Susceptible Pests Research Articles

Early warning of cotton bollworm resistance associated with intensive planting of Bt cotton in China.

Transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins kill some key insect pests, but evolution of resistance by pests can reduce their efficacy. The predominant strategy for delaying pest resistance to Bt crops requires refuges of non-Bt host plants to promote survival of susceptible pests. To delay pest resistance to transgenic cotton producing Bt toxin Cry1Ac, farmers in the United States and Australia planted refuges of non-Bt cotton, while farmers in China have relied on “natural” refuges of non-Bt host plants other than cotton. Here we report data from a 2010 survey showing field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ac of the major target pest, cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), in northern China. Laboratory bioassay results show that susceptibility to Cry1Ac was significantly lower in 13 field populations from northern China, where Bt cotton has been planted intensively, than in two populations from sites in northwestern China where exposure to Bt cotton has been limited. Susceptibility to Bt toxin Cry2Ab did not differ between northern and northwestern China, demonstrating that resistance to Cry1Ac did not cause cross-resistance to Cry2Ab, and implying that resistance to Cry1Ac in northern China is a specific adaptation caused by exposure to this toxin in Bt cotton. Despite the resistance detected in laboratory bioassays, control failures of Bt cotton have not been reported in China. This early warning may spur proactive countermeasures, including a switch to transgenic cotton producing two or more toxins distinct from Cry1A toxins.

IMPULSIVE CONTROL OF AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT MODEL WITH DISPERSAL BETWEEN PATCHES

We consider a two-patch SI model of integrated pest management with dispersal of both susceptible and infective pests between patches. A biological control, consisting of the periodic release of infective pests and a chemical control, consisting of periodic and impulsive pesticide spraying, are employed in order to maintain the size of the pest population below an economically acceptable level. It is assumed that the spread of the disease which is inflicted on the pest population through the use of the biological control is characterized by a nonlinear force of infection expressed in an abstract form. A sufficient condition for the local stability of the susceptible pest-eradication periodic solution is found using Floquet theory for periodic systems of ordinary differential equations, an analysis of the influence of dispersal between patches being performed for several particular cases. Our numerical simulations indicate that an increase in the amount but not in the frequency of pesticide use may not result in control. We also show that patches which are stable in isolation can be destabilized by dispersal between patches.

Role of Spatial and Temporal Refuges in the Evolution of Pest Resistance to Toxic Crops

Toxic plants have been used for years in agriculture to control major crop pests. However, the continuous exposure of targeted pests to toxins dramatically increases the rate of resistance evolution (Gassman et al. in Annu Rev Entomol 54:147-163, 2009a; Tabashnik et al. Nat Biotechnol 26:199-202, 2008). To prevent or delay resistance, non toxic host plants can be used as refuges. Our study considers spatial and temporal refuges that are respectively implemented concurrently or alternatively a toxic crop. A conceptual model based on impulsive differential equations is proposed to describe the dynamics of the susceptible and resistant pest populations over time. The mathematical study enlightens threshold values of the proportion of the spatial refuge and key parameters that should help to understand evolution of pest resistance to toxic crop.

The global properties of an age-dependent [formula omitted] model involving pathogenic virus release and defence mechanisms for pests

Insect pests are common but undesirable elements in ecosystems and represent thorny problems for most developing countries. To prevent pest outbreaks, growers often resort to insect–pathogenic viruses rather than to pesticides which affect human health and the environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a new age-structured pest management model which describes the interaction between susceptible insect pests, infected insect pests, pathogenic viruses and defence immunity mechanisms. A feature of this model is that it accounts for the dependence of the amount of pathogenic viruses released and of the efficiency of the defence mechanisms upon the so-called age of infection. First, the asymptotic behavior of the system is established via a monotonicity argument which makes use of several integral inequalities, being shown that the infection ultimately dies out, while under certain circumstances the susceptible pests also become extinct. By means of the Michailov criterion, one then analyzes the linearized stability of the trivial equilibrium and of the semi-trivial infected pest-free equilibrium. In this regard, it is observed that the defence mechanisms and maximal length of the infective period play important roles in the dynamics of the system. Several pest controls strategies are further investigated by means of numerical simulations, which show that when the dose of pathogenic viruses released initially is larger than a certain amount the profile of the response of defence mechanisms can be modified by changing this dose. Finally, the paper is concluded with a discussion on the biological significance of the mathematical results and framework.

Pest regulation by means of continuous and impulsive nonlinear controls

In this paper, two integrated pest management models are investigated, which rely on release of infective pest individuals and of natural enemies in a constant amount, together with spraying of pesticides. It is proved that the susceptible pests can be eradicated if the release amount of infected pests is above some threshold or the pesticide effect is above another threshold. Furthermore, permanent conditions are established when an impulsive control is used. Finally, numerical results show that (1) fewer infected pests or pesticides are needed as the impulsive strategy is taken, displaying its positive effect on the pest control; (2) our assumption that the natural enemies of the pests do not catch the infective pests would reduce the level of the susceptible pests.

The dynamics of an epidemic model for pest control with impulsive effect

In pest control, there are only a few papers on mathematical models of the dynamics of microbial diseases. In this paper a model concerning biologically-based impulsive control strategy for pest control is formulated and analyzed. The paper shows that there exists a globally stable susceptible pest eradication periodic solution when the impulsive period is less than some critical value. Further, the conditions for the permanence of the system are given. In addition, there exists a unique positive periodic solution via bifurcation theory, which implies both the susceptible pest and the infective pest populations oscillate with a positive amplitude. In this case, the susceptible pest population is infected to the maximum extent while the infective pest population has little effect on the crops. When the unique positive periodic solution loses its stability, numerical simulation shows there is a characteristic sequence of bifurcations, leading to a chaotic dynamic, which implies that this model has more complex dynamics, including period-doubling bifurcation, chaos and strange attractors.

An impulsively controlled predator–pest model with disease in the pest

In this paper, we consider an integrated pest management model with disease in the pest and a stage structure for its natural predator, which is subject to impulsive and periodic controls. A nonlinear incidence rate expressed in an abstract form, is used to describe the propagation of the disease, which is spread through the periodic release of infective pests, the functional response of the mature predator also being given in an abstract, unspecified form. Sufficient conditions for the local and global stability of the susceptible pest-eradication periodic solution are found by means of Floquet theory and comparison methods, the permanence of the system also being discussed. These stability conditions are shown to be biologically significant, being reformulated as balance conditions for the susceptible pest class.

The onset of positive periodic solutions for a biochemical pest management model

In this paper, the bifurcation of nontrivial periodic solutions for an impulsively perturbed system of ordinary differential equations which models an integrated pest management strategy is studied by means of a fixed point approach. A biological control, consisting in the periodic release of infective pests, and a chemical control, consisting in pesticide spraying, are employed to maintain susceptible pests below an acceptable level. It is assumed that the biological and chemical control act with the same periodicity, but not in the same time. It is then shown that if the constant amount of infective pests released each time reaches a certain threshold value, then the trivial susceptible pest-eradication periodic solution loses its stability, which is transferred to a newly emerging nontrivial periodic solution.

Optimization of a fermentation process for bioinsecticide production by Bacillus thuringiensis

In an attempt to develop a cost-effective process for bioinsecticide production by B. thuringiensis, the feeding regime during aerobic cultivation of the bacterium was investigated and optimized. The process was designed as a two-stage process; a first stage of active growth, where glucose and other nutrients were adequately supplied to the growing cells over 12 h, followed by a second stage of 2 h for spore formation and toxin release. In order to maximize spore and toxin yield and productivity, different quantities of glucose and nutrients were fed separately to the growing cells in four different fermentation runs. In all runs, glucose was converted to bacterial biomass during the first stage and subsequently to spores and crystal protein during the second phase. The best results were obtained with a fermentation run supplied with 190 g glucose in 1500 ml. Up to 20.1 g of bacterial insecticides/l were recovered from fermentation broth with a glucose to toxin conversion yield of 0.159 g/g. Also, a markedly high spore concentration of 2.31 × 1012 c.f.u./ml was obtained. The spore–crystal protein mixture obtained was tested for its insecticidal activity against three of the most agronomically important pests. Among the bioinsecticide-treated insect pests, Egyptian cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis was the most susceptible pest with the lowest LC50 of the bioinsecticides against its larval instar and the highest virulence against adults emerged later on from the surviving larvae.

A STAGE-STRUCTURED SI ECO-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODEL WITH TIME DELAY AND IMPULSIVE CONTROLLING*

This paper formulates a robust stage-structured SI eco-epidemiological model with periodic constant pulse releasing of infectious pests with pathogens. The authors show that the conditions for global attractivity of the ‘pest-eradication’ periodic solution and permanence of the system depend on time delay, hence, the authors call it “profitless”. Further, the authors present a pest management strategy in which the pest population is kept under the economic threshold level (ETL) when the pest population is uniformly persistent. By numerical analysis, the authors also show that constant maturation time delay for the susceptible pests and pulse releasing of the infectious pests can bring obvious effects on the dynamics of system.

Glucosinolates and biofumigation: fate of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products in soil

The bioactive hydrolysis products of glucosinolates, particularly the isothiocyanates, can be used to control soil pests and weeds by incorporating glucosinolate-containing plant material in soil—a practice known as biofumigation. The fate of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products in soil determines both the efficacy and environmental impact of biofumigation. Knowledge of the processes by which these compounds are sorbed, degraded or otherwise lost from the soil is fundamental to developing effective, but environmentally benign biofumigation strategies. Effective biofumigation relies on maximum hydrolysis of the glucosinolate in the plant tissue to generate high isothiocyanate concentrations in the soil after incorporation. This is favoured by maximum cell disruption, by addition of water, and a high soil temperature. Residual glucosinolates are very weakly sorbed, readily leached and are microbially degraded and mineralised in soil. In contrast, isothiocyanates are strongly sorbed by the organic matter in soil, react strongly with nucleophilic groups present in soil, and are prone to volatilization losses in addition to microbial degradation and mineralisation. These loss processes are influenced by soil type, water content and temperature. Using appropriate incorporation strategies, sufficiently high isothiocyanate concentrations (>100 nmol g−1) can be achieved in soil using biofumigation for effective suppression of susceptible pests. The relatively rapid sorption and degradation of the isothiocyanates in the period of days after incorporation minimizes the risks of persistence in the environment or leaching. Biofumigation is therefore a promising technique which can be further developed to form part of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) strategies to reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides with minimal unintended impacts on the environment.

Insect resistance to Bt crops: evidence versus theory

Evolution of insect resistance threatens the continued success of transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins that kill pests. The approach used most widely to delay insect resistance to Bt crops is the refuge strategy, which requires refuges of host plants without Bt toxins near Bt crops to promote survival of susceptible pests. However, large-scale tests of the refuge strategy have been problematic. Analysis of more than a decade of global monitoring data reveals that the frequency of resistance alleles has increased substantially in some field populations of Helicoverpa zea, but not in five other major pests in Australia, China, Spain and the United States. The resistance of H. zea to Bt toxin Cry1Ac in transgenic cotton has not caused widespread crop failures, in part because other tactics augment control of this pest. The field outcomes documented with monitoring data are consistent with the theory underlying the refuge strategy, suggesting that refuges have helped to delay resistance.

A delayed epidemic model with stage-structure and pulses for pest management strategy

From a biological pest management standpoint, epidemic diseases models have become important tools in control of pest populations. This paper deals with an impulsive delay epidemic disease model with stage-structure and a general form of the incidence rate concerning pest control strategy, in which the pest population is subdivided into three subgroups: pest eggs, susceptible pests, infectious pests that do not attack crops. Using the discrete dynamical system determined by the stroboscopic map, we obtain the exact periodic susceptible pest-eradication solution of the system and observe that the susceptible pest-eradication periodic solution is globally attractive, provided that the amount of infective pests released periodically is larger than some critical value. When the amount of infective pests released is less than another critical value, the system is shown to be permanent, which implies that the trivial susceptible pest-eradication solution loses its attractivity. Our results indicate that besides the release amount of infective pests, the incidence rate, time delay and impulsive period can have great effects on the dynamics of our system.

Modelling approach for biological control of insect pest by releasing infected pest

Models of biological control have a long history of theoretical development that have focused on the interactions between a predator and a prey. Here we have extended the classical epidemic model to include a continuous and impulsive pest control strategies by releasing the infected pests bred in laboratory. For the continuous model, the results imply that the susceptible pest goes to extinct if the threshold condition R 0 < 1. While R 0 > 1, the positive equilibrium of continuous model is globally asymptotically stable. Similarly, the threshold condition which guarantees the global stability of the susceptible pest-eradication periodic solution is obtained for the model with impulsive control strategy. Consequently, based on the results obtained in this paper, the control strategies which maintain the pests below an acceptably low level are discussed by controlling the release rate and impulsive period. Finally, the biological implications of the results and the efficiency of two control strategies are also discussed.

A impulsive infective transmission SI model for pest control

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a model with impulsive control of epidemics for pest management. By using Floquet's theorem, small‐amplitude perturbation skills and comparison theorem, we show that there exists a globally asymptotically stable susceptible pest‐eradication periodic solution when the release amount of infective pests is larger than some critical value. However, when the amount of infective pests released is less than this critical value, the system is shown to be permanent, which implies that the trivial periodic susceptible pest‐eradication solution loses its stability. Further, the existence of a positive periodic endemic solution and other rich dynamics are also studied by numerical simulation. Therefore, we can use the amount of release of infective pests to control susceptible pests at desirable low levels. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Stimulatory effect of insecticides on partially purified P-glycoprotein ATPase from the resistant pestHelicoverpa armigeraThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in this Special Issue, entitled CSBMCB — Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease.

A P-glycoprotein-like protein (Ha-Pgp) was detected in a membrane preparation from the insecticide-resistant pest Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctüidae) using C219 antibodies that are directed towards an epitope in the nucleotide-binding domains. This protein was partially purified and found to be a glycoprotein displaying ATPase activity. SDS-PAGE confirmed that a high molecular mass glycoprotein (150 kDa) was overexpressed in resistant pests, but was not detected in susceptible pests. The partially purified Ha-Pgp ATPase was reconstituted into proteoliposomes and it was found that some insecticides, namely, monocrotophos, endosulfan, cypermethrin, fenvalerate, and methylparathion, stimulated the ATPase activity. The effect of various inhibitors on partially purified Ha-Pgp showed that orthovanadate is a potent inhibitor of its ATPase activity, inhibiting it by 90% at a concentration of 2 mmol/L. Other inhibitors, such as EDTA, sodium azide, and molybdate resulted in only a 20% decrease in activity. Details of the structure and function of Ha-Pgp will be important in the development of strategies to overcome insecticide resistance in this pest.

Synergism between insecticides permethrin and propoxur occurs through activation of presynaptic muscarinic negative feedback of acetylcholine release in the insect central nervous system

Although synergism between pesticides has been widely documented, the physiological mechanisms by which an insecticide synergizes another remains unclear. Toxicological and electrophysiological studies were carried out on two susceptible pest species (the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus and the cockroach Periplaneta americana) to understand better the physiological process involved in pyrethroid and carbamate interactions. Larval bioassays were conducted with the susceptible reference strain SLAB of C. quinquefasciatus to assess the implication of multi-function oxidases and non-specific esterases in insecticide detoxification and synergism. Results showed that the general theory of synergism (competition between pesticides for a common detoxification enzyme) was unlikely to occur in the SLAB strain since the level of synergy recorded between permethrin and propoxur was unchanged in the presence of piperonyl butoxide and tribufos, two inhibitors of oxidases and esterases, respectively (synergism ratios were similar with and without synergists). We also showed that addition of a sub-lethal concentration of nicotine significantly increased the toxicity of permethrin and propoxur at the lower range of the dose–mortality regression lines, suggesting the manifestation of important physiological disruptions at synaptic level. The effects of both permethrin and propoxur were studied on the cercal-afferent giant-interneuron synapses in the terminal abdominal ganglion of the cockroach P. americana using the single-fibre oil-gap method. We demonstrated that permethrin and propoxur increased drastically the ACh concentration within the synaptic cleft, which thereby stimulated a negative feedback of ACh release. Atropine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist, reversed the effect of permethrin and propoxur mixtures. This demonstrates the implication of the presynaptic muscarinic receptors in the negative feedback regulation process and in synergism. Based on these findings, we propose a cascade of molecular events explaining the occurrence of synergistic effects between pyrethroid and carbamate on many susceptible insects including C. quinquefasciatus, a mosquito of medical importance.

Physiologically based demographics of Bt cotton–pest interactions: II. Temporal refuges, natural enemy interactions

An holistic demographic physiologically based age–mass structured model of transgenic Bt cotton expressing one or two toxin of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) and 10 of its pests as affected by generalist natural enemies is developed. The goal of the model is to assess factors favoring the development of resistance in pest species. Among the pest included in the model are the pink bollworm (a primary pest of cotton), and several secondary pests of the family Noctuidae (tobacco budworm, bollworm, fall armyworm, beet armyworm, cabbage looper, soybean looper) as well as a plant bug, boll weevil and whitefly. The pests have widely varying tolerance to the toxin. Resistance to the Bt toxin is assumed recessive, autosomal and controlled by a single diallelic gene. S patial refuges of non-Bt cotton have been mandated to increase heterozygosity in Bt cotton, but spatial refuges may exist for many pest species in non-Bt and/or sylvan hosts. In addition, temporal refuges may arise within Bt cotton due to innate pest tolerance to the toxin that increases with larval age, and variable toxin concentrations in the plant over time and with plant subunit age. Mortality rates and non-lethal effects that increase larval developmental time and decrease adult fecundity vary with Bt toxin concentration. All genotypes are affected but resistant genotypes are assumed less affected than susceptible ones. The effects of spatial and temporal refuges on the development of resistance and pest densities in one and two toxin cottons are examined over several consecutive seasons. Resistance to Bt toxin is more likely to develop in stenophagous highly susceptible pests such as pink bollworm and budworm than in polyphagous highly tolerant pests such as fall armyworm, beet armyworm and soybean looper that have large temporal refuges that slow and possibly reverse resistance development. Predator longevity feeding on Bt intoxicated prey is decreased ca. 28% [Ponsard, S., Gutierrez, A.P., Mills, N.J., 2002. Effects of Bt-toxin in transgenic cotton on the adult longevity of four heteropteran predators. Environ. Entomol. 31, 1197–1205.] creating tradeoffs between the mortality caused by the toxin and that due to reduced predation. Despite reduced natural enemy efficacy, levels of susceptible pests (budworm) are reduced, while levels of Bt tolerant and immune pests (e.g. fall armyworm, Lygus) increase. The use of pesticide for supplementary control of tolerant pests in Bt cotton may further disrupts natural enemies and increase pest levels.

Cross-Resistance Between Dieldrin and Fipronil in German Cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

The toxicity of fipronil and dieldrin was determined in one susceptible laboratory strain and seven insecticide-resistant field-collected strains of Blattella germanica (L). The Zo960302 and Ga021001 strains were 1,270- and 2,030-fold resistant to dieldrin and 15- and 14-fold resistant to fipronil. The Su960304 and Od010803 strains were 15- and 13-fold resistant to dieldrin and two- and four-fold resistant to fipronil. Three strains showed no or a low level of resistance to dieldrin and fipronil. Crosses were performed between the susceptible strain Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory (DPIL)-SUS and the resistant strains Zo960302 and Su960304 and resistance to dieldrin and fipronil were intermediate compared with the susceptible and the resistant strains. Backcrosses to both of the parental strains showed cosegregation of dieldrin and fipronil resistance. The toxicity of dieldrin and fipronil was correlated when compared at LD50, and 93% of the observed variation in LD50 of fipronil can be ascribed to variation among predictions based on the value of LD50 of dieldrin. The frequency of the A302S substitution in the resistance to dieldrin (Rdl) gene in the highly dieldrin- and fipronil-resistant strains Zo960302 and Ga021001 and the moderately resistant Su960304 was 0.97, 1.0, and 0.38, respectively. We consider the connection between the frequency of the Rdl mutation and dieldrin and fipronil resistance a causal connection and not merely a coincidence.

Susceptibility of lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to entomopathogenic nematodes

We investigated differential susceptibility of lady beetles to entomopathogenic nematodes, for two reasons: (1) to estimate potential nontarget effects on natural lady beetle populations, (2) to compare the susceptibility of exotic versus native lady beetle species. We hypothesize that successful establishment of some exotically introduced arthropods may be due, in part, to a lower susceptibility relative to competing native species. In laboratory studies, we compared the pathogenicity, virulence, and reproductive capacity of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae among two native ( Coleomegilla maculata and Olla v-nigrum) and two successfully established exotic ( Harmonia axyridis and Coccinella septempunctata) lady beetles, and a known susceptible lepidopteran host, Agrotis ipsilon. After 1 and 2 days of exposure to either nematode species, mortality of A. ipsilon was higher than in all lady beetles. Thus, we predict that nematode field applications would have significantly less impact on lady beetle populations than on a susceptible target pest. Additionally, the impact of soil-applied nematodes may be lower on lady beetles than on soil-dwelling hosts because the former spends relatively less time on the soil. Exotic lady beetles were less susceptible to nematode infection than native species. Reproductive capacity data also indicated lower host suitability in H. axyridis, but not in C. septempunctata. Overall, the hypothesis that low susceptibility to pathogens in certain exotic lady beetles may have contributed to competitive establishment was supported (especially for H. axyridis). Additional studies incorporating different hosts and pathogens from various geographic locations will be required to further address the hypothesis.