Susceptibility of several cotton varieties to the cotton flea beetle, Podagrica puncticollis Weise (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in a hot dry tropical environment of Ethiopia

Field trials were conducted to determine the reaction of cotton varieties to cotton flea beetle infestation. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications comprising twelve cotton varieties. The results showed significant (P < 0.01) differences among varieties in the populations of adult beetle they hosted and the injury they sustained at 15, 22, 29, 36 and 43 days after sowing (DAS). At 15 DAS, the highest numbers of adult beetle per plant (6.3), percent leaf area damaged (60.32 %) and number of shot-holes per attacked leaf (53.4) was recorded in Cucurova variety, whereas the lowest in Bulk-202 (2.05 beetles, 26.15% leaf area damaged and 23.16 shot-holes). The rate of incidence and damages decreased with the increase of the age of the cotton plants. Significant differences were also observed among cotton varieties in some agronomic characteristics i.e. in number of plants counted per plot at harvest and seed cotton yield in terms of kilogram per hectare. Seed cotton yield obtained from all cotton varieties varied from 602.36 to 1644.71 kilogram per hectare and the highest was obtained from Bulk-202, while the lowest from Local variety. Based on these findings, Cucurova, Local, Ionia and Acala SJ-2 varieties showed highly susceptible response, while Candia, Sille-91 and Deltapine-90 were moderately susceptible to cotton flea beetle. However, Bulk-202, Delcero and Claudia were relatively more tolerant varieties followed by CCRI-12 and Cuokra. These results will be important for the most proper management of cotton flea beetle.

TRADITIONAL METHOD OF MUNG BEANS (VIGNA RADIATA) PRESERVATION USING PANCHAGAVYA AND ITS EFFECT ON SEED GERMINATION

Objective: Callosobruchus chinensis is a major pest that affects mung bean causing severe damage during storage. The objective of the present study is aimed to evaluate the effect of panchagavya in larvicidal activity on C. chinensis and its seed germination was observed. Methods: The methods used in this study were followed by observing the people at a remote village in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. This study is about the traditional knowledge of the use of cow urine in panchagavya described in Ayurveda and its application in seed preservation. Results: The ovicidal activity of panchagavya was remarkably good. The ability of ovicidal (instar) development into an adult beetle was found to be nothing. C. chinensis instar and adult beetle showed 100% mortality when treated with cow urine in small concentrations and good seed germination was observed. Conclusion: Panchagavya is potentially effective and eco-friendly in controlling beetles in grains storage and its enhanced seed germination.

A rare and interesting case of Scarabiasis

Scarabiasis or Canthariasis or Beetle disease is an ectoparasitic infection of the gastrointestinal tract, in which the beetles temporarily infest the digestive tract and rarely the urinary tract. Dung beetle belongs to Scarabiaediae family. It is mostly seen in children aged between 2 to 5 years, who play outdoor for prolonged hours without undergarments. It is a temporary infestation in which early stages of development of beetle takes place in the anus and the adult beetle flies, out of the anus while defecation. A boy aged 3 years and four months presented to the pediatric OPD with complaints of peri umbilical abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, mucus in stool along with “black insects” in his stool. The clinical examination revealed that the pulse rate, blood pressure and temperature were normal. Per rectal examination and ultrasound of the abdomen was normal. Routine examination of stool and urine was also found to be normal. The beetle was identified by the medical entomologist as dung beetle belonging to family Scarabidae. This report implies that the boy had an infestation with the larvae of dung beetle in the gastro intestine. The family belonged to the high range area of Mundakayam. Agriculture is the main source of income for people and main plantation being Rubber. Natives breed cattle for their livelihood and agriculture. During contact with mud or while playing outdoors naked, he would have come into contact with the eggs or the beetle, which hatched into larvae and caused canthariasis.

Micro-CT to Document the Coffee Bean Weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), Inside Field-Collected Coffee Berries (Coffea canephora)

The coffee bean weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), is a cosmopolitan insect with >100 hosts, and has been reported as a pest of stored coffee. During a study involving the coffee berry borer, we observed coffee bean weevils emerging from field-collected coffee berries and used micro-computerized tomography (micro-CT) scans to observe the insect inside the berry. Two eggs had eclosed inside the berry, resulting in observations of a newly eclosed adult beetle and a 5th instar larva, each feeding on one of the two seeds. This is the first time since 1775, when the insect was first described, that the insect has been observed inside a coffee berry.

Fecundity and survival of Carpophilus hemipterus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) on alternative hosts

The tendency of the dried fruit beetle Carpophilus hemipterus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) to occur as pests in stores and fields has necessitated investigations on its fecundity and survival on some alternative food hosts such as groundnut, cocoa, cowpea and rice. Two copulating pairs of the adult beetle were introduced on fifty grammes of each food substrate in a no choice test at 28 oC +/- 3 oC and relative humidity of 75% +/- 5%. The number of eggs laid, emerged larvae, and enclosed adults were recorded. Weight loss of the food substrates was also recorded. Analysis of variance was performed on the data generated. Kaplan Meier analysis was carried out to determine the beetle survival rate on each host. Fewer eggs were deposited on rice compared to the other hosts; however, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the percentage hatchability of the beetle on all the food hosts. As evidenced by the larvae emergence data, cocoa (4.28%) and groundnut (5.42%) suffered significantly higher (p < 0.05) levels of damage. However, based on the Kaplan Meier survival index (Px), it was noted that the adult enclosion and survival of the beetle was lowest on cocoa (0.27) and highest in cowpea (0.64). General Linear Model (GLM) revealed highly significant influence (p < 0.0001) of food substrate (S) on the fecundity of C. hemipterus (F3,320 = 464.099) and its larvae development (F3,199 = 345.042). It also showed the effect of Period (P) on number of eggs (F3,320 = 320.932) and larvae development (F3,199 = 188.167) to be highly significant (p < 0.001). Likewise, there was significant impact (p < 0.0001) of the interaction of food substrate x duration (S x D) on the oviposition of C. hemipterus (F9,199 = 5.167) and larvae development (F9,199 = 13.403). The ability of C. hemipterus to survive on less preferred food hosts is highlighted in this study.

TEKANAN Metarhizium anisopliae DAN FEROMON TERHADAP POPULASI DAN TINGKAT KERUSAKAN OLEH Oryctes rhinoceros (PRESSURE OF Metarhizium anisopliae AND PHEROMONE TRAP APPLICATION TO THE POPULATION AND DAMAGE CAUSED BY Oryctes rhinoceros )

ABSTRACTOryctes rhinoceros is one of the most serious pests in coconut palm tree. Biological control for controlling the pest is done by applying fungal entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae on its breeding sites to infect the larvae. Recent development for controlling Oryctes beetle was including the use of pheromone trap baited with ethyl-4-methyl octanoic which attract both male and female of the Oryctes beetle. This research was aimed to determine the effect of combination of both entomopathogen and pheromone application on the population dynamics of rhinoceros beetle, and the intensity of leaf damage on coconut tree. For this purpose, a research was conducted in local farmer coconut tree in the Bojong Village, Panjatan District, Kulon Progo from June 2009−January 2010. Observation including leaf damage intensity before and after application, the number of adult beetle trapped by pheromone, and the number infected larvae in the breeding site. The result showed that there were significant differences among all treatments in term of intensity of leaf damage, the number of trapped adult beetle, and the number of larvae at the breeding site. Leaf damage on control, pheromone application, and combined treatment were: 4.73%; 1.08% and 0.65%. The number of trapped Rhinoceros beetle by ferotrap was 101; in combined treatment was 52. The number of M. anisopliae infected grub were 265 out of 281 total observed grub.Keywords: Metarhizium anisopliae, Oryctes rhinoceros, pheromoneINTISARIKerusakan tanaman kelapa akibat serangan Oryctes rhinoceros terjadi mulai pada tanaman muda. Mengingat besarnya kerugian yang ditimbulkan, maka perlu diupayakan cara pengendalian yang efisien, efektif dan aman bagi sumber daya alam dan lingkungan. Salah satu cara pengendalian secara hayati adalah dengan menggunakan cendawan patogenik Metarhizium anisopliae. Selain menggunakan cendawan, upaya terkini dalam mengendalikan kumbang badak adalah dengan menggunakan perangkap berferomon. Feromon dengan bahan aktif Etil-4-metil oktanoat dapat memikat kumbang Oryctes jantan maupun betina. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh gabungan feromon dan Metarhizium anisopliae terhadap dinamika populasi O. rhinoceros dan intensitas kerusakan pada tanaman kelapa. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di kebun kelapa rakyat di Desa Bojong, Kecamatan Panjatan, Kabupaten Kulon Progo, dari bulan Juni 2009 sampai dengan Januari 2010. Parameter yang diamati adalah intensitas kerusakan sebelum dan setelah perlakuan, jumlah imago yang terperangkap oleh feromon, dan jumlah larva yang berada di breeding site. Analisis data menggunakan analisis varian dan dilanjutkan uji DMRT. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat beda nyata pada intensitas serangan, jumlah imago dan jumlah larva pada semua perlakuan. Intensitas serangan baru, yakni serangan yang terjadi setelah dilakukan pengendalian, secara berurut dari yang tertinggi adalah perlakuan kontrol, perlakuan perangkap berferomon, dan perlakuan gabungan yakni sebesar 4,73%; 1,08%; dan 0,65%. Jumlah imago yang terperangkap sebesar 101 ekor pada perlakuan ferotrap dan 52 ekor pada perlakuan gabungan. Larva yang terinfeksi M.anisopliae sebanyak 265 ekor dari total 281 ekor.Kata kunci: feromon, Metarhizium anisopliae, Oryctes rhinoceros

Pesticidal activity of certain plant extracts and their isolates against the cowpea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)

SummaryDifferent extracts from seven plant species were assayed against the cowpea beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus) in the laboratory. The plants were extracted sequentially with petroleum ether, chloroform and ethyl alcohol. The petroleum ether extract of each was fractionated into sap and unsap, then identified by GC chromatography. Also compounds isolated from chloroform and alcohol extracts ofCitrullus colocynthisand petroleum ether extract ofNicandra physaloideswere tested for their toxicity against the adult beetle. The sensitivity of the adults to various crude extracts revealed great variation in effectiveness. Petroleum ether and chloroform extracts ofNicandra physaloidesproved to be the most toxic in comparison to other extracts tested, while petroleum ether extracts ofCurcuma longaproved to be the least effective. All the fatty acid fractions of the seven plant species were toxic to the adult beetles at the tested concentrations.N. physaloides, Schinus terebinthifoliusandDodonaea viscosaresulted in 100% mortality of adults at the highest concentration tested (1.0%). Using 1.0% unsap fraction ofDodonaea viscosaresulted in 100% mortality between the adults. The least percentage mortality between the adult beetles recorded (22%) was for unsap fraction ofT. orientalisat concentration of 0.0625% but increased to 80.0% mortality at concentration of 1.0%. The compounds isolated from chloroform and alcohol extracts ofC. colocynthisand petroleum ether extract ofN. physaloidesproved to be highly efficient againstC. maculatusadults.

Development of the rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (L.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus L. – the first report from Poland

In 2012 the development of the rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (L.) was confirmed in the sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus L., a new host plant in Poland. In the laboratory, one adult beetle was reared from a branch obtained from the Magura National Park (Beskid Niski Mts., Carpathians, SE Poland). The breeding material was collected at a site located in the fertile Carpathian beech forest association Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum, in a stand with an admixture of sycamore maple trees. In the paper the importance of the sycamore maple as a host plant is discussed.