scholarly journals Can Mating Disruption Be a Possible Route to Control Plum Fruit Moth in Mediterranean Environments?

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 589
Author(s):  
Gabriella Lo Verde ◽  
Salvatore Guarino ◽  
Stefano Barone ◽  
Roberto Rizzo

Control of the plum fruit moth, Grapholita funebrana Treitschke (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), has been mainly based on the use of chemical insecticides, which can cause undesirable side effects, leading to a growing interest towards alternative sustainable strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the mating disruption technique on G. funebrana infestation in plum orchards, by comparing the number of male captures in pheromone-baited traps, and evaluating the damage to fruits in plots treated with the pheromone dispersers and in control plots. The study was carried out in 2012 and 2014 in three organic plum orchards, on the cultivars Angeleno, Friar, President and Stanley. To evaluate the pheromone emission curve of the dispensers from the openings to the end of the trials, a chemical analysis was carried out by solid phase micro-extraction followed by gas chromatography, followed by mass spectrometry. In all years and orchards the mean number of males caught in traps placed in the treatment plots was always significantly lower than untreated plots. Pheromone emission from the dispensers was highest at the opening, and was still considerable at 54 days of field exposure, while it significantly decreased after 72 days of field exposure. Cultivar was confirmed to be an essential factor in determining the fruit infestation level. Pheromone treatment significantly reduced fruit infestation, but not economic damage.

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1113
Author(s):  
Antonio Ortiz ◽  
Andrés Porras ◽  
Jordi Marti ◽  
Antonio Tudela ◽  
Álvaro Rodríguez-González ◽  
...  

The olive moth (OM), Prays oleae (Bern.) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae), is a major olive grove pest worldwide; however, until now, very few studies have investigated the effectiveness of mating disruption (MD) techniques against this pest. Experiments were carried out for two successive years (2019 and 2020) in three different olive groves in Andalucía (Southern Spain) to evaluate mating disruption’s efficacy in controlling the OM from the first to the third generation. The effectiveness of MD formulations against the three generations of OM was assessed by determining the percentage of infested olive fruits, the reduction of pheromone trap catches, and the number of affected inflorescences in both MD-treated and untreated control olive groves. The number of release points (one or two aerosol devices per ha) was also evaluated. In all years and trials, the mean number of males caught in traps placed in the MD-treated plots was significantly lower than untreated sites. Mating disruption registered a high suppression of male captures (>75%) in treated plots for two consecutive seasons. Concerning infested olive fruits, substantial reductions (about 80%) were observed in the MD plots of locations B and C, and a reduction of about 40% was detected in location A, compared to the control plot. Results showed that the installation of two aerosol devices/ha reduced fruit damage below 20% of infested olive fruits except for one site where a reduction of about 71% in the MD plot was recorded in 2019. Although few significant differences were associated with OM male catches and infested olive fruits between plots treated with one aerosol/ha and two aerosols/ha in most of the comparisons, significant differences in the number of olive inflorescences infested by P. oleae were found, suggesting a similar performance between the two tested aerosol densities. Results of two-year field trials in Andalucía demonstrated the potential of Mister P X841 aerosol devices as an effective tool for controlling the olive moth, P. oleae.


Author(s):  
P. Fede ◽  
O. Simonin ◽  
I. Ghouila

Three dimensional unsteady numerical simulations of dense pressurized polydisperse fluidized bed have been carried out. The geometry is a medium-scale industrial pilot for ethylene polymerization. The numerical simulation have been performed with a polydisperse collision model. The consistency of the polydisperse model predictions with the monodisperse ones is shown. The results show that the pressure distribution and the mean vertical gas velocity are not modified by polydispersion of the solid phase. In contrast, the solid particle species are not identically distributed in the fluidized bed indicating the presence of particle segregation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Peric ◽  
Marija Toskic-Radojicic

Background/Aim. The use and adverse effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in outpatients with rheumatic diseases has not yet been studied enough. The aim of this study was to evaluate the data about the efficacy and safety of NSAIDs obtained from the questionnaires submitted to the outpatients receiving these drugs. Methods. The patients who had been prescribed any of NSAIDs within the period from June to September, 2004 were included in the study. The answers obtained from the questionnaires were statistically analyzed by means of ?2-test. Results. At the time of the study, 150 patients had been prescribed ibuprofen or some other NSAID. Out of the total number of dispensed questionnaires (n = 150), only 45 (30%) were shown to be correctly filled-in. Their analysis showed that 64.4% of the patients had suffered from rheumatic diseases for more than five years, and had regularly used NSAIDs. The average age of these patients was about 70 years, and the number of females was double as high as that of the males. The most frequently used NSAIDs were diclofenac and ibuprofen (46.14%, and 23.24%, respectively). According to the answers given by the patients, the most often adverse reactions were gastric complaints such as nausea (11.1%), and stomach pain (8.9%). Due to this, the majority of the patients (64.4%) used some of the antiulcer drugs, most often ranitidine (31.1%). Conclusion. The results of this pilot study revealed that among the outpatients suffering from rheumatic diseases, the number of females was double as high as the number of males, that these patients were of the mean age of 70 years, and that their diseases lasted longer than five years. Gastric complains such as nausea and gastric pain of mild intensity were the most often adverse effects of NSAIDs reported by our patients. It could be the consequence of the predominant use of diclofenac and ibuprofen, NSAIDs with mild to moderate ulcerogenic potential, as well as the concomitant use of H2-receptor antagonists.


1985 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Robinson ◽  
M. S. Langley ◽  
G. L. Hammond

ABSTRACT A radioimmunoassay (RIA) for human corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) has been developed using 125I-labelled CBG and a monospecific solid-phase CBG-antiserum (CBG-Ab-cellulose). In an RIA of serum CBG concentrations, pure CBG standards (1–100 ng protein) or samples (1 : 200) were incubated (16 h at 20 °C) with 125I-labelled CBG and CBG-Ab-cellulose. After addition of 2 ml 0·9% NaCl, the tubes were centrifuged, supernatants were aspirated and the 125I-labelled CBG bound to the CBG-Ab-cellulose pellet was counted. The specificity of the RIA was confirmed by parallel displacement curves for serial dilutions of male, female and pregnancy sera, as well as pure CBG standards. The mean ± s.d. recovery (99±8%) of pure CBG (1·6–25·0 ng) added to a diluted serum sample verified the accuracy of the method, and a good correlation (r = 0·97; n = 43) existed between serum CBG cortisol binding capacity (nmol/l) measurements and CBG concentrations (mg protein/l) measured by RIA. Intra- and interassay precisions (C.V.) at low to high serum CBG concentrations were <5% and <9% respectively. The mean ± s.d. serum CBG concentrations (mg protein/l) measured by the RIA were: 21·8±4·6 in boys (n = 12), 20·0±4·2 in girls (n = 9), 20·7±2·7 in men (n = 6), 20·5±2·9 in women (n = 6) and 47·1 ±10·5 in pregnant women (n = 5). The sensitivity of the standard curve used in the routine RIA of serum CBG was 1·0 ng CBG/assay tube, but this could be increased to 0·2 ng/assay tube by reducing the amount of CBG-Ab-cellulose used. The RIA is suitable for both clinical and research purposes, and will aid the identification of abnormal forms of CBG and facilitate studies of the regulation of CBG production in vitro. J. Endocr. (1985) 104, 259–267


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana V. Malysheva ◽  
Patrick P. J. Mulder ◽  
Julien Masquelier

Cardiac glycosides (CGs) are naturally occurring plant secondary metabolites that can be toxic to humans and animals. The aim of this work was to develop a targeted analytical method utilizing liquid chromatography—tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for quantification of these plant toxins in a herbal-based food and human urine. The method included oleandrin, digoxin, digitoxin, convallatoxin, and ouabain. Samples of culinary herbs were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned using Oasis® MAX solid-phase extraction (SPE), while samples of urine were diluted with acidified water and purified on Oasis® HLB SPE cartridges. Limits of quantification were in the range of 1.5–15 ng/g for herbs and 0.025–1 ng/mL for urine. The mean recovery of the method complied with the acceptable range of 70–120% for most CGs, and relative standard deviations were at maximum 14% and 19% for repeatability and reproducibility, respectively. Method linearity was good with calculated R² values above 0.997. The expanded measurement uncertainty was estimated to be in the range of 7–37%. The LC-MS/MS method was used to examine 65 samples of culinary herbs and herb and spice mixtures collected in Belgium, from supermarkets and local stores. The samples were found to be free from the analyzed CGs.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 1399-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philemon Manirakiza ◽  
Adrian Covaci ◽  
Paul Schepens

Abstract A rapid and accurate method has been developed for the quantitative determination of capsaicin and its most important analogues, dihydrocapsaicin and nordihydrocapsaicin in chili peppers. These components were extracted with methylene chlo ride and separated from interfering substances with activated charcoal. Further cleanup on Florisil cartridges and elution with ethyl acetate were performed before gas chromatographic with mass spectrometric quantitation. The concentrations found were 440 ± 64 μg/g capsaicin, 81 ± 10 μg/g dihydrocapsaicin, and 11 ± 2 μg/g nordihydrocapsaicin. The mean recovery values for triplicate analysis were between 85-94%.


2008 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 439-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Tanabe ◽  
Kuniaki Kawata

Abstract A possible human carcinogen, 1,4-dioxane, was investigated as to its concentration levels in household detergents and cleaners currently sold in Japan. A solid-phase extraction combined with stable isotope dilution and gas chromatographic/ mass spectrometric determination was evaluated for the determination of 1,4-dioxane in household products. The evaluation of the method was performed using a recovery study of 1,4-dioxane-d8 from detergent and cleaner samples. The mean overall recovery and relative standard deviation were 78 and 15, respectively. The limit of quantitation was 0.05 mg/kg. This method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of 1,4-dioxane in household products. 1,4-Dioxane was detected in 40 out of the 51 investigated samples. The concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 33 mg/kg, and the mean was 2.7 mg/kg. The mean of the products that included anionic surfactants, i.e., alkylpoly(oxyethylene)sulfates, was 7.2 mg/kg, which was higher than the 0.39 mg/kg mean for the other surfactants. Moreover, the 1,4-dioxane load/person was estimated to be 0.061 mg/day/person in Japan, which was 27 of the load from the domestic effluent.


Author(s):  
Nicky Green ◽  
Matt Bentley ◽  
Paul Stebbing ◽  
Demetra Andreou ◽  
Robert Britton

Non-native crayfish can dominate the invertebrate biomass of invaded freshwaters, with their high ecological impacts resulting in their populations being controlled by numerous methods, especially trapping. Although baited funnel traps (BTs) are commonly used, they tend to be selective in mainly catching large-bodied males. Here, the efficacy and selectivity of BTs were tested against an alternative trapping method based on artificial refuges (ARTs) that comprised of a metal base with several tubes (refuges) attached. The target species was signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in an upland river in southwest England. Trapping was completed in April to October over two consecutive years. In total, 5897 crayfish were captured, with 87% captured in ARTs. Comparison of the catch per unit effort (CPUE) between the trapping methods in the same 24 hour periods revealed significantly higher CPUE in ARTs than of BTs. ARTs fished for 6 consecutive days had higher catches than both methods over 24 hours. Whilst catches in BTs were significantly dominated by males (1.49M:1F), the sex ratio of catches in ARTs was 0.99M:1F. The mean carapace length of crayfish was also significantly larger in BTs (43.2 ± 0.6 mm) than in ARTs (33.6 ± 0.2 mm). Thus, ARTs had higher CPUE over 24 hour and 6 day periods versus BTs and also captured a greater proportion of smaller and female individuals. These results indicate that when trapping methods are deployed for managing invasions, the use of ARTs removes substantial numbers of crayfish of both sexes and of varying body sizes.


1976 ◽  
Vol 108 (12) ◽  
pp. 1399-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mackauer

AbstractMated females of the aphid parasite Aphidius smithi produced only unfertilized eggs (i.e. sons) for the first 2–3 h after copulation and a variable proportion of fertilized eggs (i.e. daughters) thereafter. As a result, the mean proportion of daughters among the offspring of single females was always less than unity, even in a highly favourable environment; the limiting value of the sex ratio was estimated at approximately 85% females. An argument is presented that in haplodiploid species with a variable and environmentally controlled sex ratio a male-producing mechanism is required to ensure the production of a sufficient number of males for the fertilization of all females.


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