Swede Midge Research Articles

Host Plant Susceptibility to the Swede Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

The relative resistance and susceptibility of various cruciferous plants to swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), damage was investigated to provide growers with planting recommendations and to identify potential sources of resistance to the swede midge. Broccoli cultivars experienced more severe damage than cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. The broccoli 'Paragon', 'Eureka', and 'Packman' are highly susceptible to the swede midge, whereas 'Triathlon' and 'Regal' showed reduced susceptibility to damage and slower development of damage symptoms. No differences were found between normal and red cultivars of cabbage and cauliflower in damage severity and progression of damage symptoms. Four new plant species (Brassica juncea Integlifolia group, Erucastrum gallicum (Willd.) O. E. Shulz., Lepidium campestre (L.) R.Br., and Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medic.) are reported as hosts of the swede midge. The weed species Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb, Camelina microcarpa Andrz. ex Dc., and Erysimum cheiranthoides L. exhibited no damage symptoms, and they seem to be nonhost crucifers for the swede midge.

Furanyl spiroketals as stereochemical relays in the synthesis of 1,9- anti diols: synthesis of insect pheromones

A suite of spiroketal insect pheromones ( 15 and 17a– d) has been synthesised in good yield and with very high levels of diastereoselectivity via furanyl spiroketals. Remote asymmetric induction is achieved under thermodynamic control. The use of furanyl spiroketals as temporary scaffolds in the synthesis of 1,9- anti diols has been demonstrated with the synthesis of the swede midge pheromone (2 S,10 S)-2,10-diacetoxyundecane 1. The enzymatic resolution of a C 2 symmetric 1,9- anti diol was used as a confirmation of diastereomeric purity.

Control of Contarinia nasturtii Keiffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidea) by foliar sprays of acetamiprid on cauliflower transplants

Swede midge ( Contarinia nasturtii Keiffer) is a serious gall-forming insect pest of cruciferous plants in Europe and southwestern Asia. In North America, it was first identified in Ontario, Canada, in 2000 and in Niagara County, New York, US, in 2004. The insect is now rapidly spreading in Canada and the US. To date, infestation of C. nasturtii has been confirmed in 46 counties in Canada. The US Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of C. nasturtii in 6 counties in the US, although our surveys using pheromone traps have identified 19 counties in New York and one county in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Currently, hundreds of farms in the northeastern US that grow cruciferous vegetables are at risk for infestation of C. nasturtii through movement of vegetable seedlings and harvested produce from infested areas. To prevent the spread of C. nasturtii, the efficacy of acetamiprid, the first labeled insecticide in the US for C. nasturtii control, was evaluated by using foliar sprays on cauliflower seedlings. Results indicated the efficacy of acetamiprid on C. nasturtii was 99.52% 100% and 99.83% when cauliflower seedlings were sprayed before inoculation with C. nasturtii, 0 and 4 d after inoculation, respectively. The efficacy of acetamiprid was reduced to 69.89% when seedlings were sprayed 8 d after inoculation, and C. nasturtii larvae could successfully pupate and emerge after the spray. These results indicate that acetamiprid can effectively control C. nasturtii on cauliflower seedlings, especially in the early stage of insect occurrence. Based on these results, we suggest that seedlings be treated with acetamiprid as a foliar spray before shipment of seedlings from C. nasturtii infested areas.

Potential distribution and relative abundance of swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii, an invasive pest in Canada

AbstractThe swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a pest of most cultivated Brassicaceae such as broccoli, canola, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. The species primarily has a Palaearctic distribution and occurs throughout Europe and southwestern Asia to the Caucasus. Between 1996 and 1999, producers of cruciferous vegetables in Ontario, Canada, reported crop damage that was consistent with damage symptoms characteristic of C. nasturtii feeding and in 2000, field studies confirmed that this damage was caused by C. nasturtii. A bioclimatic model was developed to predict potential range and relative abundance of C. nasturtii in Canada in order to determine the impact of the establishment and spread of C. nasturtii populations. Model output indicated that C. nasturtii could potentially become established in all provinces of Canada, with the risk being greatest in southwestern British Columbia, southern Ontario and Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Results indicated that C. nasturtii population growth in the Prairie Ecozone of western Canada would be greatest in years with above average precipitation.

Molecular identification of the swede midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

AbstractEarly detection of pest infestation is a prerequisite for sustainable crop protection. However, many pest species are difficult to detect and thus infestation is diagnosed from damage observed on the respective crop. This diagnosis is often made too late for implementation of crop protection measures, and serious crop losses may result. The swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer, is a major pest of Brassica L. (Brassicaceae) vegetables in Europe that has recently invaded North America. With its small size and short adult life-span, and the cryptic lifestyle of the larvae feeding at the growing points of its host plants, it is usually detected only after damage has already occurred. Furthermore, because field-trapped specimens are rarely fully intact, it is extremely difficult to identify. Therefore, we developed a species-specific molecular diagnostic method that enables reliable identification of swede midge from various sources such as alcohol or sticky glue traps. The method enables large-scale screening of field-trapped specimens and is used to evaluate the attractiveness and specificity of pheromone traps that are currently under development.

First Nearctic record of the swede midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a pest of cruciferous crops from Europe

In 1996, damage symptoms typical of the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Keiffer), were observed on broccoli, Brassica oleracea L. var. italica (Brassicaceae), crops east of Toronto, Ontario. Early attempts to identify an associated insect larva were unsuccessful, and damage symptoms became mistakenly attributed to nutrient deficiencies (T Clarke, personal communication). Between 1996 and 1999, damaged plants were seen by growers regularly, and resulted in up to 85% loss of marketable yield (T Clarke, personal communication). In June 2000, we initiated investigations at two sites 12 km apart to determine the causal organism of this damage. Both sites were located at farms where cole crops are primarily -gown and from where the first damage reports originated.

Damage to swedes by the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieff.), and a possible method of cultural control

The effects of infestation by Contarinia nasturtii (Kieff.) on the growth and yield of swedes were observed in a centric-systematic-area sample consisting of 720 individually tagged plants. Severe infestation by the first generation caused multiple haeding and some reduction of yield, though it was attack by the second generation that more strongly depressed yield. From the results of laboratory experiments described it is inferred that it should be possible to achieve satisfactory control by simple cultural procedures designed to bury the pupal cocoons too deeply in the soil to permit successful emergence of the adult midges.

CONTROL OF SWEDE MIDGE ON SAVOYS

Plant PathologyVolume 9, Issue 1 p. 25-28 CONTROL OF SWEDE MIDGE ON SAVOYS P. R. Thomas, P. R. Thomas National Agricultural Advisory Service, Starcross, ExeterSearch for more papers by this author P. R. Thomas, P. R. Thomas National Agricultural Advisory Service, Starcross, ExeterSearch for more papers by this author First published: March 1960 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3059.1960.tb01707.xCitations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume9, Issue1March 1960Pages 25-28 RelatedInformation

SWEDE MIDGE IN ENGLAND AND WALES, 1953

Plant PathologyVolume 3, Issue 1 p. 31-32 SWEDE MIDGE IN ENGLAND AND WALES, 1953 First published: March 1954 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3059.1954.tb00682.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume3, Issue1March 1954Pages 31-32 RelatedInformation

The host plant range of the Swede midge (contarinia nasturtii kieffer) with special reference to types of plant damage

The host plant range of the Swede midge (contarinia nasturtii kieffer) with special reference to types of plant damage

THE IDENTITY OF THE SWEDE MIDGE, WITH NOTES ON ITS BIOLOGY

A brief historical summary is given of the literature concerning Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer, C. torquens de Meijere and C. geisenheyneri Riibsaamen, three gall midges (Cecidomyidae) which have been associated respectively with leaf damage on Brassica spp. in England, identical malformation on the Continent and swollen and closed flowers of Brassica spp. in Europe.Following the discovery in England of the true Contarinia nasturtii causing swollen and closed flowers oiRorippa amphibia, preliminary experiments have shown that midges from this source will also cause similar damage to swede flowers and that they are the same species as those attacking R. amphibia blossom in the Netherlands.Further preliminary experiments have shown that swede midge derived from rape leaf axils will also cause identical damage to radish flowers in addition to breeding successfully on the leaves of turnip, swede, cabbage and radish.Male midges derived from Rorippa blossom have been mated with females from rape leaf axils, and their offspring have been reared on Rorippa flowers and on turnip leaves.This biological evidence confirms the previous supposition based on morphological grounds that the swede midge is Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer and will cause either flower or leaf damage. Consequently, C. torquens de Meijere and C. geisenheyneri Riibsaamen must remain synonyms.The shortest time for a generation (from parent to first offspring midge) to develop was 24–39 days in an unheated open glasshouse during June‐July in 1949 at Harpenden. Under the same conditions, the shortest time for the next generation from late July to August was 29–32 days. C. nasturtii is the first Contarinia species in which unisexual families have been discovered.

A study of the distribution of the swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer) in Devon and symptoms of its attack on various host plants

A survey of swede midge damage in Devon is described, showing that the attack on cow cabbage is most severe in the north and west of the county, while attack on swedes is heaviest in the south and east of the county; the causes of this phenomenon are considered. The life history of the insect is discussed in relation to farming procedure with various crops. Short descriptions and photographs are given of the general symptoms of damage by the midge on the more important cruciferous crops.