Pest Management Science

BACKGROUND: Xylella fastidiosa is a multi-host bacterium that can be detected in hundreds of plant species including several crops. Diseases caused by X. fastidiosa are considered a threat to global food production. The primary method for managing diseases caused by X. fastidiosa involves using insecticides to control the vector. Hence, it is necessary to adopt new and sustainable disease management technologies to control not only the insect but also the bacteria and plant health. We demonstrated that N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), a low-cost cysteine analogue, is a sustainable molecule that can be used in agriculture to decrease the damage caused by X...

BACKGROUND: Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are notorious sap-sucking insects that rampantly threaten agricultural production worldwide. Current management against aphids in the field heavily relies on chemical pesticides, which makes economical and eco-friendly methods urgently needed. Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) offers a powerful and precise approach to pest management. However, the high costs and instability of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) regulators applied for downstream RNA interference (RNAi) still limit this strategy...

BACKGROUND: Biocontrol agents (BCAs) are alternatives to synthetic fungicides with low risk to the environment and human health. Although several studies on the biocontrol of gray mold in vineyards have been performed, it is necessary to improve the usage of BCAs in fields conditions. Therefore, in the present study, BCAs were used both in calendar- (based on four growth stages (GSs), i.e., flowering, pre-bunch closure, veraison, and before harvest) and predictive model-based strategies (only when Botrytis cinerea infection risk was predicted by the model)...

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is a widespread mosquito in tropical and subtropical regions that causes significant mortality and morbidity in humans by transmitting diseases, such as dengue fever and Zika virus disease. Synthetic insecticides, such as pyrethroids, have been used to control Ae. aegypti, but these insecticides can also affect nontarget organisms and contaminate soil and water. This study aimed to investigate the mosquitocidal activity of Pseudomonas mosselii isolated from pond sludge against larvae of Ae...

BACKGROUND: Striga hermonthica, an obligate root parasitic weed, poses significant threat to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. Lowering Striga seed bank in infested soils is a promising strategy to mitigate infestation levels. The dependency of Striga seed germination on strigolactones opens up the possibility of a "suicidal germination" approach, where synthetic germination stimulants induce lethal germination in the absence of a host. Implementing this approach requires active germination stimulants with a suitable formulation for field application...

BACKGROUND: The pea leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis, is one of the most important insect pests on vegetables and ornamentals. The survival and egg-laying behavior of leafminers are markedly affected by the environment temperature. However, the mechanisms underlying of the relationship between egg-laying and temperature are still largely unknown. RESULTS: Here, we find that leafminers have evolved an adaptive strategy to overcome the stress from high or low temperature by regulating oviposition-punching plasticity...

BACKGROUND: Hylurgus ligniperda, an invasive species originating from Eurasia, is now a major forestry quarantine pest worldwide. In recent years, it has caused significant damage in China. While traps have been effective in monitoring and controlling pests, manual inspections are labor-intensive and require expertise in insect classification. To address this, we applied a two-stage cascade convolutional neural network, YOLOX-MobileNetV2 (YOLOX-Mnet), for identifying H. ligniperda and other pests captured in traps...

BACKGROUND: Saliva has a crucial role in determining the compatibility between piercing-sucking insects and their hosts. The brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, a notorious pest of rice in East and Southeast Asia, secretes gelling and watery saliva when feeding on rice sap. Nlsalivap-5 (NlSP5) and Nlsalivap-7 (NlSP7) were identified as potential planthopper-specific gelling saliva components, but their biological functions remain unknown. RESULTS: Here, we showed that NlSP5 and NlSP7 were biasedly expressed in the salivary glands of BPHs by transcriptomic analyses...

BACKGROUND: To discover novel fungicide candidates, five series of novel norbornene hydrazide, bishydrazide, oxadiazole, carboxamide and acylthiourea derivatives (2a-2 t, 3a-3 f, 4a-4 f, 5a-5 f and 7a-7 f) were designed, synthesized and assayed for their antifungal activity toward seven representative plant fungal pathogens. RESULTS: In the in vitro antifungal assay, some title norbornene derivatives presented good antifungal activity against Botryosphaeria dothidea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Fusarium graminearum...

BACKGROUND: In Thailand, the scaly grain mite, Suidasia pontifica Oudemans, impacts the feed industry by emitting a lemongrass-like odor in contaminated feed, reducing its palatability. This study focused on identifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with this odor in contaminated chicken feeds and ground maize, as well as individual mites using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We explored the relationship between VOC concentration and mite population size in chicken feed cultures, aiming to detect minimal mite presence through regression models...

BACKGROUND: Due to the non-availability of any clear targets for molluscicides against Pomacea canaliculata (P. canaliculata), target-based screening strategy cannot be employed. In this study, the molluscicidal effects of typical pesticides on P. canaliculata were evaluated to obtain the molluscicide target. A series of arylpyrrole compounds were synthesized based on the discovered target, and the structure-activity relationship was explored. A preliminary strategy for screening molluscicides based on specific targets was also developed...

BACKGROUND: Insects use odor detection to sense their surroundings. Use of volatile compounds, such as essential oils (EOs) of plants, to repel pests and disrupt their olfaction-driven behaviors has great practical potential for use in integrated pest management. Despite the available information on the repellent effects of EOs on herbivorous insects, the olfaction-based mechanisms remain unknown. RESULTS: Y-tube olfactometer tests showed that the EOs of three Lamiaceae plants - Mentha arvensis L...

BACKGROUND: Helopeltis cinchonae (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a major pest of tea plantations in Asia. Conventional control of pests with pesticides is unsustainable. Therefore, safe and eco-friendly alternatives, such as pheromones, are required to manage the pest. RESULTS: In GC-EAD analyses of whole-body extracts of virgin female H. cinchonae, two compounds elicited EAG responses from male antennae. These were identified as hexyl (R)-3-acetoxybutyrate and (R)-1-acetoxy-5-butyroxyhexane using GC-MS analysis compared to synthetic compounds...

BACKGROUND: A major impact of the invasive Myocastor coypus in the introduction range is the collapse of riverbanks and nearby infrastructure, such as railway lines, due to the species' burrowing activities. As the ubiquitous implementation of preventive measures along watercourses is unfeasible, identifying susceptible areas is key to guide targeted management actions. This study used species-habitat models to (i) identify the local environmental features of the railway line/watercourse intersections (RLWIs) that make them particularly susceptible to coypu damage, and (ii) predict species occurrence probability in a wide lowland-hilly area of northern Italy (Lombardy) to identify priority areas for monitoring...

BACKGROUND: In the perpetual struggle to manage mosquito populations, there has been increasing demand for the development of biopesticides to supplant/complement current products. The insecticidal potential of Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus has long been recognized and is of interest for the control of important mosquitoes like Aedes albopictus which vectors over 20 different arboviruses of global public health concern. RESULTS: The larvicidal effects of cell-free supernatants, cell growth cultures and cell mass of an extensive list of Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus spp...

BACKGROUND: Leaf feeders, such as Spodoptera frugiperda and S. litura, and stem borers Ostrinia furnacalis and Chilo suppressalis, occupy two different niches and are well adapted to their particular environments. Borer larvae burrow and inhabit interior of stems, which are relatively dark. By contrast, the larvae of leaf feeders are exposed to sunlight during feeding. We therefore designed series of experiments to evaluate the effect of light intensity (0, 2000, and 10 000 lx) on these pests with different feeding modes...

BACKGROUND: Most studies on efficacy of fungal pathogens and predatory mites against Tetranychus urticae have been done on individual species in the laboratory. We evaluated fungi and predatory mites separately and together against greenhouse populations of T. urticae on chrysanthemum plants. First, effectiveness of the fungal pathogens Beauveria bassiana (Bb88) and Metarhzium anisopliae (Ma129), was compared; then, effectiveness of the predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus...

BACKGROUND: Agricultural pesticide use in sub-Saharan Africa has doubled over the past three decades; with a greater relative increase for fungicides. As pesticide inputs continues to rise, so does the potential for the development of resistance. Here, we report on a survey conducted to understand pesticide resistance awareness, pesticide use knowledge and practices of growers and agricultural extension officers (AEOs) in the cereals growing-belt of Northern Ghana, with emphasis on fungicides...

BACKGROUND: Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) treatment of plants may affect the survival and feeding preferences of herbivorous pests. However, comprehensive studies on the fitness across their entire life cycle, feeding behavior, and physiological changes in herbivores consuming EPF-treated plants within the tripartite interactions of EPF, plants, and pests are still limited. In this study, we utilized life tables, electrical penetration graph (EPG), and metabolomics to uncover the biological and physiological characteristics of Bemisia tabaci on tomato plants inoculated with Beauveria bassiana through root irrigation...

BACKGROUND: The fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)) is a polyphagous agricultural pest with rapidly evolving adaptations to host plants. We found the oral secretion (OS) of FAW from different plants influences plant defense response differentially, suggesting its role in adapting to host plants. However, the protein expression profile of FAW OS respond to different plants is largely unknown. RESULTS: Here, from the mass spectrometry assay, we identified a total of 256 proteins in the OS of FAW fed on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L...