Insect Preference Research Articles

Induced Defense in Ryegrass-Epichloë Symbiosis Against Listronotus bonariensis: Impact on Peramine Levels and Pest Performance.

The Argentine stem weevil (ASW), a major pest in ryegrass pastures, causes significant agricultural losses. Ryegrass can establish a symbiotic association with Epichloë endophytic fungi, which supply chemical defenses, including peramine. This symbiosis helps protect ryegrass by providing peramine, which acts as a primary defense. In addition, ryegrass can activate induced defense mechanisms, with peramine remaining the central agent in response to herbivorous insect attacks. Therefore, this study assessed the feeding of the ASW on ryegrass carrying endophytic fungus and peramine levels in aerial organs and its effects on pest performance. Argentine stem weevil adults and larvae were placed on ryegrass leaves and stems to assess feeding. Two treatments were used: endophyte-free plants and endophyte-colonized plants. After ASW feeding damage, insect consumption was measured by the leaf area consumed. To evaluate peramine production and its increase in response to ASW attack, peramine levels in leaves were analyzed using liquid chromatography. Damaged E+ ryegrass plants showed significant increases in peramine, with adult and larval herbivory raising levels by 291% and 216% in stems and by 135% and 85% in leaves, respectively, compared to controls. Endophyte-free (E-) plants experienced more ASW damage, as insects preferred feeding on them, showing reduced activity as peramine levels rose in endophyte-infected (E+) plants. An oviposition assay confirmed insect preference for endophyte-free (E-) plants. Additionally, larvae reared on endophyte-infected (E+) plants had lower survival rates, correlating negatively with peramine levels. These results emphasize peramine's role in strengthening ryegrass defenses against ASW, impacting both feeding and larval development.

Behavioural responses of Sitophilus granarius (L.) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) to odours of old and modern wheat genotypes

Sitophilus granarius (L.) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) are among the major stored-product pests worldwide. The identification of low or un-attractive wheat genotypes toward storage pests and their Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) profile is useful in breeding programs and in characterization of behaviourally active compounds suitable in developing semiochemical-based control means. Old wheat cultivars are genetic resources useful for breeding purposes. In this study, the VOC profiles of old genotypes, Senatore Cappelli, old Saragolla, Dauno III, and modern wheat varieties, Mec, Ofanto, Svevo, and Faridur, were characterized by headspace - solid phase microextraction (HD-SPME) and gaschromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and their attractiveness towards S. granarius and R. dominica adults was evaluated in two-choice pitfall bioassays and Y-tube olfactometer, respectively. Sitophilus granarius adults were significantly attracted to odours of all varieties, with females being significantly more attracted by Faridur, Ofanto, Mec, and old Saragolla compared to Svevo. Rhyzopertha dominica males and females exhibited a significant olfactory preference for the odours of Faridur, Mec, and old Saragolla. The olfactory preferences of both species could be related to differences emerged in varietal VOC profiles. The most attractive variety for both species, Faridur, was rich in alcohols, alkanes, and terpenes. Old Saragolla, Ofanto, and Mec were rich in alcohols and organic acids. Dauno III was the richest variety in alcohols and lactones, and the poorest in aldehydes and terpenes compared to other varieties. Svevo showed the lowest amounts of alcohols and the highest value of aldehydes; Senatore Cappelli was rich in aldehydes, organic acids, and alkanes. The possible effects of the differences in VOC profiles on the olfactory preferences of insects are discussed. The study offers new knowledge for further investigation testing VOCs of the most and the lowest attractive varieties to identify effective attractants or strong repellents towards S. granarius and R. dominica.

A study on the differences in edible insect taxonomy groups habitually consumed by people in different regions of China

Abstract A combination of questionnaires and field research was employed to investigate the types, characteristics, preferences, and socio-cultural of insect consumption among diverse groups across various regions of China, with particular emphasis on the types and characteristics of insects consumed in different localities. Findings indicated notable differences in the edible insect preferences among populations in distinct geographical areas. The insect taxonomic groups frequently consumed in China are primarily Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, and Coleoptera – examples of such insects include locusts and domestic silkworm pupae. People in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and other regions consume bamboo worms, wasp pupae, and other insects. Insect farming, including yellow mealworms, is prominent in Shandong Province. In the three northeastern provinces, people frequently consume silkworm pupae, ants, and dragonflies. In Yunnan and Guizhou, people preferred bamboo worms and wasp pupae. Deep-frying and stir-frying emerged as the predominant cooking methods for edible insects, while newer approaches like barbecue are becoming increasingly popular. Additionally, our research highlighted that several factors, such as local customs, regional traditions, and economic conditions, shape individuals’ perspectives on edible insects.

A Comparative Study of Blue and Yellow Sticky Traps for Insect Monitoring on Tomato Organic Farm in Mardi Cameron Highlands

Sticky traps are widely used tools in insect monitoring and pest management strategies. These traps are useful tools for monitoring insect populations and eradicating pests because they use a sticky adhesive surface to capture and immobilize insects upon contact, especially flying insects. This study focuses on investigating insect preferences in a tomato plot regarding their attraction to either blue or yellow sticky traps. The research was conducted over three sampling periods from October to November 2022. A total of 12 sticky traps were deployed in the tomato plot for each sampling time, with six blue and six yellow sticky traps. Results of t test indicated a significant difference between the insects captured using Yellow Sticky Traps (YST) and Blue Sticky Traps (BST) with p value < 0.05 (t value = 2.94). The data indicated that YST was better at capturing a greater variety of insects, enhancing diversity coverage. On the other hand, BST demonstrated its significance in monitoring thrips and aphids, pests crucial to tomatoes, making it valuable for insect surveillance. In conclusion, YST demonstrated higher overall insect capture rates, BST remained valuable for specific insects like thrips and aphids. The findings from this study provide valuable insights for optimizing insect trapping methods in tomato cultivation and potentially in other agricultural settings.

Unveiling the diet of two generalist stink bugs, Halyomorpha halys and Pentatoma rufipes (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), through metabarcoding of the ITS2 region from gut content.

The use of DNA metabarcoding has become an increasingly popular technique to infer feeding relationships in polyphagous herbivores and predators. Understanding host plant preference of native and invasive herbivore insects can be helpful in establishing effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. The invasive Halyomorpha halys and native Pentatoma rufipes are piercing-sucking stink bug pests that are known to cause economic damage in commercial fruit orchards. In this study, we performed molecular gut content analysis (MGCA) on field-collected specimens of these two herbivorous pentatomids using next-generation amplicon sequencing (NGAS) of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) barcode region. Additionally, a laboratory experiment was set up where H. halys was switched from a mixed diet to a monotypic diet, allowing us to determine the detectability of the initial diet in a time series of ≤3 days after the diet switch. We detected 68 unique plant species from 54 genera in the diet of two stink bug species, with fewer genera found per sample and a smaller diet breadth for P. rufipes than for H. halys. Both stink bug species generally prefer deciduous trees over gymnosperms and herbaceous plants. Landscape type significantly impacted the observed genera in the diet of both stink bug species, whereas season only had a significant effect on the diet of H. halys. This study provides further insights into the dietary composition of two polyphagous pentatomid pests and illustrates that metabarcoding can deliver a relevant species-level resolution of host plant preference. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Differential preference of grain of landrace and commercial rice genotypes to Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) attack

The rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most damaging pests to stored cereal grains worldwide. The current study aimed to clarify the relationship between S. oryzae development and the governing physicochemical grain properties. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the grain preference of various landrace and commercial rice genotypes to rice weevil. S. oryzae, findings divulged the low rates of adult emergence, low rates of grain consumption and high rates of mortality in the grain of rice varieties, HUR-3022 and Nagina-22. Conversely, S. oryzae adult emergence and grain consumption were found to be high in the grain of Swarna, Sathi, and Pusa basmati-1. Interestingly, the morphological and biochemical composition of the grain was the most important factor in determining resistant or preferred rice varieties to S. oryzae. Among the various physical characteristics investigated, grain hardness was found to have a significant and negative correlation with alive insect, grain weight loss, and preference index. On the other hand, protein and other biochemical grain characteristics were found to have a positive correlation with insect emergence, weight loss, and preference index. In particular, amylose (a key grain component) was found to have a negative correlation with weight loss and insect emergence. The findings of this study suggest that screening of different rice genotypes, for determining grain preference, may be a more viable option to minimize the grain losses during storage caused by S. oryzae. Moreover, the findings of present study could also help to formulate the breeding programs aimed at developing cultivars resistant to this notorious pest.

Tolerance Mitigates Gall Effects When Susceptible Plants Fail to Elicit Induced Defense.

Variations in plant genotypes and phenotypes are expressed in ways that lead to the development of defensive abilities against herbivory. Induced defenses are mechanisms that affect herbivore insect preferences and performance. We evaluated the performance of resistant and susceptible phenotypes of Bauhinia brevipes (Fabaceae) against attacks by the gall-inducing insect Schizomyia macrocapillata (Diptera). We hypothesized that there is a positive relationship between resistance to S. macrocapillata and host plant performance because resistance can have a high adaptive value. We evaluated plant architecture, nutritional leaf quality, leaf fluctuating asymmetry, and reproductive capacity between phenotypes. Plant performance was evaluated at three ontogenetic stages: seed, seedling, and juvenile. Overall, there were no differences in vegetative and reproductive performance or asymmetry between the resistant and susceptible mature plants. We found no relationship between leaf nutritional quality and resistance to S. macrocapillata. Plant performance was consistent across ontogeny for both phenotypes, except for five variables. Contrary to our expectations, the susceptible plants performed equally well or better than the resistant plants, suggesting that tolerance and overcompensation to herbivory in B. brevipes may be mediated by induced defense. Our study highlights the importance of multiple layers of plant defense against herbivory, where plant tolerance acts as a secondary barrier in plants susceptible to gall-inducing insects.

The Role of Plant Defense Signaling Pathways in Phytoplasma-Infected and Uninfected Aster Leafhoppers' Oviposition, Development, and Settling Behavior.

In plant-microbe-insect systems, plant-mediated responses involve the regulation and interactions of plant defense signaling pathways of phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (ET), and salicylic acid (SA). Phytoplasma subgroup 16SrI is the causal agent of Aster Yellows (AY) disease and is primarily transmitted by populations of aster leafhoppers (Macrosteles quadrilineatus Forbes). Aster Yellows infection in plants is associated with the downregulation of the JA pathway and increased leafhopper oviposition. The extent to which the presence of intact phytohormone-mediated defensive pathways regulates aster leafhopper behavioral responses, such as oviposition or settling preferences, remains unknown. We conducted no-choice and two-choice bioassays using a selection of Arabidopsis thaliana lines that vary in their defense pathways and repeated the experiments using AY-infected aster leafhoppers to evaluate possible differences associated with phytoplasma infection. While nymphal development was similar among the different lines and groups of AY-uninfected and AY-infected insects, the number of offspring and individual female egg load of AY-uninfected and AY-infected insects differed in lines with mutated components of the JA and SA signaling pathways. In most cases, AY-uninfected insects preferred to settle on wild-type (WT) plants over mutant lines; no clear pattern was observed in the settling preference of AY-infected insects. These findings support previous observations in other plant pathosystems and suggest that plant signaling pathways and infection with a plant pathogen can affect insect behavioral responses in more than one manner. Potential differences with previous work on AY could be related to the specific subgroup of phytoplasma involved in each case.

Eco-Geographical and Botanical Patterns of Resistance to Lepidoptera Insects in Brassica rapa L.

In the context of the widespread expansion of damage by herbivorous pests of Brassica crops, taking into account the requirements for minimizing pesticide pollution of the environment, it is important to have fundamental knowledge of the geographical features of the distribution of pests and about the botanical confinement of plant resistance in order to develop a strategy for creating new Brassica cultivars with complex resistance to insects. The relevance of our work is related to the study of the variability in the degree of resistance of the extensive genetic diversity of Brassica rapa accessions to the main herbivorous pests of Brassica crops in contrasting ecological and geographical zones of the Russian Federation (Arctic, northwestern, and southern zones). We have studied the distribution and food preferences of Lepidoptera insects (diamondback moth Plutella xylostella and cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae) on a set of 100 accessions from the VIR B. rapa collection (Chinese cabbage, pakchoi, wutacai, zicaitai, mizuna, and leaf and root turnips) in the field in three zones of the Russian Federation. We have found that the diamondback moth and cabbage moth are largely harmful in three zones of the European part of the Russian Federation, although the degree of damage to plants by these insects varies by year of cultivation. On average, for the set studied during the two years of the experiment, the degree of plant damage by both pests in the Arctic zone was low and almost low, and in the northwestern and southern zones, it was medium. It was noted that diamondback moth damage was greater in the northwestern zone in both years and in the southern and Arctic zones in 2021, while in 2022, the degree of cabbage moth damage was slightly higher in the southern and Arctic zones. Under the conditions of field diamondback moth damage, the accessions of Chinese cabbage, wutacai, and mizuna turned out to be the most resistant (the damage score was 1.92-1.99), whereas the accessions of wutacai and pakchoi were the most resistant to the cabbage moth (the damage score was 1.62-1.78). A high variability in the degree of resistance of Brassica crops to Lepidoptera insects from complete resistance to susceptibility was revealed. We have identified sources of resistance to insects, including complex resistance in all study areas, among landraces and some modern cultivars of Chinese cabbage, pakchoi, wutacai, and mizuna from Japan and China, as well as European turnips. The highest susceptibility to pests in the studied set was noted in the accession of root turnip "Hinona" (k-1422, USA) (average damage score of 3.24-3.53 points). We were not able to establish the morphological features of resistant plants or the geographical confinement of the origin of resistance of B. rapa crop accessions.

Delineating the calling pattern of Oecanthus indicus from native and non-native plant species.

The study attempted to understand the effect of the host plants on the call parameters of native tree cricket, Oecanthus indicus (Order: Orthoptera, Sub-order: Ensifera, Family: Gryllidae) while calling from native (Justicia adhatoda) and non-native host plant species (Lantana camara and Hyptis suaveolens). The study was conducted at four locations across India. Calls of O. indicus were recorded on these host plants in the field and spectral and temporal parameters of calls were analysed. The results suggested that the peak frequency varied among the two non-native plant species while the difference in temporal pattern between the native and non-native host plants was observed only in the syllable period. The study also quantified the choice of calling positions of insects from the three-host species. The native O. indicus chose non-native H. suaveolens leaves extensively as a preferable site to baffle (37%). Differences in the call parameters and choice of the host plant by insects may ultimately affect the preference and performance of insects on invasive plants. The study would aid in exploring the underlying evolutionary and ecological processes of adaptive success of insects on non-native plants.

Keparahan Penyakit Tungro dan Preferensi Wereng Hijau terhadap Berbagai Dosis Pemupukan Nitrogen

The severity of disease symptoms is affected by triangular interactions between pathogens, hosts, and the environment. This study aims to describe the severity of tungro disease symptoms concerning the resistance of rice varieties and various fertilization rates. The research used the potting method in the Center for Rice Research, Sukamandi greenhouse. The experiment was designed using a Randomized Design, with 3 varieties: Ciherang (sensitive), IR 64 (green leafhopper resistance), and Inpari 36 Lanrang (virus resistance) as the main plot, and 4 levels of combination fertilization: (1) compound fertilizer + without urea; (2) compound fertilizer and urea 250 kg/ha; (3) compound fertilizer and urea 350 kg/ha; and (4) compound fertilizer and urea 500 kg/ha, as subplots. The data was processed using Anova and Duncan's multiple distance test. The results showed that rice variety significantly affected vector preference and the severity of tungro symptoms. The dose of nitrogen fertilization does not give different results to the preferences of insects and the severity of tungro in the greenhouse. There is no interaction between the variety and the dose of fertilizing. Resistant varieties are less preferred by green leafhoppers than the sensitive varieties.
 
 Keywords: antixenosis, Nephotettix virescens nitrogen fertilizer, preference

Physical Attributes of Wheat Varities in Relation to <i>Rhyzopertha dominica</i> (F.)

This study aims to explore the susceptibility of wheat varieties in storage against Rhyzopertha dominica (F.). Twenty promising wheat cultivars were tested for resistance in non-choice conditions at the Department of Entomology, MSSSoA, Odisha during 2021-22. The wheat varieties were premeditated for their physical components through correlation analysis and the level of influence on insect preference and development was determined. The variety DBW303 which had a high median development period, low adult emergence and susceptible index was found to be resistant. Similarly, the variety PBW373 which recorded a low median developmental period with higher adult emergence, and susceptible index, was found to be susceptible. Among the physical traits, varieties with grain hardness exhibited a negative relationship with progeny development and thus conferred resistance.

Preference and performance in an herbivorous coccinellid beetle: a comparative study of host plant defensive traits, insect preference, and survival

Preference and performance in an herbivorous coccinellid beetle: a comparative study of host plant defensive traits, insect preference, and survival

Can microhabitat preferences of ground-dwelling insects be a good indicator for terrestrial ecosystem recovery after an oil spill?

Can microhabitat preferences of ground-dwelling insects be a good indicator for terrestrial ecosystem recovery after an oil spill?

Insects pollinating parsnip Pastinaca sativa l. (Apiaceae) in Moscow province

The purpose of the study was to test the ability of Pastinaca sativa , as one of the plants whose sap contains furanocoumarins, to attract the same types of insects as the most dangerous weed - Sosnowsky’s hogweed, which is widely spread in Russia. As a result, 46 species of pollinating insects from the orders Hymenoptera (3 species), Hemiptera (2 species), Coleoptera (10 species) and Diptera (31 species) have been recorded on P. sativa . Among the latter, representatives of Tachinidae (6 species), Anthomyiidae (6 species), Calliphoridae (4 species), and Syrphidae (4 species) predominated. About 50% of insects pollinating P. sativa are found on other species of umbrella plants, including native species Anthriscus sylvestris , Aegopodium podagraria , Angelica sylvestris ; on horticultural crops: Anethum graveolens , Petroselinum crispum , Carum carvi , Coriandrum sativum , Levisticum o cinale , and on the invasive hogweed Heracleum sosnowskyi . It was not possible to detect any preference of insects for yellow (parsnip, lovage, dill) or white (kupyr, goutweed, angelica, hogweed, parsley, cumin, coriander) corolla color, plant height (from 30 cm to 2 m) or umbrella diameter (from 8 to 30 cm). Among all the captured insects, the following groups can be distinguished: those found on P. sativa and on wild-growing species of Apiaceae - 6 species; on P. sativa and garden crops - 4 species; on P. sativa and Heracleum sosnowskyi - 4 species; found on many species of Apiaceae - 10 species; found only on P. sativa - 24 species.

What Is More Important to Host-Seeking Entomopathogenic Nematodes, Innate or Learned Preference?

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), small soil-dwelling non-segmented roundworms, are obligate parasites of insects and commonly used in agriculture for biological control of insect pests. For successful reproduction, EPNs must identify, move towards, and successfully infect a suitable insect host in a chemically complex soil environment. EPNs can have innate host insect preferences and can be attracted to semiochemicals associated with that host. They can also develop strong learned preferences for chemical signals associated with the presence of a host, such as herbivory-induced volatiles. We hypothesized that simultaneous manipulation of innate and learned preferences could result in increased biological control services of EPNs in agriculture. Separate cohorts of the EPN Steinernema diaprepesi were raised on two insect hosts, Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor, for multiple generations until the nematodes in a dual-choice olfactometer exhibited preference for the host they were reared on. Subsequently, the two strains of nematodes were imprinted on three plant-produced terpenoids of agricultural significance: pregeijerene, β-caryophyllene, and α-pinene. After exposure to one of the plant compounds, the behavior of the EPNs was assayed in an olfactometer where the two host insects were presented with and without the plant compounds. We found that plant volatile exposure increased the infection rate of the nematodes, and some host–compound combinations proved to be attractive, but other combinations appeared to become repellent. These results indicate that learned preference is neither subordinate nor superior to innate preference, and that infection efficiency can vary with compound exposure and insect host.

Fertilizer and herbicide alter nectar and pollen quality with consequences for pollinator floral choices.

Pollinating insects provide economically and ecologically valuable services, but are threatened by a variety of anthropogenic changes. The availability and quality of floral resources may be affected by anthropogenic land use. For example, flower-visiting insects in agroecosystems rely on weeds on field edges for foraging resources, but these weeds are often exposed to agrochemicals that may compromise the quality of their floral resources. We conducted complementary field and greenhouse experiments to evaluate the: (1) effect of low concentrations of agrochemical exposure on nectar and pollen quality and (2) relationship between floral resource quality and insect visitation. We applied the same agrochemcial treatments (low concentrations of fertilizer, low concentrations of herbicide, a combination of both, and a control of just water) to seven plant species in the field and greenhouse. We collected data on floral visitation by insects in the field experiment for two field seasons and collected pollen and nectar from focal plants in the greenhouse to avoid interfering with insect visitation in the field. We found pollen amino acid concentrations were lower in plants exposed to low concentrations of herbicide, and pollen fatty acid concentrations were lower in plants exposed to low concentrations of fertilizer, while nectar amino acids were higher in plants exposed to low concentrations of either fertilizer or herbicide. Exposure to low fertilizer concentrations also increased the quantity of pollen and nectar produced per flower. The responses of plants exposed to the experimental treatments in the greenhouse helped explain insect visitation in the field study. The insect visitation rate correlated with nectar amino acids, pollen amino acids, and pollen fatty acids. An interaction between pollen protein and floral display suggested pollen amino acid concentrations drove insect preference among plant species when floral display sizes were large. We show that floral resource quality is sensitive to agrochemical exposure and that flower-visiting insects are sensitive to variation in floral resource quality.

Wild plants in hedgerows and weeds in crop fields are important floral resources for wild flower-visiting insects, independently of the presence of intercrops

The availability of diverse floral resources is crucial for the maintenance of pollinating insects and the pollination service they provide in agricultural landscapes. Ensuring plant diversity is thus essential for the maintenance and even restoration of pollinator communities. Many studies have highlighted the beneficial effects for pollinating insects of the floral resources provided either by uncultivated plants in agroecological infrastructures such as hedgerows and in crop fields, or by the addition of cultivated flowers through intercropping. However, the role of these different co-occurring vegetation types in providing floral resources to wild flower-visiting insects remains unexplored simultaneously, especially regarding their potential interacting effects. Using a paired design sampling approach, we investigated the contribution of floral resources provided by hedgerows, weeds in crop fields, and legumes intercropped with winter cereals, and their interacting effects, to the abundance of different groups of wild flower-visiting insects, plant-insect interactions and insect preferences. Our results show that the abundance of most groups of floral visitors were enhanced by the cover or species richness of floral resources provided by hedgerows or by weeds in crop fields. Interactions between uncultivated plants and insects were driven by the presence of some particular ‘preferred’ plant species offering either abundant, accessible or high-quality floral resources. By contrast, abundance of floral visitors was not enhanced by the addition of legume flowers through intercropping. The positive effects of flowering wild plants in hedgerows and crop fields remained mostly unchanged in the presence of intercrops, because of the limited contribution of legumes in providing attractive floral resources to floral visitors. Our results highlight the critical role of floral resources provided by weeds in crop fields for diverse flower-visiting insects, in addition to the floral resources provided by hedgerows. We recommend that agri-environment schemes should promote a wide diversity of floral resources at field margins through the retention of existing semi-natural elements or the sowing of wildflower mixtures. More importantly, our study encourages the seeking of alternative forms of weed management, which support a trade-off between the maintenance of pollinating insects and pollination service provision on the one hand, and crop yields and incomes for farmers on the other.

Effect of Plant Seed Mixture on Overwintering and Floristic Attractiveness of the Flower Strip in Western Poland

In order to increase biodiversity in cultivated areas, the implementation of agri-environmental programs is proposed, including interventions and eco-schemes. Flower strips are one such proposal. In order to achieve satisfactory results, the appropriate selection of plants is crucial. In flower strips, the number and diversification of overwintering plant species are important. Our observations suggest that the species diversity observed in the second year of the strip’s presence in western Poland composed of mostly annual 14 plant species did not overlap in the next year. The flower strip was established on soils in a very good rye complex. The average monthly air temperature in both seasons was similar. In the winter months after the establishment of the flower strip, the lowest temperature at the ground level and the lowest air temperature were recorded in December (−5.4 °C and −13.7 °C, respectively). Hydrological conditions were not favorable, including a very dry March. Wild species originally from the soil seed bank were dominant. The selection of the appropriate species composition of mixtures intended for flower strips should take into account not only the preferences of beneficial insects but also environmental conditions. The possibilities of the selected plant species are important. A large variety of spontaneously emerging species (considered weeds) can also successfully colonize existing gaps in the flower strips, providing an increase in biodiversity. From the beginning of June to the end of July, the share of flowering plants from the seed bank ranged from 42.59% to 88.19%, while among originally intended plant species, it was only 11.81–57.41%. In May and at the beginning of June, two intended species that were intensively flowering, Trifolium incarnatum L. (over 70.5%) and Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. (26.47%), were definitely dominant. In later observations, it was noted that, unfortunately, the sown plants had a low level of flowering compared to the wild plants found in the flower strip. It is very important that flower strips include species that also bloom in July and August, and wildflower plants can highlight the attractiveness of the flower strip to beneficial insects and are a valuable addition. This paper evaluates the suitability of a commercially available seed mixture in terms of the floristic attractiveness and overwintering potential of annual plants.

Combatting insects mediated biotic stress through plant associated endophytic entomopathogenic fungi in horticultural crops.

Horticultural production is a vital catalyst for economic growth, yet insect infestations reduce horticultural crop yield and quality. Pesticides and other pest control methods are used during planting to eliminate pests that cause direct and indirect losses. In such situations, endophytic entomo-pathogenic fungi (EEPF) can act as a potential tools for biological control. They protect plants by boosting growth, nutrition, morpho-physiology and salt or iron tolerance. Antixenosis, antibiosis and plant tolerance change insect performance and preferences. EEPF- plant colonisation slows herbivore development, food consumption, oviposition and larval survival. EEPF changes plant physio-chemical properties like volatile emission profile and secondary metabolite production to regulate insect pest defences. EEPF produces chitinases, laccases, amylases, and cellulases for plant defence. Recent studies focused on EEPF species' significance, isolation, identification and field application. Realizing their full potential is difficult due to insufficient mass production, storage stability and formulation. Genetic-molecular and bioinformatics can help to build EEPF-based biological control systems. Metagenomics helps study microbial EEPF taxonomy and function. Multi-omics and system biology can decode EEPF interactions with host plants and microorganisms. NGS (Next Generation Sequencing), comparative genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, metatranscriptomics and microarrays are used to evaluate plant-EEPF relationships. IPM requires understanding the abiotic and biotic elements that influence plant-EEPF interaction and the physiological mechanisms of EEPF colonisation. Due to restricted research, there are hundreds of unexplored EEPFs, providing an urgent need to uncover and analyse them.