Crop Pests Research Articles

Utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Among Women Farmers in North-Eastern Nigeria

This research focused on evaluating the utilization of ICTs by women farmers in North-Eastern Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling method, which included both purposive and simple random sampling techniques, was used to select 359 women farmers for the study. Primary data were gathered and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to meet the study's objectives. The majority of respondents (78.0%) were married, with a mean age of 41 years. Most of the respondents (52.5%) were involved in trading, and the average farm size was 3.4 hectares. Additionally, 88.3% had a high social participation score, and 51.7% and 58.9% were aware of old and new ICTs, respectively. Majority of the participants benefited from access to information on fertilizer sources and application (74.9%), credits, grants, and loans (70.8%), market rates and locations (63.1%), and crop pests, diseases, and control (62.1%) through the use of ICTs. Most of the respondents faced several constraints: high cost of gadgets (73.5%), insufficient time allotted to agricultural programmes (73.5%), lack of or inadequate ICT infrastructure (62.3%), expensive power/electricity prices (61.3%), defective equipment (57.8%), and multiple responsibilities of women farmers (54.3%). The regression analysis showed that age, marital status, religion, farm size, household size, and occupations did not significantly affect ICT utilization. However, educational attainment, participation in social organizations, and awareness were significant factors influencing the use of ICTs among women farmers. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the Federal Government of Nigeria should prioritize the establishment of essential infrastructure aimed at promoting and facilitating the utilization of ICTs among women farmers.

Decision fusion-based system to detect two invasive stink bugs in orchards

Accurate and early detection of insect pests plays an important role in crop protection and pest management in agriculture, especially in orchards. This paper is focused on evaluating and improving the performance of insect detection algorithms by adopting an ensemble approach of artificial neural networks. A set of advanced object detection models including YOLOv8, Faster R-CNN, RetinaNet, SSD, and FCOS were selected, and the models were trained and evaluated on a common dataset representing digital images of different insect species pests. Two classes were considered represented by quite similar invasive stink bugs, Halyomorpha Halys and Nezara Viridula. These architectures were optimized to identify significant peculiarities and variations between reference insects, including size, shape, and color. Each model has been implemented and optimized to achieve the best possible performance before integrating into an ensemble system. By integrating the predictions of these models through a weighted ensemble mechanism that leverages the F1 Score of each model, a more performant global system was developed capable of detecting insect pests with improved performance over individual models. This significant improvement in insect detection highlights the potential of the proposed ensemble system in efficient and rapid insect pest identification, ultimately providing valuable opportunities for implementing crop monitoring technologies. The research highlights the importance of implementing and developing deep-learning technologies for solving specific challenges in agriculture and brings innovative ways of strategic pest management for sustainable agricultural practices.

A comprehensive review of long‐distance hover fly migration (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Abstract Hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a group of insects containing many migratory species that provide critical ecosystem services including pollination, decomposition and biological control. Their migratory behaviour remains largely overlooked and unacknowledged, but an influx of contemporary research is beginning to shift this. The goal of this review is to summarise and synthesise the past 150+ years of global hover fly migration research from over 50 papers in multiple languages. Here, we provide comprehensive evidence for hover fly migration through the lens of the methodologies used for studying these phenomena, the biological mechanisms for migration and the associated ecological and economic impacts. We also include an inventory of all recognised migratory species and discuss taxonomic patterns. In total, we compiled accounts of 46 species that are considered migratory, most of which were sourced from Europe. Recent reports, however, have also described hover fly migration in North America, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Approximately 70% of these species are from the subfamily Syrphinae, which are important biological control agents. The migratory behaviour of hover flies has substantial impacts on ecosystem services and may be linked to long‐distance gene flow for many angiosperms via pollen transportation. These insects are also likely redistributing biological control services at a continental scale on an annual basis, which has major repercussions for the management of crop pests such as aphids. The sensitivity of hover fly migration to anthropogenic impacts is not well known, but shifting climatic conditions, pollution and increased habitat fragmentation are likely impactful and should be further explored. Despite recent advances and increased interest in the subject, hover fly migration remains understudied and many major knowledge gaps continue to persist.

New insights on entomopathogenic bacteria isolated from soil of citrus crops to combat the polyphagus aphid pest Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy 1762) (Hemiptera, Aphididae)

BackgroundThe employment of entomopathogenic microorganisms is a promising approach for ensuring optimal phytosanitary protection in the framework of biological management of insect crop pests. Among these microbes, entomopathogenic soil-borne bacteria are preferred over pesticides because they help successfully in the natural regulation of arthropod populations, as soil has a favorable ecology for the availability and richness of many beneficial bacterial species. In this study, it was focused on the isolation, identification and characterization of entomopathogenic bacteria isolated from cultivated citrus soils and on the evaluation of their insecticidal potential in the laboratory against the mealy plum aphid, Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy 1762) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a polyphagous and major pest attacking and virus-transmitting of several Prunus crops.ResultsIsolation results gave 11 bacterial isolates, which were more than 50% effective in selection tests on H. pruni aphids at 1 × 108 CFU/ml. A total of seven isolates generated significant insecticidal potential at different concentrations, and their molecular identification based on 16S rRNA genome sequencing yielded the following results: Lysinibacillus fusiformis (B4), Bacillus thuringiensis (B13), B. thuringiensis (B22), B. thuringiensis (B23), B. thuringiensis (B24), Pseudomonas sp. (P2) and Enterococcus gallinarum (P4). The most pathogenic potential of these strains was for E. gallinarum (P4), which induced 100% H. pruni mortality after 72 h of treatment at the concentration (C3 = 1 × 106 CFU/ml), followed by B. thuringiensis (B23), (B22), (B4), (P2), (B13) and (B24) isolates, which caused 96, 91, 85, 83, 65 and 50% mortality rates, respectively, at the lowest concentration (C4 = 1 × 105 CFU/ml). The LC50 and LT50 values were calculated for the entomopathogenic isolates of (P2), (P4), (B23) and (B24). A lowest LC50 value was 1.08 × 102 CFU/ml for (P4) E. gallinarum after 72 h of treatment, whereas (P2) Pseudomonas sp. presented the shortest LT50 of 33.6 h at concentration (C4 = 1 × 105 CFU/ml).ConclusionsThe present study's outcomes have confirmed the existence, abundance, and variety of entomopathogenic bacteria at the soil level in citrus groves. Interestingly, these bacteria could be useful for aphids’ population control on a wide scale through the utilization of their toxins and enzymes, even against insect pests of a broad order.

GLU-YOLOv8: An Improved Pest and Disease Target Detection Algorithm Based on YOLOv8

In the contemporary context, pest detection is progressively moving toward automation and intelligence. However, current pest detection algorithms still face challenges, such as lower accuracy and slower operation speed in detecting small objects. To address this issue, this study presents a crop pest target detection algorithm, GLU-YOLOv8, designed for complex scenes based on an enhanced version of You Only Look Once version 8 (YOLOv8). The algorithm introduces the SCYLLA-IOU (SIOU) loss function, which enhances the model generalization to various pest sizes and shapes by ensuring smoothness and reducing oscillations during training. Additionally, the algorithm incorporates the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) and Locality Sensitive Kernel (LSK) attention mechanisms to boost the pest target features. A novel Gated Linear Unit CONV (GLU-CONV) is also introduced to enhance the model’s perceptual and generalization capabilities while maintaining performance. Furthermore, GLU-YOLOv8 includes a small-object detection layer with a feature map size of 160 × 160 to extract more features of small-target pests, thereby improving detection accuracy and enabling more precise localization and identification of small-target pests. The study conducted a comparative analysis between the GLU-YOLOv8 model and other models, such as YOLOv8, Faster RCNN, and RetinaNet, to evaluate detection accuracy and precision. In the Scolytidae forestry pest dataset, GLU-YOLOv8 demonstrated an improvement of 8.2% in mAP@0.50 for small-target detection compared to the YOLOv8 model, with a resulting mAP@0.50 score of 97.4%. Specifically, on the IP102 dataset, GLU-YOLOv8 outperforms the YOLOv8 model with a 7.1% increase in mAP@0.50 and a 5% increase in mAP@0.50:0.95, reaching 58.7% for mAP@0.50. These findings highlight the significant enhancement in the accuracy and recognition rate of small-target detection achieved by GLU-YOLOv8, along with its efficient operational performance. This research provides valuable insights for optimizing small-target detection models for various pests and diseases.

Seasonal Dynamics of Major Insect Pests of Rice Crop and Impact of Various Abiotic Factors on Their Incidence

Seasonal Dynamics of Major Insect Pests of Rice Crop and Impact of Various Abiotic Factors on Their Incidence

Establishing the distribution of Carpophilus truncatus in Australia using an integrative approach for an emerging global pest

The nitidulid beetle Carpophilus truncatus is rapidly becoming a major pest of nut crops around the world. This insect first infested Australian almonds in 2013 and has since escalated to be the preeminent insect pest for the industry. Data pertaining to C. truncatus distribution are scant, but without awareness of its origin, distribution, and ecological factors that influence distribution, efforts to understand and manage the insect as a pest are stymied. Here, we employ an integrative approach to gain a multifaceted understanding of the distribution of C. truncatus in Australia. Methods employed were (1) reviewing historical records in insect collections to establish the presence of C. truncatus prior to commercial almond horticulture, (2) field trapping of insects to establish presence in regions of interest, (3) laboratory trials to determine the thermal limits of the organism, and (4) correlative species distribution modelling to describe its current distribution. We find that C. truncatus is more widespread across Australia than was previously known, with historical records preceding commercial almond production in Australia by a century. The methods developed in this study can be applied elsewhere in the world where C. truncatus is an emerging pest, or to novel pest species as they arise with increasing frequency in a globalised and warming world.

Identification and Functional Insights of Knickkopf Genes in the Larval Cuticle of Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a major pest of potato crops. While Knickkopf (Knk) genes are essential for insect cuticle formation, their roles in pests like L. decemlineata remain unclear. This study aims to identify and characterize Knk genes in L. decemlineata and explore their functions in larval development and cuticle integrity. We used genomic and transcriptomic databases to identify LdKnk-family genes, validated through RT-PCR and RACE. Gene expression was analyzed at various developmental stages and tissues using qRT-PCR. RNA interference (RNAi) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied to determine the functional roles of these genes. Four LdKnk-family genes were identified. Spatio-temporal expression analysis indicated significant gene expression during larval molting and pupal stages, especially in the epidermis. RNAi experiments showed that silencing LdKnk and LdKnk3-5' led to reduced larval weight, cuticle thinning, and increased mortality, while LdKnk3-FL knockdown caused abnormal cuticle thickening and molting disruptions. LdKnk2 knockdown increased epicuticle and endocuticle thickness without visible phenotypic changes. The study highlights the essential roles of LdKnk-family genes in maintaining cuticle structure and integrity, suggesting their potential as targets for RNAi-based pest control.

Development of an agroinfiltration-based transient hairpin RNA expression system in pak choi leaves (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis) for RNA interference against Liriomyza sativae

The vegetable leafminer (Liriomyza sativae) is a devastating invasive pest of many vegetable crops and horticultural plants worldwide, causing serious economic loss. Conventional control strategy against this pest mainly relies on the synthetic chemical pesticides, but widespread use of insecticides easily causes insecticide resistance development and is harmful to beneficial organisms and environment. In this context, a more environmentally friendly pest management strategy based on RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a powerful tool to control of insect pests. Here we report a successful oral RNAi in L. sativae after feeding on pak choi (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis) that transiently express hairpin RNAs targeting vital genes in this pest. First, potentially lethal genes are identified by searching an L. sativae transcriptome for orthologs of the widely used V-ATPase A and actin genes, then expression levels are assessed during different life stages and in different adult tissues. Interestingly, the highest expression levels for V-ATPase A are observed in the adult heads (males and females) and for actin in the abdomens of adult females. We also assessed expression patterns of the target hairpin RNAs in pak choi leaves and found that they reach peak levels 72 h post agroinfiltration. RNAi-mediated knockdown of each target was then assessed by letting adult L. sativae feed on agroinfiltrated pak choi leaves. Relative transcript levels of each target gene exhibit significant reductions over the feeding time, and adversely affect survival of adult L. sativae at 24 h post infestation in genetically unmodified pak choi plants. These results demonstrate that the agroinfiltration-mediated RNAi system has potential for advancing innovative environmentally safe pest management strategies for the control of leaf-mining species.

Exploring Virus Diversity in the Potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae), an Economically Important Agricultural Pest.

The potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae, PLH) is a serious pest that feeds on a wide range of agricultural crops and is found throughout the United States but is not known to be a vector for plant-infecting viruses. We probed the diversity of virus sequences in field populations of PLH collected from four Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota. High-throughput sequencing data from total RNAs extracted from PLH were used to assemble sequences of fifteen positive-stranded RNA viruses, two negative-stranded RNA viruses, and one DNA virus. These sequences included ten previously described plant viruses and eight putative insect-infecting viruses. All but one of the insect-specific viruses were novel and included three solemoviruses, one iflavirus, one phenuivirus, one lispivirus, and one ambidensovirus. Detailed analyses of the novel genome sequences and their evolutionary relationships with related family members were conducted. Our study revealed a diverse group of plant viruses circulating in the PLH population and discovered novel insect viruses, expanding knowledge on the untapped virus diversity in economically important crop pests. Our findings also highlight the importance of monitoring the emergence and circulation of plant-infecting viruses in agriculturally important arthropod pests.

Ex vivo delivery of dsRNA targeting ryanodine receptors for control of Tuta absoluta.

RNA interference (RNAi) is an endogenous eukaryote viral defence mechanism representing a unique form of post-transcriptional gene silencing. Owing to its high specificity, this technology is being developed for use in dsRNA-based biopesticides for control of pest insects. Whilst many lepidopteran species are recalcitrant to RNAi, Tuta absoluta, a polyphagous insect responsible for extensive crop damage, is sensitive. Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are intracellular calcium channels regulating calcium ion (Ca2+) release. The chemical pesticide class of diamides functions agonistically against lepidopteran RyR, resulting in uncontrolled Ca2+ release, feeding cessation and death. Resistance to diamides has emerged in T. absoluta, derived from RyR point mutations. RNAi was used to target RyR transcripts of T. absoluta. Data presented here demonstrate the systemic use of exogenous T. absoluta RyR-specific (TaRy) dsRNA in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) to significantly downregulate expression of the target gene, resulting in significant insect mortality and reduced leaf damage. Using a leaflet delivery system, daily dosing of 3 μg TaRy dsRNA for 72 h resulted in 50% downregulation of the target gene and 50% reduction in tomato leaf damage. Corrected larval mortality and adult emergence were reduced by 38% and 33%, respectively. TaRy dsRNA demonstrated stability in tomato leaves ≤72 h after dosing. This work identifies TaRy as a promising target for RNAi control of this widespread crop pest. © 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Smart Agriculture Application in Rice Cultivation

Rice is a staple food crop that feeds a significant portion of the world's population. Ensuring sustainable and efficient rice production is crucial for global food security. In recent years, the integration of smart agriculture technologies has shown promise in improving various aspects of rice cultivation. This paper provides an overview of the key smart agriculture applications that can enhance rice cultivation practices. The review discusses the use of precision farming techniques, such as GPS-guided tractors and drones for site-specific management of inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. It also examines how sensor networks and Internet of Things (IoT) devices can monitor environmental conditions, soil fertility, and plant health to enable data-driven decision-making. Smart irrigation systems leveraging soil moisture sensors and weather forecasts are highlighted as a means to optimize water usage. Furthermore, the paper explores the role of automation and robotics in automating labor-intensive tasks like transplanting, weeding, and harvesting. It also discusses the potential of machine learning and predictive analytics to improve crop yield forecasting, pest and disease management, and supply chain logistics. The adoption of these smart agriculture technologies in rice farming has demonstrated improvements in productivity, resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability. However, challenges remain in scaling up these solutions and ensuring their accessibility to smallholder farmers. The paper concludes by outlining future research directions and policy considerations to further advance smart agriculture in the rice cultivation sector.

Effect of hyaluronic acid-stabilized silver nanoparticles on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seed germination

Nanotechnology has brought significant advancements to agriculture through the development of engineered nanomaterials (ENPs). Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) capped with polysaccharides have been applied in agricultural diagnostics, crop pest management, and seed priming. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide with bactericidal properties, has been considered a growth regulator for plant tissues and an inducer of systemic resistance against plant diseases. Additionally, HA has been employed as a stabilizing agent for AgNPs. This study investigated the synthesis and effects of hyaluronic acid-stabilized silver nanoparticles (HA-AgNPs) as a seed priming agent on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seed germination. HA-AgNPs were characterized using several techniques, exhibiting spherical morphology and good colloidal stability. Germination assays conducted with 0.1, 0.04, and 0.02 g/L of HA-AgNPs showed a concentration-dependent reduction in seed germination. Conversely, lower concentrations of HA-AgNPs significantly increased germination rates, survival, tolerance indices, and seed water absorption compared to silver ions (Ag+). SEM/EDS indicated more significant potential for HA-AgNPs internalization compared to Ag+. Therefore, these findings are innovative and open new avenues for understanding the impact of Ag+ and HA-AgNPs on seed germination.

Dataspace Integration for Agrobiodiversity Digital Twins with RO-Crate

A severe impact of human-induced climate change is the global decrease in crop yields, threatening the United Nations sustainable development goal (SDG) to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture (SDG 2: “Zero Hunger Goal”). Decision-making on appropriate mitigation strategies requires data integration from heterogeneous data-rich contexts including Earth observation (EO), biodiversity monitoring, gene banks as well as socio-economic data. Accordingly, large-scale initiatives for thematic data spaces, such as the European projects Destination Earth (DestinE) and the Green Deal Data Space, have been launched. Underutilized crops and crop wild relatives (CWR) can contribute to mitigating the impacts of climate change since their greater genetic diversity allows adaptation of agro-food sources to extreme weather events such as flooding and drought or emerging crop pests. Within the framework of Biodiversity Digital Twin (BioDT), a prototype digital twin for crop genetic resources modeling is under development. This prototype combines the scanning of genetic resources of CWRs and traditional cultivars for promising pest resistance and abiotic tolerance traits with advanced species distribution modeling and actual climate scenarios from EO. The aim is to generate habitat suitability maps and identify potential areas where relevant populations are potentially growing (Chala et al. 2024). The talk gives an overview of data models used to facilitate the required interoperability of both Earth models and environmental data within and across different data spaces such as the DestinE Data Lake (Duatis Juarez et al. 2023). Based on our findings from the use case of agrobiodiversity digital twins, we will discuss approaches for processing machine-actionable digital objects (Fig. 1) containing workflow information (i.e., in the Common Workflow Language format, Crusoe et al. 2022), and for sharing resulting research data in a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) manner by leveraging on so-called webby FAIR Digital Objects involving Research Object Crate (RO-Crate, Soiland-Reyes et al. 2022), FAIR Signposting (Soiland-Reyes et al. 2024) and schema.org and its Bioschemas extension respectively (Castro et al. 2020),

A pollinator crisis can decrease plant abundance despite pollinators being herbivores at the larval stage

Pollinating insects are decreasing worldwide due to various environmental stresses (so-called pollinator crisis), raising concerns that plant productivity could be undermined in natural and agricultural ecosystems. To date, however, few studies have reported a concurrent decline in both pollinators and plants, and little is known about when a “plant crisis” occurs. Here, we propose that anthropogenic environmental stresses on pollinating insects (e.g. climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide usage) can negatively affect herbivorous insects (e.g., pollinator larvae and crop pests) as well, and effects of pollinator declines may be masked by positive effects of herbivore declines. To test the idea, we theoretically investigated plant population dynamics mediated by two insect groups: one representing a pollinator that is mutualistic at the adult stage but antagonistic at the larval stage, and the other representing a non-structured pest herbivore. Our model revealed that environmental stresses (increasing insect mortality) can have counterintuitive effects on plants. Nonetheless, plant abundance generally decreases with decreasing pollinator abundance, especially when plant populations grow slowly without pollinators, when pollinators are effective mutualists, or when pollinators are susceptible to environmental stresses. These findings offer a theoretical basis for assessing the pollinator crisis for biodiversity conservation and agricultural management.

Design, synthesis, and biological activities of arecoline derivatives containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole structure

Pesticides play an important role in the development of agriculture, as they can prevent and control crop diseases and pests, improve crop yield and quality. However, the abuse and improper use of pesticides can lead to negative impacts such as environmental pollution and pest resistance issues. There is an urgent need to develop green, safe, and efficient pesticides. In this work, natural product arecoline was selected as parent structure, a series of arecoline derivatives were designed, synthesized, and systematically investigated antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). These compounds were found to have good to excellent anti-TMV activities for the first time. The antiviral activities of 4a, 4 h, 4 l, 4p, 6a, 6c, and 6f are higher than that of ningnanmycin. Compounds 4 h (EC50 value 146 µg/mL) and 4p (EC50 value 161 µg/mL) with simple structures and excellent activities emerged as new antiviral candidates. We chose 4 h to further investigate the antiviral mechanism, which revealed that it can cause virus fragmentation by acting on the viral coat protein (CP). We further validated this result through molecular docking. These compounds also displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against 8 plant pathogenic fungi. This work lays the theoretical foundation for the application of arecoline derivatives in the agricultural field.

Spatial Econometrics in Agriculture: Modelling Spatial Dependencies in Data

Spatial econometrics in agriculture focuses on modelling spatial dependencies in data, recognizing that agricultural outcomes are often influenced by geographic proximity and spatial interactions. This approach acknowledges that agricultural phenomena, such as crop yields, pest outbreaks, and soil quality, can exhibit spatial patterns that traditional econometric models may overlook. By incorporating spatial elements into econometric analysis, researchers can better understand how neighbouring regions or locations influence each other's agricultural outcomes. This is crucial for policymakers and farmers seeking to optimize resource allocation, manage environmental impacts, and enhance productivity in agriculture. Spatial econometrics provides a robust framework to uncover hidden relationships and spatial interactions within agricultural data, thereby supporting informed decision-making and sustainable agricultural practices in a spatially interconnected world.

On the ambivalence of granivorous carabids: Weed seed bank regulators, potential crop pests or both?

Carabids have long been beloved by collectors and have recently gained much attention in research as beneficial natural enemies of pests and weeds. With agricultural transformation towards lower herbicide use, carabids are expected to help carry the burden of weed regulation. While there is good evidence to found these expectations on, relying on seed-consuming carabids for natural weed regulation also has clear limitations. One of these is the fact that many carabids can be crop pests themselves, often in addition to their beneficial roles as natural enemies of pests or weeds. In a qualitative review, we gathered the available evidence for 72 carabid species acting as crop pests in 27 crops by damaging crops or consuming their seeds. Based on selected examples from different crops, we portray the historical impact and current state of carabids as crop pests. Due to the scarcity of recent reports, we expect that most carabids acting as crop pests are not a currently relevant economic problem across regions and crops, with beneficial ecosystem services provided by carabids outweighing possible damages. Yet, given the abundance of historical evidence and the current trajectory of agriculture towards a more sustainable management that aims to decrease chemical crop protection and increase carabid populations, we see a need to consider that carabids can, under certain conditions, act as crop pests. In this context, it will be crucial to get a better understanding of potential carabid crop pests around the globe, to identify under which conditions carabids switch roles from ecosystem service provides to ecosystem disservice providers and to understand how this role switching will be affected by climate change and agricultural transformation.

Local methods for the control of Monalonion dissimulatun pest in cacao farms in Florencia- Caquetá

This study was carried out in the municipality of Florencia, department of Caquetá, in the village of El Venado, subdivision of San Julián. With the objective of knowing what are the local methods that producers implement to control the Monalonion dissimulatum pest in cocoa crops, through which they used different methodological strategies such as the development of interviews, where they relied on participant observation, which which allowed having a checklist through which they evidenced the processes, dates and frequencies that were carried out to mitigate the plague. Finally, they determined that the most used methods are cultural control and biological control, giving more credit to cultural control, since through it they obtained better results, such as a significant reduction of the sources of contamination due to the implementation of the technique of pruning, this being an important factor in the reproduction of the Monalonion, that is, they managed to attack the places of focus of contamination, more specifically, in places with greater shade or that present little solar radiation

Effectiveness of bioinsecticides for different applications against the main pests of radish

Goal. To determine the technical effectiveness of bioinsecticides against major insect pests of radish (Raphanus sativus (L.) convar. radicula (Pers) Sazon.) grown in open fields, and their impact on plants, yield, and root crop quality. Methods. The study was conducted in accordance with the methods generally accepted in entomology and vegetable growing. During 2020—2022 in open ground conditions on three radish hybrids of different ripeness groups (Adele, Eliza and Stellar) the effectiveness of bioinsecticides Bitoxibacillin-BTU, p. (cell bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis-endospores, titer 1.0 × 10⁹ CFU/ cm3, CS +), 2 l/ha, ACTOVERM FORMULA, CE (abamectin, 18 g/l), 5 l/ha, Lepidocide-BTU, p. (cells of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis-var. Kurstaki 9708 L, endospores less than 1 × 109 CFU/cm3), 4 l/ ha, (control). The preparations were applied by spraying plants and fertigation (introduction of fertilizers or pesticides into the irrigation system). Results. On the 14th day after spraying radish plants with Bitoxybacillin-BTU, the population of crucifer flea beetles decreased by 3.9—5.2 times and by 2.8—3.9 times with fertigation. The population of cabbage aphids decreased by 3.9—4.8 and 3.0—3.5 times, and cabbage moth by 5.0—9.0 and 2.7—5.0 times, respectively. The technical effectiveness of Bitoxybacillin-BTU was 76% and 68% against crucifer flea beetles, 78% and 70% against cabbage aphids, and 83% and 73% against cabbage moth. The application of ACTOVERM FORMULA by spraying reduced the population of crucifer flea beetles by 2.6—3.3 times and by 2.5—2.7 times with fertigation. The population of cabbage aphids decreased by 2.9—3.6 and 2.5—2.8 times, and cabbage moth by 2.0—3.0 and 2.0—5.0 times, depending on the radish hybrid. The technical effectiveness of ACTOVERM FORMULA against these pests was 67%, 70%, and 77% with spraying, and 60%, 62%, and 73% with fertigation, respectively. No negative effects from spraying or fertigation with bioinsecticides on radish plants were detected. However, radish plants in the spray treatment had higher height (by 2—3 cm), more leaves per plant (by 1 leaf), and a larger leaf surface area (by 0.2—0.8 thousand m²/ha), depending on the hybrid and product. The root mass increased in treatments with double spraying of ACTOVERM FORMULA and Bitoxybacillin-BTU compared to control and fertigation. The use of bioinsecticides Bitoxybacillin- BTU and ACTOVERM FORMULA (2 treatments) during vegetation ensured yields of 25.6—25.8 t/ha for the Adele hybrid with 93—94% marketable root crops, 24.0—25.1 t/ha for the Eliza hybrid with 94—95% marketable root crops, and 23.2—23.7 t/ha for the Stellar hybrid with 95—96% marketable root crops. The root crops had high dry matter content (Adele: 7.9—8.2%, Eliza: 6.2—6.3%, Stellar: 6.5—6.7%), total sugars (Adele: 2.4—2.5%, Eliza: 2.1—2.2%, Stellar: 2.6%), and ascorbic acid content (Adele: 26.0—26.2 mg/100 g, Eliza: 23.9—24.0 mg/100 g, Stellar: 25.4—25.5 mg/100 g). Conclusions. The application of bioinsecticides Bitoxybacillin-BTU (2 l/ha) and ACTOVERM FORMULA (5 l/ ha) is an effective method for controlling sucking pests in radish crops. Double spraying of radish plants at BBCH 0—9 and BBCH 12—19 with Bitoxybacillin-BTU (2 l/ha) provided control of crucifer flea beetle (76%), cabbage aphid (78%), and cabbage moth (83%). Double spraying with ACTOVERM FORMULA (5 l/ha) at the same stages provided control of crucifer flea beetle (67%), cabbage aphid (70%), and cabbage moth (77%).