Efficiency of Nimbecidine and certain entomopathogenic fungi formulations against bean aphids,Aphis craccivora in broad bean field

This study investigates the effect of certain entomopathogenic fungi formulations (Beauveria bassiana, Verticillium lecanii, Metarhizium anisopliae and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus) compared with a botanical insecticide, Nimbecidine against Aphis craccivora in broad bean field. Bio-Catch (Verticillium lecanii) was the most effective insecticide to achieve 73.3% reduction followed by Nimbecidine (67.7%), Bio-Magic (61.6%), Priority (50.3%) and the least effective was Bio- Power (Beauveria bassiana) which caused 45.5% reduction in individual aphid populations after two sprayings at 15 days interval between the first and the second sprayings. Bio-Catch and Nimbecidine had promise compounds in controlling Aphis craccivora in faba bean fields.     

Impact of winter pruning of pomegranate trees on Aphis punicae (Hemiptera,Aphididae) and its natural enemies in Tunisia

Winter pruning is a cultural practice used to modify vegetative growth, which is likely to affect the development of pests. However, it has been poorly defined as a cultural method for diminishing the population levels of the pomegranate aphid Aphis punicae (Hemiptera, Aphididae) in pomegranate orchards. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of winter pruning of pomegranate on A. punicae population and their natural enemies. The results showed that winter pruning significantly decreased the population of A. punicae (p < 0.05) in pomegranate. Also, number of natural enemies decreased in pomegranate trees after winter pruning. This technical practice affects the number of winged and wingless individuals, the mean relative growth rate, the specific age of the population and the infestation rate. Winter pruning for A. punicae control in pomegranate orchards is highly recommended.     

不同生物型棉蚜对夏寄主葫芦科作物的选择

于2008、2009年连续两年采用模拟田间自然扩散法,系统地研究了棉花型棉蚜和甜瓜型棉蚜有翅蚜对11种夏寄主的选择性.结果表明,棉花型棉蚜对杂交葫芦、小西葫芦表现出强选择性及适应性,而对香瓜、黄瓜、西瓜及甜瓜均不选择,或即使选择其若蚜在其上也不能存活;甜瓜型棉蚜对甜瓜、香瓜、南瓜、黄西葫芦、大西葫芦、杂交葫芦等均表现较强选择性,而对棉花及小西葫芦表现不选择.但是,甜瓜型棉蚜在小西葫芦上也能产若蚜并存活.从而证明小西葫芦是两种寄主型棉蚜的共同寄主,有可能成为两者相互转换的桥梁寄主.     

Potential cotton aphid,Aphis gossypii,population suppression by arthropod predators in upland cotton

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, predation rate of convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guerin‐Meneville, was determined by assigning a single predator randomly to each of four prey density treatments in the laboratory. Prey densities included 25, 50, 100, and 200 aphids per Petri dish arena. Predation response was recorded at 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h after assigning predators to their prey treatments. Rate of consumption increased through time, with all 25 aphids consumed during the first 4 h of the experiment. At the highest density, adult lady beetle consumed on average 49, 99, 131, 163, 183, and 200 aphids within 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 h, respectively. Predators showed a curvilinear feeding response in relation to total available time, indicating that convergent lady beetles have the potential to suppress larger populations of aphids through continuous feeding by regulating their predation efficiency during feeding. The analysis of age‐specific mortality in absence of prey revealed that lady beetles could survive for an extended period of time (more than 2 weeks) without prey. The ability of a predator to survive without prey delays or prevents the rebound of pest populations that is a significant factor in natural biological control. A two‐year field sampling of 10 cotton arthropod predator species showed that spiders (27%) were the most dominant foliage dwelling predators in the Texas High Plains cotton followed by convergent lady beetles (23.5%), hooded beetles (13.5%), minute pirate bugs (11%), green lacewings (9.5%), bigeyed bugs (7.5%), scymnus beetles (3%), soft‐winged flower beetles (2%), damsel bugs (1.5%), and assassin bugs (1.5%). A field cage study showed that one H. convergens adult per plant released at prey density of one aphid per leaf kept the aphid population below economic threshold for the entire growing season.     

瓜蚜为害对寄主植物主要营养物质和次生物质的影响

为明确瓜蚜Aphis gossypii Glover与其寄主植物相互作用关系及其机理,本文采用蒽酮比色法、考马斯亮蓝法、磷钼酸－磷钨酸比色法及索氏回流法,分别测定了瓜蚜为害对黄瓜、哈密瓜、南瓜、瓢葫芦和搅瓜等5种寄主植物叶片内可溶性总糖、可溶性蛋白质、单宁及黄酮含量的影响。结果表明,瓜蚜为害后,供试寄主植物叶片中可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量显著降低,而单宁和黄酮的含量明显上升。说明瓜蚜为害导致寄主植物营养质量下降,而次生代谢物质含量上升,从而对植食者产生诱导抗性。     

Estimating costs of aphid resistance to parasitoids conferred by a protective strain of the bacterial endosymbiont Regiella insecticola

Heritable bacterial endosymbionts are common in aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and they can influence ecologically important traits of their hosts. It is generally assumed that their persistence in a population is dependent on a balance between the costs and benefits they confer. A good example is Hamiltonella defensa Moran et al., a facultative symbiont that provides a benefit by strongly increasing aphid resistance to parasitoid wasps, but becomes costly to the host in the absence of parasitoids. Regiella insecticola Moran et al. is another common symbiont of aphids and generally does not influence resistance to parasitoids. In the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), however, one strain (R5.15) was discovered that behaves like H. defensa in that it provides strong protection against parasitoid wasps. Here we compare R5.15‐infected and uninfected lines of three M. persicae clones to test whether this protective symbiont is costly as well, i.e., whether it has any negative effects on aphid life‐history traits. Furthermore, we transferred R5.15 to two other aphid species, the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), and the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli, where this strain is also protective against parasitoids and where we could compare its effects with those of additional, non‐protective strains of R. insecticola. Negative effects of R5.15 on host survival and lifetime reproduction were limited and frequently non‐significant, and these effects were comparable or in one case weaker than those of R. insecticola strains that are not protective against parasitoid wasps. Unless the benefit of protection is counteracted by detrimental effects on traits that were not considered in this study, R. insecticola strain R5.15 should have a high potential to spread in aphid populations.     

Effects of long-term storage at -14 degrees C on the survival of Neozygites fresenii (Entomophthorales: Neozygitaceae) in cotton aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Neozygites fresenii-infected Aphis gossypii cadavers, containing dormant hyphal bodies of N. fresenii, were stored in 4 ml glass vials at -14 degrees C in a standard consumer-type refrigerator/freezer for 1, 21, 30, 43, 51, and 68 months to determine the effect of storage on fungal survival. When the cadavers were removed from the freezer and placed in 25+/-1 degrees C, 100% relative humidity, and 12:12 (L:D) conditions, N. fresenii survival, as shown by fungal sporulation from the cadavers, was high at all storage periods. The average percentage of cadavers from which the fungus sporulated were 93, 47, 100, 100, 80, and 60% from 1, 21, 30, 43, 51, and 68 months storage periods, respectively. The number of primary conidia discharged from each sporulating cadaver was estimated using a scale of 1 (low, ca. 1000 primary conidia), 2 (medium, ca. 2000 primary conidia) and 3 (high, ca. 3000 primary conidia). The median scores for the number of primary conidia produced per sporulating cadaver were 3, 2, 3, 3, 2.5, and 1 for 1, 21, 30, 43, 51, and 68 months, respectively. Therefore, except for the longest storage period, most cadavers produced medium to high numbers of primary conidia. Mean germination of primary conidia produced from N. fresenii-infected-aphid cadavers from each time period varied significantly from 66.3 to 86.1% in the 21 and 43 months categories, respectively. Infectivity of capilliconidia, produced from frozen N. fresenii, to live healthy cotton aphids varied significantly from 16.7 to 68.7% from cadavers stored 68 months and 1 month, respectively. Overall N. fresenii survived well in dried frozen cotton aphid cadavers for up to 6 years with little reduction in sporulation, numbers of spores produced, germination of primary conidia, or infectivity.     

棉蚜种下变型的数值分类研究

 分别对在四种夏寄主及棉花两个生育期和三个温度下的棉蚜的14个形态特征进行了种下数值 分类研究。通过聚类分析和高氏距离分析,结果表明：夏寄主四季豆、西葫芦、棉花苗期 的绿色蚜和黄色蚜间及蕾期的触角6节蚜型和5节蚜型间都无明显差异。但马铃薯蚜与棉花苗 蚜、棉花苗蚜与伏蚜间的形态特征存在相当明显的分离,室内温度达30℃时棉蚜的形态特征 与伏蚜相似。并分析出可用7个主要形态特征区分这些种下变型。     

应用酶标仪动力学方法监测棉蚜的抗药性

用酶标仪动力学测定法对3个抗性水平不同的棉蚜品系（R1、R2和R3）和1个敏感品系（S）的羧酸酯酶进行了研究,S、R1、R2和R3品系对α-乙酸萘酯（α-NA）的平均比活力分别为57．10、1171．69、1236．14和3293．00μmol·mgpro－1·min-1（分光光度计终点测定法）和38．24、85．27、198．14和762．25mOD·min－1·aphid-1（酶标仪动力学法）。终点测定法结果显示出不同品系间最大相差达60倍;酶标仪动力学测定法研究表明,4个棉蚜品系羧酸酶活性与其抗药性程度显著相关。通过对这两种方法的比较,酶动力学方法的测定结果更可靠。     

BINOMIAL COUNT ANALYSIS BASED ON THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND POPULATION DENSITY ESTIMATION OF COTTON APHIDS1)

Abstract  Based on field population sampling of Aphis gossypii on cotton seedlings in Quzhou Experiment Station of China Agricultural University in Hebei Province in 1991, we obtained a data set consisting of 24 estimates of mean aphid density ( m , number of aphids per plant), variance (s²) and the proportion of plants (P_T) with no more than T aphids (T=0, 1, 2,…, 8, 10, 15, 20, respectively and defined as tally threshold). Taylor's power law fitted the data well (r²= 0. 958). The resulting slope (1. 515) was significantly greater than 1, indicating that the spatial distribution of this aphid was in aggregated pattern. An empirical relationship between m and Pr was developed for each T value using the parameters from the linear regression In( m )= a +bln[- ln( P_T )}]. The importance of the T values in reduction of sampling errors and their application to binomial sampling plans are discussed. Small T values, particularly aphid-free plant (T = 0, conventional binomial sample), could lead to spurious estimates of m from P_T . A value of T from 10 to 15 was recommended to develop binomial sampling plans for the aphids on cotton seedlings because of the relatively small sampling errors.