Regulate Pest Populations Research Articles

Evaluation of bird reproduction and predation impact in Agroecosystem vineyards in the Fes-Meknes region of Morocco.

Abstract The reproductive of avian species within agro-ecosystems hold paramount importance in sustaining ecological equilibrium, regulating pest populations, and preserving overall biodiversity. Over a comprehensive three-year investigation spanning from 2021 to 2023, our research was conducted within contemporary viticultural agroecosystems to meticulously assess the reproductive performance of birds and discern the nuanced impact of predation on nesting success. Our findings indicate that Moroccan vineyards offer a conducive habitat for avian nesting, with nest abundance intricately linked to the specific avian species under consideration. Furthermore, the predation rate exhibits discernible variations contingent upon the reproductive stage, notably during the pivotal ‘Nest Predation” phase. Approximately 25.35% of nests faced predation, 31.61% of eggs succumbed to predation, and 22.42% of chicks fell victim to predation. This study underscores the indispensable role of predation in avian reproductive processes within vineyard ecosystems, thereby furnishing crucial insights essential for the formulation of nuanced and tailored conservation strategies within viticultural environments.

Natural Enemies as Guardians of Crop Ecosystem with Special Emphasis on Rice and Cotton

Natural enemies, including predators, parasitoids, and pathogens, play a crucial role in the regulation of pest populations within agricultural ecosystems. This review examines the role of these biological control agents in maintaining the health and productivity of crop systems, with a specific focus on rice and cotton. In rice ecosystems, natural enemies such as spiders, dragonflies, and various insect parasitoids help manage pest populations like the rice stem borer and the planthopper. Similarly, in cotton crops, natural predators and parasitoids contribute to the control of key pests including the cotton bollworm and aphids. By integrating these natural enemies into pest management strategies, farmers can reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, enhance biodiversity, and promote sustainable agriculture. This review highlights the mechanisms through which these natural enemies operate, the benefits they provide to crop ecosystems, and case studies illustrating successful applications. The major emphasis is placed on understanding the interactions between these biological control agents and their environments, and how these relationships can be optimized to support resilient crop production systems and to manage these pests in cotton and rice crops.

Implementation of environmentally friendly methods for the management of stored product insects

Postharvest losses can be caused by insects infesting stored products, with estimates ranging from up to 9% in industrialized countries to 20% or more in underdeveloped ones. Due to the potential harm of insecticides, including regulatory restrictions and insect resistance, as well as the increasing consumer demand for insect-free and insecticide-free products, there is significant interest in developing alternatives to traditional insecticides for eliminating insects in stored products. Sanitation may be the first line of defense for stored grain, as well as for food processing companies and warehouse operations. For farm-stored grain, manipulating temperature and utilizing biological control are two of the most promising biologically derived management strategies. Various biologically derived methods for protecting stored plant products against infestation are currently recognized and partially employed. However, these techniques require further refinement to enhance their efficacy in practical applications. This involves the use of semiochemicals to monitor and regulate pest populations and the introduction of natural enemies (namely parasitoids) as biological control agents for stored-product pests. Some modern techniques can be implemented in grain elevators. In this article, we review the biologically derived substances that have proven successful in managing stored product insects.

Entomopathogens in the integrated management of forest insects: from science to practice.

The most important aim of the integrated management of forest insect pests remains the prevention of insect outbreaks, which are a consequence of the interaction of many factors in forest ecosystems, including species composition, age and health of the forest, soil type, the presence of natural enemies, and climatic factors. Integrated pest management until now has been achieved using measures aimed at shaping the functioning of stands in a changing environment. The aim of this review is to summarize research on the use of entomopathogens (microorganisms and nematodes) in the management of forest insect pests and to identify the principal knowledge gaps. We briefly describe the main research directions on the use of pathogens and nematodes to control insect pests and discuss limitations affecting their implementation. Research on entomopathogens for the biocontrol of forest insects has provided a wealth of knowledge that can be used effectively to reduce insect populations. Despite this, few entomopathogens are currently used in integrated pest management in forestry. They are applied in inoculation or inundation biocontrol strategies. While the use of entomopathogens in forest pest management shows great promise, practical implementation remains a distant goal. Consequently, sustainable reduction of forest pests, mainly native species, will be largely based on conservation biological control, which aims to modify the environment to favor the activity of natural enemies that regulate pest populations. This type of biocontrol can be supported by a range of silvicultural measures to increase the resilience of stands to insect infestations. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

The importance of insect pest biocontrol for maize production: an expert survey

ABSTRACT Maize is the most important staple crop in the world; 1.15 billion tons were produced in 2019. Insect herbivores cause significant damage for maize production, and as a result, global pesticide use has increased over the last 20 years causing severe environmental degradation and negative impacts on human health. Today, there is a trend toward including more sustainable management practices that are less harmful to biodiversity and human health. One such a practice is the use of natural enemies to regulate pest populations using conservation biocontrol or introduction of biocontrol agents. These practices have been in place for several decades in different cultivation systems and regions throughout the world, however; information about the effects of more sustainable management practices on maize production is scarce. We conducted an expert assessment to evaluate whether there are any general trends or consensus about the importance of biocontrol for maize production globally. We compiled information from 70 experts from 28 different countries using an online survey. Of those surveyed, 91% of experts agreed that biocontrol was important for maize production regardless the type of maize they study, the final harvest destination or crop use, or management regime. Using the information obtained, we identify several opportunities for engaging with farmers in order to use biocontrol as a tool toward agricultural sustainability.

Sublethal granulovirus infections in the tomato leafminer,Tuta absoluta: transmission and population‐level effects

AbstractGranuloviruses are insect viruses commonly used as biological insecticides for pest control in agriculture. Most pest control programs rely on the most virulent strains and doses to cause acute mortality events. However, we hypothesize that sublethal infections are key to maintaining persistent epidemics that regulate pest populations in the long‐term. The tomato leafminer (TLM),Tuta absoluta(Meyrick) (=Phthorimaea absolutaMeyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is one of the most limiting pests of greenhouse and field tomatoes. Previous efforts have identified a strain ofPhthorimaea operculellagranulovirus (PhopGV), coded VG013, associated with field populations of the TLM, which causes significant acute mortalities and is being used as active ingredient of a biological insecticide. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sublethal infections and transmission mechanisms of PhopGV‐VG013 on TLM populations. Six viral doses were tested for their virulence and effects on TLM development rate, and intrinsic population growth rate. A sublethal dose was selected to compare the density‐dependent mortality of TLM populations and vertical transmission was examined by testing for PhopGV in the offspring of surviving infected individuals. Horizontal transmission was assessed by testing for PhopGV in frass of infected larvae, and the infection of virus‐free larvae confined with infected larvae in the same leaf. We found that sublethal doses of PhopGV have slight effects on TLM population growth rates, and none on the strength of density‐dependent mortality. Although we found for the first time that PhopGV‐VG013 is transmitted to approximately 7.5% of the offspring of individuals that survive the virus challenge, we found no evidence suggesting horizontal transmission from sublethal infections. Our results show that sublethal infections of highly virulent ganulovirus strains may favor long‐term pathogen persistence but have a limited role in host population regulation.

A REVIEW ON INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF COTTON AND SUGARCANE PEST

Various insect pests can damage crops to different extents, reducing both their quality and quantity. Cotton and sugarcane are particularly vulnerable to sucking complex pests and borer complex pests, which cause damage in different ways. Complex pest sucking sap from delicate plant components, while borer complex pests bore into the crop. These pests have the potential to cause significant damage to the agricultural sector, leading to a considerable loss in yield and quality. The haphazard use of insecticides and pesticides to manage these pests has become a global problem, resulting in harmful effects on human health, plant systems, and the environment. To regulate pest populations, different integrated pest management techniques are followed, including physical, mechanical, cultural, and biological methods. These strategies, which are both sustainable and environmentally sound, attempt to keep pest populations below the economic threshold level. This paper gives an introduction to the invasive pest, biology, lifecycle, and integrated management of cotton and sugarcane pests.

Entomopathogenic infection ability of low land rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation from Ogan Komering Ilir regency

Entomopathogenic fungi are biological agents important in suppressing or regulating pest populations in agricultural ecosystems. This study aimed to determine the ability to infect entomopathogens from lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation from the Ogan Komering Ilir District. This research was conducted in the Pest and Plant Diseases Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, the University of Palembang, from February to May 2022. The study used a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method consisting of 5 treatments, namely PS1 = mortality of bait insects three days after infestation (dai), PS2 = bait insect mortality six dai, PS3 = bait insect mortality nine dai, PS4 = bait insect mortality 12 dai, PS5 = bait insect mortality 15 dai and five replicates. This study concluded that the entomopathogenic fungus found in lowland rice (O. sativa L.) from Ogan Komering Ilir Regency was Beauveria bassiana and could infect the highest bait insect mortality on day nine after infestation.

Biological Control Services from Parasitic Hymenoptera in Urban Agriculture.

Simple SummaryOur findings support the enemies hypothesis in urban agroecosystems. Local factors, including increased mulch coverage, crop richness, and percent of non-crop areas, are predictors of increased PH abundance and aphid parasitism rates. Our findings support and strengthen previous findings in UA research. Urban farmers should be encouraged to diversify urban agroecosystem spatial composition and implement APM practices to reduce pest impacts.Urban agriculture is practiced in spatially fragmented landscapes with unique characteristics that can impact species occurrence in time and space. As a result, biological control services, an ecosystem service from naturally occurring arthropod natural enemies, can be negatively impacted. Many urban farms forgo pesticides and utilize agroecological pest-management strategies that rely on natural enemies to help regulate pest populations. Understanding how these enemies are affected by landscape composition and on-farm management practices is critical to understanding agroecological pest management in UA and furthering our understanding of landscape-mediated population dynamics. Over two growing seasons, we sampled brassica crops in urban agriculture sites occurring on a spectrum of surrounding landscape imperviousness, spatial composition, size, and management practices to better understand parasitic Hymenoptera abundance, richness, and parasitism rates on the common cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae). We found that on-farm agroecological pest-management practices such as mulch coverage, floral richness, and overall crop-plant richness impacted parasitic Hymenoptera abundance. Larger proportions of on-farm noncrop area increased parasitoid abundance on urban farms. Aphid parasitism increased in relation to on-farm management practices, including increased crop-plant richness. These findings add to a growing understanding of urban agroecosystem function and support the enemies hypothesis in urban agroecosystems.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Entolek K Planteco® Biopesticide Based on Akanthomyces Lecanii Fungus Against Pest Orthopterans in Soybean Agroecosystems in Southeast Kazakhstan

Pestcontrol services dealing with mass pests such as locusts and grasshoppers areforced to use insecticides of various origins to prevent crop damage. In most cases, mainly chemicalinsecticides are used. This method of regulating pest populations has manynegative consequences. As a result of chemical treatments with broad-spectruminsecticides, not only pests are killed, but also non–target organisms,primarily entomophages and pollinators. One of the alternatives to the chemicalmethod of control is the use of biopesticides based on entomopathogenicviruses, bacteria, and fungi. The impact of the biopesticide "Entolek KPlanteco®" based on the fungus Akanthomyces lecanii on differentspecies of locusts, grasshoppers, and katydids was evaluated in soybeanplantings of southeast Kazakhstan. Locust and grasshopper mortality was 70% onthe 3rd day after treatment and 98% on the 7th day, whilekatydid mortality on the same days was 50 and 70% respectively. Thus"Entolek K Planteco ®" proved efficient for controlling harmfullocusts, grasshoppers and katydids. This is especially important in sensitiveareas where the use of chemical insecticides is legally prohibited (waterprotection zones, specially protected natural areas, agricultural land forgrowing organic products.

Quality Assessment of Shipments of the Parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) Received from Two Biological Control Suppliers

Quality assessments of commercially available biological control (BC) agents is important to ensure the success of a BC program. It is important that greenhouse producers assess if BC agents received from BC suppliers are alive and functional before releasing into greenhouse production systems. We conducted a preliminary study to determine the quality of shipments from two suppliers of the whitefly parasitoid, Eretmocerus eremicus Rose & Zolnerowich (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Release cards containing parasitized pupae of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), were individually placed into 500 mL Mason jars and a 4 x 5 cm yellow sticky card was attached to the inner lids. We found differences between the two shipments received from the two suppliers. For the first shipment, supplier B had a higher mean number of adults captured on the yellow sticky cards than supplier A (Laboratory: 10.1 versus 4.2 and Distributor: 19.1 versus 5.9 adults, respectively). However, for the second shipment, supplier A had a higher mean number of adults captured on the yellow sticky cards than supplier B (Laboratory: 14.5 versus 8.1 and Distributor: 20.9 versus 8.0 adults, respectively). Our preliminary study shows that formulations (release cards) of BC agents and emergence of adults can vary depending on individual shipments from the supplier providing the BC agents. Therefore, greenhouse producers should develop protocols for quality assessments of purchased BC agents before releasing them into greenhouses to ensure they have the best chance of successfully regulating pest populations below damaging levels.

Top-down and bottom-up regulation of codling moth populations in cider apple orchards

The success of biological control by natural enemies in agricultural crops relies on an understanding of the trophic interactions between natural enemies, pests and host plants. Top-down and bottom-up trophic effects, together with potential landscape and local-scale factors, may regulate pest populations. For two years, we analyzed codling moth populations (Cydia pomonella), their crop damage and their parasitoid communities in 26 low-input cider apple orchards in northern Spain. Codling moth abundance was estimated from overwintering larvae sampled with cardboard traps on trees, parasitism was estimated from parasitoids emerged from lab-reared moth larvae, and pest damage was assessed in apples before ripening. Codling moth abundance differed between orchards across years, and was positively correlated with apple production and the cover of apple plantations in the surrounding landscape. The effects of the apple production on codling moth abundance suggest bottom-up pest regulation. Apple damage in individual orchards reached 71%, but decreased with apple production, indicating codling moth satiation. Seven parasitoid species were recorded on codling moth larvae. Parasitism rate in individual orchards reached 42.5% of codling moth larvae. The number of parasitized larvae per orchard was positively related to parasitoid richness, but also to codling moth abundance, suggesting simultaneous top-down and bottom-up effects between parasitoids and pest. This study highlights the need to tackle the whole parasitoid-pest-plant system in order to better manage codling moth damage in orchards. The conservation of complementary parasitoid species through biodiversity-friendly actions should be combined with the control of apple production at the orchard- and landscape scale.

Evaluation of Silica-Coated Insect Proof Nets for the Control of Aphis fabae, Sitophilus oryzae, and Tribolium confusum.

Insect proof nets are widely used in agriculture as mechanical and physical barriers to regulate pest populations in a greenhouse. However, their integration in the greenhouse ventilation openings is highly associated with the decrease of air flow and the adequate ventilation. Thus, there is need for alternative pest management tools that do not impair adequate ventilation. In the present study, we tested four net formulations of relatively large mesh size coated with SiO2 nanoparticles, namely, ED3, ED3-P, ED5, and ED5-P to evaluate their insecticidal properties against adults of Aphis fabae and Sitophilus oryzae and larvae of Tribolium confusum. ED3 and ED5 nets were coated with SiO2 nanoparticles of different diameter, while in the case of ED3-P and ED5-P, paraffin was added to increase the mass of the deposited particles on the net’s surface. In the first series of bioassays, the knockdown and mortality rates of these species were evaluated after exposure to the aforementioned net formulations for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 60, 90, and 180 min. In the second series of bioassays, knockdown and mortality of these species were recorded after 1, 7, and 10 days of post-exposure to the nets for different time intervals (15, 30, and 60 min). Based on our results, all nets significantly affected A. fabae, since all insects were dead at the 1-day post-exposure period to the silica-treated nets. Conversely, at the same interval, no effect on either S. oryzae adults or T. confusum larvae was observed. However, in the case of S. oryzae, the efficacy of all nets reached 100% 7 days after the exposure, even for adults that had been initially exposed for 15 min to the treated nets. Among the species tested, T. confusum larvae exhibited the lowest mortality rate, which did not exceed 34% at the 10 days of post-exposure interval. Our work underlines the efficacy of treated nets in pest management programs, under different application scenarios, at the pre- and post-harvest stages of agricultural commodities.

Surveys of 12 California crops for phytoseiid predatory mites show changes compared to earlier studies

Phytoseiid mites are key predators in agricultural crops. However, not all species regulate pest populations below economic thresholds, and therefore knowledge of which species are associated with particular crops aids pest control recommendations. Surveys of 12 crops across six geographical regions of California demonstrated that phytoseiid species varied by crop and geographical location, with subtropical crops exhibiting the lowest species diversity and grape the greatest. The western predatory mite, Galendromus occidentalis, long cited as a dominant species in California crops, was not found to be the major species in most situations. Euseius stipulatus, a species introduced in the 1970s, was found in the surveyed crops in many areas of the state and appears to be displacing E. hibisci along the south coast.

Diversity of Linear Non-Ribosomal Peptide in Biocontrol Fungi.

Biocontrol fungi (BFs) play a key role in regulation of pest populations. BFs produce multiple non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) and other secondary metabolites that interact with pests, plants and microorganisms. NRPs—including linear and cyclic peptides (L-NRPs and C-NRPs)—are small peptides frequently containing special amino acids and other organic acids. They are biosynthesized in fungi through non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPSs). Compared with C-NRPs, L-NRPs have simpler structures, with only a linear chain and biosynthesis without cyclization. BFs mainly include entomopathogenic and mycoparasitic fungi, that are used to control insect pests and phytopathogens in fields, respectively. NRPs play an important role of in the interactions of BFs with insects or phytopathogens. On the other hand, the residues of NRPs may contaminate food through BFs activities in the environment. In recent decades, C-NRPs in BFs have been thoroughly reviewed. However, L-NRPs are rarely investigated. In order to better understand the species and potential problems of L-NRPs in BFs, this review lists the L-NRPs from entomopathogenic and mycoparasitic fungi, summarizes their sources, structures, activities and biosynthesis, and details risks and utilization prospects.

Sublethal effects of a juvenile hormone analog, Pyriproxyfen on demographic parameters of non-target predator, Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).

Insect predators, in general, play an important role in regulating pest populations in agricultural systems, but may be negatively affected by pesticides used in pest management. Convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is known as an important biological control agent of soft-bodied insect pests. The development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program against insect pests requires an assessment of the side effect of insecticides on biological control agents. In the present work, we assessed the sublethal effects of an insect growth regulator, Pyriproxyfen (juvenile hormone mimic) on a common aphidophagous beetle, H. convergens by computing its demographic parameters through age-stage, two-sex life table theory. Present results showed that sublethal (LC10 and LC30) concentrations of tested insecticide prolonged the pre-adult developmental duration while adult longevity, fecundity and fertility were reduced following treatment compared with control. However, total pre-ovipositional period (TPOP) was declined with the increasing trend of insecticide concentration. In additions, population growth parameters such as intrinsic rate of increase r, finite rate of increase λ and net reproductive rate R0 were dramatically reduced in H. convergens population when they treated with sublethal concentrations pyriproxyfen. Therefore, the results obtained through this study reflected that pyriproxyfen impairs the population growth parameters and could reduce the biological services provided by H. convergens. Thus, more attention should be paid to the use of this insecticide in IPM program.

WITHDRAWN

The document associated with this DOI has been withdrawn.

Importance of native vegetation for detection and management of rice stink bug (Tibraca limbativentris)

Tibraca limbativentris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a major pest in Neotropical rice agroecosystems. In autumn-winter, this pest takes refuge in rice stubble and in native vegetation, which allows it to re-colonize the crop during the rice growing season. However, it is still unknown whether this vegetation is a pest sink or is actually a natural trap that contributes to pest population biocontrol. Here we present information on the insect's alternative host plants, a preliminary outline of the relationship between plant phylogeny and insect abundance, and the impact that winter natural enemies have in pest population. Also, we include a proposed methodology for pest density analysis in winter hosts. Our results show significant differences in the abundance/density that T. limbativentris reaches in the 12 host plant species present in our study areas, with a plant-use pattern significantly related to the phylogenetic clade of Poales. Stink bug winter populations mainly comprised diapause adults, and 40% of insect digestive tracts had content. Survival of T. limbativentris was 56.92% in winter hosts. About mortality, 10% was due to undetermined causes and 33.08% due to entomopathogenic fungi, showing a natural regulation of the pest population. Our results suggest that native vegetation impacts winter survival of T. limbativentris. Although these plants offer shelter, they offer a greater contribution to Integrated Pest Management: the natural regulation of winter pest populations through entomopathogenic attack. Further studies on T. limbativentris population dynamics and the preservation of native areas near rice fields will be required for the development of best control practices.

Intercropping impacts the host location behaviour and population growth of aphids

AbstractIncreasing intrafield plant diversity has been shown to regulate pest populations in various agroecosystems. Among the suggested mechanisms for this bottom‐up pest control, the disruptive crop hypothesis states that herbivores' abilities to locate and colonize their host plants are reduced by the presence of non‐host plants. Under laboratory conditions, we evaluated how intercropping wheat and legumes modifies the behaviour of apterous cereal aphids,Sitobion avenae(Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in terms of host plant location and population growth. We compared two intercropping systems – soft winter wheat,Triticum aestivumL. (Poaceae), associated with winter pea,Pisum sativumL., or with white clover,Trifolium repensL. (both Fabaceae) – and sole stands of soft winter wheat. Aphids needed more time to locate their wheat host plant and then spent less time on wheat when it was intercropped with clover. At the population level, and accounting for host plant biomass, only intercropping wheat with clover significantly reduced aphid densities on wheat, as this was particularly disruptive toS. avenaebehaviour and population growth.Our laboratory study points out that the species used as non‐host plants and their density are important parameters that should be taken into account in field studies on intercropping systems.

Wheat genotypic diversity and intercropping to control cereal aphids

Increasing intrafield plant diversity has been shown to regulate pest populations. Mixing wheat cultivars and intercropping winter wheat and white clover are both promising agroecological practices. On field experiments over two growing seasons, we combined both practices and examined the impact on aphid populations and on wheat production. Results show that combining intra- and interspecific diversity did not outperform each practice individually in reducing aphid populations. Taken separately, intercropping tended to have lower aphid infestation, while it was intermediate in cultivar mixtures. Yearly variation in climatic conditions impacted wheat and clover development, as well as the appearance of aphid peaks. Wheat yields and grain nitrogen content were reduced in intercropping by 10% and 7%, respectively, but not in cultivar mixtures. Our findings suggest that intrafield diversification may regulate wheat aphids to some extent, but combining two diversification practices did not result in an attractive trade-off between pest regulation and wheat production in real farming conditions.