Spring behavioral patterns of the apple blossom weevil

Individual pairs of overwintered adult apple blossom weevils, Anthonomus pomorum (L.), confined with apple twigs under different ambient temperatures in the laboratory and on apple trees in the field, were observed through day and night for their spring activities. Flight behavior in relation to ambient temperature was also investigated under laboratory conditions using flight stands. Both sexes displayed predominantly nocturnal behavior patterns in both the laboratory and the field. Feeding, crawling, and mating activities increased following sunset in the field or onset of scotophase in the laboratory while resting occurred most frequently during daylight hours. Results of the laboratory experiments showed that temperature affected significantly the activity patterns. The diel pattern of activities became less distinctive at higher temperatures (above 15°C), and total activities in crawling, feeding, and mating were suppressed significantly at lower temperatures (below 5°C). Over 97% of the test weevils initiated take-off response from flight stands at 20°C within the 30 min trial period; however, flight initiation rarely occurred at temperatures 12°C or below. Overall, results of the laboratory and field experiments indicate that A. pomorum is a remarkably cold-adapted insect with ability to crawl, feed, and mate at a few degrees above freezing, a physiological attribute necessary for the exploitation of early stages of apple bud development in the cold early spring.     

Movement of plum curculio adults toward host trees and traps: flight versus walking

Adult plum curculios, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), were dislodged from branches of apple trees by tapping on 14 days between blossom petal fall and 3 weeks thereafter. They fell onto a small square of framed white cloth that was quickly but carefully moved to a position beneath or adjacent to the canopy of another apple tree.There, adults were observed for 50-min periods from 0800–1950 h for propensity to fly from or walk off the cloth or move to hide beneath foliage on the cloth. At each position, the mean time from observation initiation until flight, walking off or hiding did not differ significantly among these behaviors (averaging 21–30 min), but significantly more flew (31–40%) than crawled off (16–19%) or hid (18–20%). Substantial walking off but no flights occurred at air temperatures below 20 °C, whereas at temperatures of 20 °C or greater, propensity for flight was usually significantly greater than that for walking off.Flights were predominantly toward the tree canopy or inter-tree space, with only a small proportion (17% or less) toward the tree trunk or (in a parallel study) toward an unbaited black pyramid trap (mimicking a tree trunk). Walking was overwhelmingly toward the tree trunk or a black pyramid trap adjacent to the trunk. Our observations lead us to conclude that unbaited black pyramid traps next to trunks of host trees (the most attractive position) can be effective at air temperatures below 20 °C by attracting plum curculio adults that would have entered host trees by walking toward and up tree trunks.Such traps appear to be less effective at 20 °C or greater because under such conditions, adults tend to enter host trees by flight into the canopy.     

Ability of stress‐related volatiles to attract and induce attacks by Xylosandrus germanus and other ambrosia beetles

• 1 Xylosandrus germanus typically colonizes physiologically‐stressed deciduous hosts but it is increasingly being recognized as a key pest of ornamental nursery stock. We tested the attractiveness of common plant stress‐related volatiles to ambrosia beetles occupying the nursery agroecosystem, as well as their ability to induce attacks on selected trees. Experiments were conducted in Ohio, U.S.A.
• 2 Stress volatile attractiveness was first assessed by positioning traps baited with acetaldehyde, acetone, ethanol and methanol in ornamental nurseries. Cumulative trap counts confirmed that ethanol was the most attractive stress‐related volatile to X. germanus. Methanol‐baited traps were slightly attractive to X. germanus, whereas traps baited with acetaldehyde and acetone were not attractive to any ambrosia beetle.
• 3 A series of tree injection experiments were also conducted to determine the ability of these volatiles to induce attacks by ambrosia beetles under field conditions. Injection of ethanol into Magnolia virginiana induced the largest number of attacks, whereas injection of acetaldehyde induced more attacks than methanol or acetone. Xylosandrus germanus was the most predominant species emerging from M. virginiana injected with each of the stress‐related volatiles. No attacks by wood‐boring beetles were observed on water injected or uninjected control trees.
• 4 Solid‐phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry confirmed the emission of acetaldehyde, acetone, ethanol and methanol after their injection into M. virginiana.
• 5 Xylosandrus germanus has an efficient olfactory‐based mechanism for differentiating among host volatile cues. Injecting select trees with stress‐related volatiles, particularly ethanol, shows promise as a trap tree strategy for X. germanus and other ambrosia beetles.

     

Cholesterol oxidase: an oöstatic and larvicidal agent active against the cotton boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis

The enzyme cholesterol oxidase (E.C. 1.1.3.6), purified from Streptomyces culture filtrate was previously found to have oral insecticidal activity on neonate larvae of the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman) from a laboratory population. In the present study, second instar larvae were also controlled by the enzyme at diet concentrations similar to those which control neonates (12 day LC₅₀ = 2.4 μg.ml^?1 in diet). Larvae from field-collected adults were similarly susceptible to cholesterol oxidase in the diet. When ingested by adult females during the mating/pre-oviposition period, cholesterol oxidase greatly reduced subsequent oviposition (83% reduction in eggs laid as compared to controls) and larval survival (97% reduction from controls). Dissection of treated adult females revealed poorly developed ovaries and few developing oöcytes. These studies were conducted to further evaluate the utility of cholesterol oxidase in a program to establish boll weevil-resistant transgenic cotton.     

Prediction of flight of apple sawfly, Hoplocampa testudinea, using temperature sums

A method to predict the beginning of the flight of apple sawfly, Hoplocampa testudinea (Klug) (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) is presented. Adults were monitored during 8 years at the experimental orchard De Schuilenburg, Kesteren, The Netherlands, with visual sticky traps. Temperature sums, accumulated until the day of the first capture of sawfly, were calculated for different starting dates of the summations. Beginning on 1 January, variation of the temperature sums, calculated in each of 8 years, decreased when later starting dates for temperature summation were chosen, reaching a minimum on 1 April for soil temperatures (–5 cm). The soil temperature sum, accumulated from 1 April until the first capture, was on average 134 day-degrees above a threshold of 4 °C. So this was the most suitable starting date to predict the beginning of sawfly flight activity. As use of the summation method based on air temperatures is in practice more appropriate for timing of trap installation by extension services and apple growers, trap deployment is recommended at an adapted value of 157 day-degrees from 15 March.     

Contrast adaptation to time constraints on development of two pre-dispersal predators of dandelion (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Taraxacum officinale</Emphasis>) seed

Pre-dispersal seed predators of quickly maturing inflorescences of Asteraceae are constrained by shortage of development time. At seed dispersal, they should pupate or, if still immature, relocate into another inflorescence. To investigate how dominant coleopteran predators of dandelion seed, Glocianus punctiger (Curculionidae) and Olibrus bicolor (Phalacridae), cope with time limitation we combined observation (development and temperature of dandelion capitulum, thermal constants of predator development, age structure of larval populations at seed dispersal) and analogy (“rate isomorphy” in predator development, comparing “model” coleopteran species with similar temperature requirements). Development of a dandelion capitulum takes 21 days. The time available to G. punctiger (140–190 day degrees, development threshold 6.3°C) is sufficient to complete development and pupate after seed dispersal. By contrast, only 30–50 day degrees are available to O. bicolor (threshold 13.5°C) and this is not enough to complete development and consequently immature larvae should move to other capitula to continue feeding until pupation. These contrast strategies which are determined by this thermal adaptation, are accompanied by differences in larval morphology. The “cold adapted” G. punctiger has an apodous larva not capable of migrating between capitula while the “warm adapted” O. bicolor has a mobile campodeiform larva capable of migration.     

外源NO对UV-B胁迫下红豆杉抗氧化系统的影响

为探讨一氧化氮(nitric oxide,NO)对紫外线-B( UV-B)辐射胁迫下植物抗氧化系统的影响,以盆栽5年生南方红豆杉(Taxus chinensis var.mairei)幼苗为材料,硝普钠(sodium nitroprusside,SNP)为外源NO供体,设置CK(对照)、SNP(+0.1 mmol·L-1SNP)、UV-B(+4.22 kJ·m-2·d-1 UV-B)及UV-B+ SNP(+0.1 mmol·L-1 SNP+4.22 kJ·m-2·d-1UV-B)4个处理,研究外源NO对UV-B胁迫下南方红豆杉幼苗针叶过氧化氢(H2O2)含量、脂质过氧化程度及抗氧化物质含量的影响.结果表明:UV-B胁迫显著提高了南方红豆杉针叶H2O2及MDA含量(P＜0.05),施加外源NO降低UV-B胁迫下针叶H2O2及MDA含量,提高紫杉醇、类黄酮及类胡萝卜素等抗氧化物质含量(P＜0.05);各处理对抗氧化酶活性影响不同,SNP处理显著提高针叶中CAT和POD活性(P＜0.05),UV-B和SNP+UV-B处理均提高针叶中POD活性,降低CAT活性和APX活性(P＜0.05).本研究证实,外源NO可提高UV-B胁迫下植物抗氧化酶活性和抗氧化物质含量,降低其H2O2含量及脂质过氧化程度,从而在一定程度上缓解UV-B胁迫对植物的伤害.     

黄土高原两种树形苹果园花期温度垂直变化特征及预测

温度是苹果花期最为敏感的生态因子,选择两种在黄土高原区具有代表性的不同树龄和树形结构（盛果期小冠开心形和初挂果期自由纺锤形）的富士苹果园,利用小气候梯度自动测定系统在2011—2014年苹果花期进行定位观测,分析花期不同天气类型下（晴天、阴天或多云、雨天）的果园温度梯度及树体温度的变化特征,并基于气象站温度（TM）建立了果园冠下温度（TL）的推算模型.结果表明： 花期果园温度的垂直分布及与园外的差异主要取决于树形结构,而不同天气类型下的差异不显著.平均温度、日最低温度从树冠下到顶部递增,日最高温度、日较差递减.小冠开心形冠层下部晴天日较差最大,多云或阴天冠层中部和顶部日较差较自由纺锤形小.园内外温差的日变化自由纺锤形呈现高 低 高的单波谷形态、而小冠开心形呈单峰形态,园外最低温度高于冠层下部而与冠层中部的温度接近,小冠开心形冠层下的最低温度较园外最低温度更低,特别是多云或阴天更明显,而冠层中部和顶部与园外的温度差异则较自由纺锤形小.线性模型能够较好地推算树冠下部的温度,误差绝对值在1 ℃以内,特别是自由纺锤形果园和雨天条件下效果更好.