Abstract
Locusts and grasshoppers are dangerous polyphagous pests of agricultural crops. In the present paper, results of screening of Acridoidea populations in the South-Western Russia for microsporidia infections including locusts Locusta migratoria, Dociostaurus maroccanus, and Calliptamus italicus and grasshoppers Chorthippus loratus, Oedipoda caerulescens, and Acrida bicolor, are presented. Microsporidia prevalence rates were estimated using light microscopy of fresh smears. Out of 179 specimens of L. migratoria sampled between 2002 and 2019 in Krasnodar Territory, Astrakhan and Rostov Regions, none was infected with microsporidia. Similarly, 95 specimens of D. marrocanus from Krasnodar Territory (2017) and Dagestan Republic (2009) were also negative for microsporidia. Meanwhile, one positive case was detected for C. italicus corresponding to 0.5 % for the total amount of 192 exemplars collected from 2002 to 2019 in Krasnodar Territory, Astrakhan and Rostov Regions. As for grasshoppers, all Ch. loratus samplings in Krasnodar Territory in 2017-2019 were infected at the prevalence rates of 2.2-15 %, though no infection was found in 40 specimens in Crimea in 2019. In 56 individuals of O. caerulescens collected from Rostov Region and Krasnodar Territory, the microsporidia prevalence rate was 1.8 %. Among 96 specimens of A. bicolor, none was infected. In total, the microsporidia prevalence rates were higher in grasshoppers as compared to locusts, the difference being statistically significant at p<0.01.
Highlights
Modern plant protection implies the management of populations of organisms harmful to plants in agricultural ecosystems
Over the past 20 years, outbreaks of locusts have been reported in the South of Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan, leading to enormous crop losses of a wide range of cultivated plants [2]
To reveal microsporidia infections causing diseases of Acrididae, screening of populations of locusts and grasshoppers was performed in the South-Western Russia
Summary
Modern plant protection implies the management of populations of organisms harmful to plants in agricultural ecosystems. Phytosanitary monitoring is among the most important prerequisites for effective pest management. Phytosanitary forecasts must meet the requirements of reliability, quality and accuracy, taking into consideration the effects of regulatory mechanisms as the key prognostic criterion, rather than merely a correction factor [1]. Locusts and grasshoppers (Acridoidea) are the most dangerous polyphagous agricultural pests. Huge territories of floodplain zones for centuries serve as a reservation of migratory locust, Italian locust and grasshoppers dwelling in the natural environment on perennial grasses, roadsides and uncultivated lands. Over the past 20 years, outbreaks of locusts have been reported in the South of Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan, leading to enormous crop losses of a wide range of cultivated plants [2]
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