulsant and the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L. ).Tissues of diseased larvae and adults of E. varivestis and all developmental stages of A. domesticus were fixed according to procedures previously described. While the bean beetles displayed no external symptoms, the diseased crickets displayed a twitching and shaking of the metathoracic legs and a lowered rate of activity.Examinations of larvae and adult Mexican bean beetles collected in the field in 1976 and 1977 in Maryland and field collected specimens brought into the lab in the fall and reared through several generations revealed that specimens from each collection contained vesicles in the cytoplasm of the midgut filled with hundreds of these VLP's which were enveloped and measured approximately 16-25 nm x 55-110 nm, the shorter VLP's generally having the greater width (Fig. 1).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7816
Author(s):  
Vivek Kumar ◽  
Lucky Mehra ◽  
Cindy L. McKenzie ◽  
Lance S. Osborne

The early establishment of a biocontrol agent in the production system, whether in the greenhouse, nursery, or field, is essential for the success of the biological control program, ensuring growers’ profitability. In an effort to develop a sustainable pest management solution for vegetable growers in Florida, we explored the application of a preemptive biological control strategy, “Predator-In-First” (PIF), in regulating multiple pepper pests, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, and Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks under greenhouse and field conditions during different growing seasons. In these studies, two bell pepper cultivars (7039 and 7141) and the phytoseiid mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias–Henriot were used as a model system. Pepper seedlings (~8 week) of each cultivar were infested with varying rates of A. swirskii (20 or 40 mites/plant or one sachet/10 plant) and allowed to settle on plant hosts for a week before planting in pots or field beds. Results showed a comparative consistent performance of the treatment with the high rate of phytoseiids (40 mites/plant) in regulating B. tabaci and F. occidentalis populations in greenhouse studies, and B. tabaci and P. latus pests under field conditions. During two fall field seasons, higher marketable yields of 12.8% and 20.1% in cultivar 7039, and 24.3% and 39.5% in cultivar 7141 were observed in the treatment with the high rate of phytoseiids compared to the untreated control, indicating yield benefits of the approach. The outcome of the study is encouraging and demonstrates that PIF can be an important tool for organic vegetable growers and a potential alternative to chemical-based conventional pest management strategies. The advantages and limitations of the PIF approach in Florida pepper production are discussed.


Plant Disease ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1511-1516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isidre Llorente ◽  
Albert Vilardell ◽  
Emilio Montesinos

The capacity for germination and pathogenicity to pear leaves of ascospores of Pleospora allii, the teleomorph of Stemphylium vesicarium, causal agent of brown spot of pear, were studied in vitro. Most ascospores germinated within 1 h at temperatures between 15 and 20°C, and the optimum temperature for germination was 18.9°C. Infections developed on wounded and non-wounded detached pear leaves, but were more frequent on wounded leaves. The minimum infective dose was one ascospore per wound. Biological, chemical, and mechanical methods for decreasing overwintering inoculum of P. allii were evaluated. Ascospores were discharged from March to May, depending on the orchard and year. Leaf shredding or removal were the most effective methods of reducing overwintering inoculum. Biological control methods based on application of Thichodermasp. formulations were partially effective. Chemical methods based on copper and urea treatments were ineffective.


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