In-vitro assessment of food consumption,utilization indices and losses promises of leafworm,Spodoptera litura (Fab.), on okra crop

The lepidopteran insect pests have significant importance in vegetable production. The present study was performed to investigate the baseline studies about the assessment of feeding and consumption potential, utilization indices and losses promises of leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab.) on Okra. The data regarding feeding potential, food utilization and consumption indices as well as losses of different larval instars were recorded and subjected to appropriate statistical analysis. The results showed that, in the beginning, the approximate digestibility of various instars was increase, e.g. third instar (51.36%–64.03%), fourth instar (63.42%–69.45%) and fifth instar (70.25%–76.10%). However, after a certain period, the digestibility was decreased and efficiency to convert the ingested food into biomass varied significantly. The consumption index values increased with an increase in time but the consumption and growth rate was declined of fourth instar larvae. The ingestion and digestion increased of third (10.01–13.06, 8.32–11.91 mg), fourth (11.27–17.28, 10.96–14.03 mg) and fifth (12.60–19.40, 11.93–15.28 mg) larval instars. The corrected weight of consumed leaves increased with a gain in body weight. However, in the third instar, a decline was observed on the last day of feeding. Maximum leaf area was consumed by fifth instar larvae (44.66 cm²) followed by fourth (35.41 cm²) and third (27.98 cm²) instars. In conclusion, all the dependent parameters, including food utilization potential, consumption indices and losses were higher for fifth instar larvae than others. These results emphasized the re-establishment of fundamental (economic threshold level: ETL, economic injury level: EIL) integrated pest management concepts.     

Management of pine wilt disease vectoring Monochamus alternatus adults using spray and soil application of Metarhizium anisopliae JEF isolates

Chemical control is widely used to control the Japanese pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus, but strong chemical regulations require an environmentally sound management strategy. In this work, we investigated the use of entomopathogenic fungi and their application as a means of practical pest management. Thirty-two diverse species of fungal isolates were assayed against adult pine sawyer beetles using a contact method under laboratory conditions, and four isolates showed over 70% virulence consequently. These isolates, two each of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were sprayed on the adult beetles at 1 × 10⁷ conidia/ml in plastic containers, respectively. The M. anisopliae-treated adult beetles showed 67% mortality. M. anisopliae isolates JEF-197 and JEF-279 demonstrated dosage-dependent insecticidal activity. Following the laboratory experiments, semi-field trials were conducted in young pine trees under high (RH 94%) and low (RH 35%) humidity conditions. In the high humidity conditions, most of the adult beetles stayed on the top of the branches. When the two M. anisopliae isolates were sprayed on the beetles, they showed ca. 50–70% insecticidal activity 11 days after application. In contrast, in low humidity conditions, the adult beetles tried to move off the branches and onto the soil. When the beetles reached the JEF-197 and JEF-279-treated soil, we measured >90% insecticidal activity. This work suggests that M. anisopliae was the most virulent entomopathogenic fungus against adult Japanese pine sawyer beetles, and this forest insect could be ecologically controlled by the spray and soil application of the M. anisopliae isolates.     

Evaluation of barrier plants for the cultural control of tomato yellow leaf curl disease

Barrier cropping plays an essential role in controlling insect pests and insect-transmitted diseases in cultural control. It has been proven efficient in suppressing the spread of nonpersistently transmitted viruses. For suppressing the spread of persistently transmitted viruses, barrier cropping is not considered an effective control strategy because barrier plants cannot act as a virus sink to purge the virus in the vector. However, few successful cases of barrier cropping suppressing the spread of persistently transmitted viruses have been reported. The objectives of the present study were to screen candidates (cucumber, okra, Chinese kale, soybean, and corn) for potential barrier plants to control tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (TYLCTHV) and examine whether prefeeding on these plants can reduce the virus titer in its vector, Bemisia tabaci, thus reducing TYLCTHV transmission. The results revealed that nonviruliferous whiteflies preferred cucumber and okra to tomato, whereas viruliferous whiteflies preferred cucumber to tomato. Although prefeeding on cucumber, okra, and Chinese kale did not reduce the titer of TYLCTHV in viruliferous whiteflies, the vector transmission rate decreased after the whiteflies fed on Chinese kale. It implies that planting Chinese kale as a barrier plant for tomato cultivation may reduce the incidence of TYLCTHV. In addition, the preference to cucumber plants may reduce the incidence of whiteflies acquiring TYLCTHV from virus-infected tomato plants and of viruliferous whiteflies inoculating the virus into healthy tomato plants, thereby reducing the disease incidence. Further field trials of barrier cropping using the candidate plants are warranted.     

Peptides in the hemolymph of Hermetia illucens larvae completely inhibit the growth of Klebsiella pneumonia in vitro and in vivo

Extensive use of antibiotics has caused the microbial resistance to rise drastically within the last few decades, and new approaches are therefore needed to develop effective antibacterial substances. In this study, we identified peptide in the hemolymph of Hermetia illucens larvae using reverse-phase chromatography, HPLC and Nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS system. We investigated the antibacterial effect of HP/F9 peptides against Klebsiella pneumoniae in vitro and in vivo. The peptide effectively inhibited the growth of K. pneumoniae in vitro and completely removed K. pneumoniae from the lungs of mice. Importantly, peptides (22,000 Da, HP/F9) successfully reduced lung inflammation upon K. pneumoniae infection. These results indicate that the HP/F9 peptide from H. illucens larva can effectively protect the mouse from K. pneumoniae infection. HP/F9 could be a new candidate for the development of effective antibacterial substance.     

Life cycle and morphology of Anisops sardeus Herrich-Schaeffer, 1849 (Heteroptera: Notonectidae)

The life cycle of Anisops sardeus was studied by rearing individuals from egg to adult stage in laboratory conditions at a water temperature of 23.2 ± 1.4 °C during the wet season (May-June) and 19 ± 1.8 °C during the dry season (December-February). The incubation period averaged 8 ± 0.8 and 11.5 ± 1.7 days during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Duration of the five instars averaged 3.4 ± 0.5, 4.4 ± 0.5, 4.8 ± 0.8, 5 ± 0.7, and 6.9 ± 0.7 days, respectively during the wet season, and 4.9 ± 0.7, 6.5 ± 1.1, 7.5 ± 1.1, 8.1 ± 0.7, and 9.4 ± 1.1 days, respectively during the dry season. Total developmental time averaged 32.5 ± 2 and 47.9 ± 2.8 days in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. The average period of incubation and developmental time of the five instars were shorter in the wet season as compared to those in the dry season. But individuals were larger in the dry season. The variations in morphometric ratios of different characteristic features of laboratory reared specimens among different developmental stages in both the wet and dry seasons, and field collected specimens in the wet season were highly significant as revealed by one-way MANOVA (F = 95.45, p < 0.001; F = 124.38, p < 0.001; F = 5022.85, p < 0.001, respectively). Five instars are described in detail with emphasis on 29 morphometric ratios. This study discerned six morphometric ratios such as length of wing pad/ width of wing pad (WL/WW), length of wing pad/body length (WL/BL), length of head/length of body (HL/BL), length of meso femur/length of meso tibia (FE2L/TI2L), synthlipsis/width of head (S/HW), and vertex/synthlipsis (V/S) which can be used for discriminating instars I-V.     

Cytotoxic,clonal fidelity,and antioxidant evaluation of in vitro propagated Vitex negundo var. cannabifolia

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Vitex negundo L. var. cannabifolia (Sieb. et Zucc.) Hand.-Mazz. is an important medicinal plant rich in bioactive compounds. In vitro tissue culture...     

皖北石灰岩山地植被对地表节肢动物组成及多样性的影响

调查皖北石灰岩山地退化生态系统不同植被恢复类型地表节肢动物群落组成、类群多样性以及功能群组成,揭示退化生态系统植被恢复进程中土壤地表节肢动物群多样性变化规律及其影响因素,为石灰岩山地植被恢复成效评价提供科学依据。采用陷阱法对皖北石灰岩山地侧柏+构树混交林、酸枣+牡荆灌丛和荩草+牡荆草灌丛样地地表节肢动物群落组成、多样性以及功能群进行调查。共采节肢动物个体数11601,隶属8纲14目44科。酸枣+牡荆灌丛样地采集到节肢动物37科,占所有类群的84.1%,荩草+牡荆草灌丛和侧柏+构树混交林采集到土壤节肢动物类群为35和26科,分别占总科数的79.6%和59.1%。在目的分类单元下,直翅目、等足目和鞘翅目类群相对多度较高,而科的分类单元下,潮虫科、金龟甲科、蚁科和蟋蟀科为皖北石灰岩山地优势地表节肢动物类群。酸枣+牡荆灌丛节肢动物类群丰富度和荩草+牡荆草灌丛多样性指数最高,侧柏+构树混交林两者均最低。3个样地地表节肢动物营养功能群均以植食性为主。不同植被恢复类型间群落相似性也有变化,酸枣+牡荆灌丛和荩草+牡荆草灌丛间相似性较高,而侧柏+构树混交林与其他2种类型之间相似度均较低。研究结果表明石灰岩山地生境不同植被群落组成、数量和结构及其驱动形成的土壤理化特性、表层的凋落物数量、质量和微生境条件的变异,引起地表节肢动物群落组成、结构和多样性和营养功能群的不同。     

Design of Lewis acid–base complex: enhancing the stability and first hyperpolarizability of large excess electron compound

In the present paper, a new type of Lewis acid–base complex BX₃???Li@Calix[4]pyrrole (X = H and F) was designed and assembled based on electride molecule Li@calix[4]pyrrole (as a Lewis base) and the electron deficient molecule BX₃ (as a Lewis acid) by employing quantum mechanical calculation. The new Lewis acid–base complex offers an interesting push-excess electron-pull (P-e-P) framework to enhance the stability and nonlinear optical (NLO) response. To measure the nonlinear optical response, static first hyperpolarizabilities (β ₀) are exhibited. Significantly, point-face assembled Lewis acid–base complex BF₃???Li@Calix[4]pyrrole (II) has considerable first hyperpolarizabilities (β ₀) value (1.4?×?10⁶ a.u.), which is about 117 times larger than reported 11,721 a.u. of electride Li@Calix[4]pyrrole. Further investigations show that, in BX₃???Li@Calix[4]pyrrole with P-e-P framework, a strong charge-transfer transition from the ground state to the excited state contributes to the enhancement of first hyperpolarizability. Theory calculation of enthalpies of reaction (Δ_rH⁰) at 298 K demonstrates that it is feasible to synthetize the complexes BX₃???Li@Calix[4]pyrrole. In addition, compared with Li@Calix[4]pyrrole, the vertical ionization potential (VIP) and HOMO–LUMO gap of BX₃???Li@Calix[4]pyrrole have obviously increased, due to the introduction of the Lewis acid molecule BX₃. The novel Lewis acid–base NLO complex possesses not only a large nonlinear optical response but also higher stability.