Effect of some plant growth regulator treatments on apple fruit ripening

The activity of IAA oxidase (IAAox), peroxidases (POD), and polyphenoloxidases (PPO), as affected by different pre-harvest growth regulator treatments (ABA, AVG, NAA, PDJ), was determined in on-tree ripening apples (cv. Golden Delicious) before and during the ethylene climacteric. The production of ethylene was inhibited by AVG and delayed by NAA, whereas ABA and PDJ treatments caused, in the on-tree remaining fruits, a marked fruit drop and a decrease or a slight increase in ethylene levels respectively. While all treatments reduced POD activity, jasmonate increased IAAox and PPO activity. The inhibitory effect of NAA on all enzyme activity seems related to interference with C₂H₂ action or to a reduced sensitivity of the fruit abscission zone tissues to the hormone. The observed high fruit drop induced by ABA treatment made it impossible to detect differences in enzyme activity. AVG-treated fruits showed no substantial effects on IAAox and PPO activity in comparison to the control, a finding that seems to be related to a delay in all senescence processes caused by the very low level of the inhibited ethylene production. In control fruits IAAox activity increased during the initial ripening stages and decreased thereafter, POD activity increased throughout ripening and PPO showed little variation.     

人工红树林的生长与病虫害防治的研究

为了配合“十五”863项目研究红树林修复海水滩涂养殖水的营养污染,在深圳海上田园旅游区的科技试验区鱼塘构筑种植岛种植一年生红树植物海桑(Sonneratia caseolarisL.)、桐花树(Ageiceras corniculatum(L.)Blanco)、秋茄(Kandelia candelL.Druce)并监测了解其生长发育的情况及物候期;掌握危害红树林植物生长的主要病虫害.结果表明,海桑生长速度快,各生长形态指标都远大于秋茄和桐花树,并且具有良好的抗逆特性但怕冷冻.秋茄生长速度慢,对环境的适应能力差,怕水淹,成活率最低;桐花树抗逆性强,成活率最高.红树林植物幼龄时期容易受到病虫害严重威胁,要做好防治工作,保证红树林植物的健康生长.     

Field evaluation of the effects of the insect growth regulator tebufenozide on entomophagous arthropods and pests of apples

Organophosphate insecticides are very widely used in commercial apple production to control fruit-attacking pests but their broad-spectrum activity constrains biological control of other pests. Compounds with narrow-spectrum activity are therefore desirable. The insect growth regulator (IGR) tebufenozide was compared with another IGR, fenoxycarb, and the organophosphate, azinphos-methyl, in a replicated field trial in the 1994/1995 apple-production season. Vacuum sampling of the tree foliage on five occasions during the growing season showed significantly lower populations of various natural enemies (spiders, lacewings and the specialist mite predator Stethorus spp. adults and larvae) in the azinphos-methyl treatment than in either of the two IGR treatments. The two-spotted mite ( Tetranychus urticae Koch) was most numerous in the azinphos-methyl treatment. In 1995/1996, the entire trial area was placed under a tebufenozide treatment program to determine the extent to which natural enemy populations would recover when broad-spectrum insecticide (azinphos-methyl) use was halted. Populations of polyphagous natural enemies assumed levels broadly equivalent to those observed under IGR treatments the previous year. Numbers of Stethorus spp. were lower than in the 1994/1995 season, possibly because T. urticae (prey) populations were much reduced from the previous season's densities. All three insecticide treatments were equally effective in controlling the lepidopteran pests, codling moth ( Cydia pomonella (L.)), lightbrown apple moth ( Epiphyas postvittana (Walker)) and early season caterpillars (predominantly Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren)). Results indicate that tebufenozide provides good control of lepidopteran pests, while allowing the rapid build-up of natural enemies which contribute to control of other pests.     

Biological control of insect pests in apple orchards in China

Apple is one of the most important fruits in China, and both yield and quality are greatly affected by insect pests. According to surveys, there are more than 200 species of natural enemies in apple orchards. Few, however, have been closely studied. Major natural enemies including parasitoids, predators and pathogens are briefly described in this review, especially focusing on two parasitoids of Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura and Aphelinus mali Haldeman, predatory mites and a pathogenic fungus of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin as case studies. Augmentation, one important strategy of biological control, supplements the natural control provided by the existing natural enemy community in apple orchards, and greatly increases their efficiency in controlling pests. Conservation biological control is also widely applied in four major apple-producing areas. Based on habitat manipulation, the ground cover planting system helps regulate the microclimate and enhance the biodiversity of apple orchards, effectively conserving the richness and diversity of beneficial insect species. Certain achievements have been made in the main biological control strategies including successful introduction of some exotic natural enemies such as A. mali and Typhlodromus occidentalis Nesbitt, augmentative production and application of biological control agents such as T. dendrolimi, B. bassiana and Bacillus thuringiensis, and further research in conservation of establishing adaptive ground cover planting patterns to local environment. Challenges, however, still exist. Biological control of insect pests in apple orchards is an important part of integrated pest management programs, requiring more research and application in China.     

我国苹果害虫(螨)的研究与防治:回顾与展望

20世纪后50年尤其是改革开放20年来,我国果业生产发展迅猛,成就举世瞩目。截止1998年全国果园面积863．55万hmz,果品总产量达54529亿kg,居世界之首。在落叶果树中苹果发展最快,1998年为283．8万hm’,产量达194．8亿kg,面积和产量在苹果生产国中均居首位,我国年人均占有苹果已达15kg,超出世界人均水平4kg左右。但若以单位面积产量衡量,我国与水果生产发达国家相比尚有较大差距。1998年我国苹果每667mz产量为405．Ikg,仅及发达国家的1／3－l／5。这在一定程度上反映了我国水果生产管理水平的差距,其中病虫为害是重要因素之一。本…     

苹果园主要害虫及其天敌生态位和集团分析

在生态调控苹果园,对烟台红富士苹果树上主要害虫及其天敌的垂直生态位、水平生态位和时间生态位进行了分析,计算了三维生态位重叠值。通过聚类分析分别对害虫和天敌集团进行了划分,将叶片害虫群落分为4个集团,分别是“绣线菊蚜”、“金纹细蛾”、“叶螨集团”和“喜食嫩叶害虫集团”;将叶片天敌群落分为4个集团,包括“喜食蚜虫天敌集团”、“专性食螨天敌集团”、“金纹细蛾寄生蜂集团”和“蜘蛛集团”。通过昆虫群落集团的划分,探讨了叶片昆虫群落结构的组织和种间关系。分析了主要害虫与灭敌在树冠内的空间生态位和时间生态位重叠,表明天敌和害虫在空间上的同域性和时间上的同步性较强。     

The insect faunas of pear and apple orchards and the effect of windbreaks on their distribution

Two coir netting windbreaks, each 7 m tall and 46 m long, were erected in a pear and an apple orchard, to try to increase the number of insect pollinators present at blossom time. The flying insects were sampled with suction traps and insects visiting trees were sampled by examining marked clusters of blossom. The mean aerial density was calculated for each of the forty-two taxa, mainly families, identified from the aerial population. There were about 50% more insects flying in the pear than in the apple orchard. The distribution of flying insects was greatly affected by the windbreaks, and the sheltered zone contained three times as many of most species, and more than three times as many Chironomidae, Psychodidae and Bibionidae as elsewhere. Small flies were the most abundant insects in the air, in both orchards. In the pear orchard large insects comprised only about 7 % of the total aerial population, of which honeybees constituted 0–7% and wild bees 0–3%. By contrast, large insects accounted for a greater proportion of the population on blossom. The reasons for this are discussed. On apple blossom Syrphidae and honeybees were the insects most often seen, and on pear blossom Bibionidae and Mycetophilidae.     

陕西苹果园天敌昆虫分布调查

对陕西不同地区苹果园天敌昆虫进行了调查研究,结果获得天敌昆虫17种,隶属于8目11科.天敌昆虫在陕西不同地区的苹果园的分布存在一定的差异.随着苹果园海拔高度的升高,果园天敌昆虫的种群及数量分布有逐渐减低的趋势.天敌昆虫的分布不仅与自然地理条件、植被等因素直接有关,而且与管理等人为影响有较大的关系.     

Effects of gibberellic acid and prohexadione-calcium on growth,chlorophyll fluorescence and quality of okra plant

The experiment was conducted to identify the response of three cultivars of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] to exogenous hormones [gibberellic acid-(GA₃) and prohexadione-Ca] applied as foliar spray. Stem and leaf dry masses and stem length were significantly enhanced by the application of exogenous GA₃, but prohexadione-Ca inhibited growth. Control and prohexadione-Ca treated okra plants took more time to bloom than did GA₃ treated plants. In the fruits of all the cultivars a decrease in fructose content was observed, while protein content remained almost unchanged after the application of the two growth regulators. The small changes in chlorophyll a fluorescence characteristics observed under prohexadione-Ca suggested a weakening of the photochemical processes near the photosystem 2 reaction centre. The lowering of ratio between maximum time to reach maximum fluorescence, F_m (T_max) and Area (sum of F_m-F_t for t = 0 to t = T_max) caused by GA₃ was probably due to the increase of Area rather than to changes in T_max.     

食品级惰性粉对三种储藏物害虫生长发育的影响

应用粉剂药膜法,一种食品级惰性粉——4号粉相应剂量处理赤拟谷盗Tribolium castaneum(Herbst)、烟草甲Lasioderma serricorne(Fabricius)、锯谷盗Oryzaephilus surinamensis(Linnaeus)的卵和1龄幼虫,赤拟谷盗、锯谷盗、烟草甲的卵平均孵化率均在97%以上,处理后卵孵化的1龄幼虫平均死亡率均在96%以上;处理3种害虫的1龄幼虫其平均死亡率均在99%以上。结果表明食品级惰性粉对3种试虫卵的孵化率几乎没有影响,但对其1龄幼虫有较好的防治效果。通过混粮法应用正交试验研究发现,惰性粉剂量和小麦含水量对赤拟谷盗F1代防治效果均有显著影响。当小麦处于安全水分时(含水量12%¹4%),10014%),100¹50 mg/kg 4号粉能有效防治赤拟谷盗F1代。     

Brandt iH026a plant growth regulator

Photosynthetica - iH026a is a formulation containing a biochemical class of plant growth regulator that modulates glycoconjugation through the plant lectin cycle. While lectins are common to...     

An implicit approach to model plant infestation by insect pests

Various spatial approaches were developed to study the effect of spatial heterogeneities on population dynamics. We present in this paper a flux-based model to describe an aphid-parasitoid system in a closed and spatially structured environment, i.e. a greenhouse. Derived from previous work and adapted to host-parasitoid interactions, our model represents the level of plant infestation as a continuous variable corresponding to the number of plants bearing a given density of pests at a given time. The variation of this variable is described by a partial differential equation. It is coupled to an ordinary differential equation and a delay-differential equation that describe the parasitized host population and the parasitoid population, respectively. We have applied our approach to the pest Aphis gossypii and to one of its parasitoids, Lysiphlebus testaceipes, in a melon greenhouse. Numerical simulations showed that, regardless of the number and distribution of hosts in the greenhouse, the aphid population is slightly larger if parasitoids display a type III rather than a type II functional response. However, the population dynamics depend on the initial distribution of hosts and the initial density of parasitoids released, which is interesting for biological control strategies. Sensitivity analysis showed that the delay in the parasitoid equation and the growth rate of the pest population are crucial parameters for predicting the dynamics. We demonstrate here that such a flux-based approach generates relevant predictions with a more synthetic formalism than a common plant-by-plant model. We also explain how this approach can be better adapted to test different management strategies and to manage crops of several greenhouses.     

Effect of mixed cropping on some insect pests of carrots and onions

Mixed cropping carrots with onions reduced attacks by carrot fly,Psila rosae Fab., on carrots andThrips tabaci Lind. on onions, compared with those on carrots and onions inmonoculture. Increased plant density also reduced the numbers of carrot-willow aphid,Cavariella aegopodii Scop., Carabid and staphylinid predators ofP. rosae eggs were trapped in higher numbers on the intercropped plots with higher onion:carrot plant density ratios (PDR) over bothP. rosae generations but losses of exposed markedP. rosae eggs were not consistent with these differences. In addition, the PDR treatment effect was greatest when the carrots were intercropped with young onions and virtually ineffective once the onions began to bulb.Over 90% of adultP. rosae trapped entering carrot plots were female and the majority approached the plots upwind at a height of <40 cm above the ground possibly in response to the carrot odour. Row-intercropping with onions caused fewer flies to enter the plots. Mixed cropping of carrots with onions probably reducedP. rosae attack by the onion volatiles disturbing host-plant finding particularly when the onions were young. Mixed cropping with the French marigold,Tagetes patula L. was ineffective. C. aegopodii was not directly affected by intercropping as wasT. tabaci, the latter being reduced in numbers by increased PDR possibly due to reduced apparancy of the onion plants.

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Effet de l'association culturale sur quelques insectes attaquant carottes et oignons

Résumé L'association culturale des carrottes et des oignons réduit les attaques dePsila rosae Fab sur carottes et deThrips tabaci Lind sur oignons, par rapport aux monocultures. L'accroissement de la densité végétale réduit de même le nombre de pucerons de la carotte,Cavariella aegopodii Scop. Les carabes et staphylins prédateurs d'oeufs dePsila rosae sont piégés en plus grand nombre en culture alternée avec une densité élevée (PDR) d'oignons et de carottes, pendant les 2 générations deP. rosae; mais les pertes d'oeufs marqués exposés deP. rosae ne confirment pas ces différences. De plus, l'effet du PDR est plus important quand les carottes alternent avec de jeunes oignons et virtuellement sans effet quand les bulbes des oignons commencent à se former. Plus de 90% des adultes deP. rosae piégés en entrant dans les parcelles de carottes étaient des femelles, et la majorité se dirigeait face au vent à moins de 40 cm au dessus du sol, vraisemblablement en réponse à l'odeur de carotte. L'alternance avec des rangs d'oignons limite le nombre de mouches pénétrant dans les parcelles. L'association de carottes et d'oignons a réduit probablement les attaques deP. rosae par l'action de substances volatiles des oignons, en perturbant la découverte de la plante hôte, particulièrement quand les oignons étaient jeunes. L'association avecTagetes patula L. n'a pas eu d'effet. C. aegopodii n'a pas été directement affecté par l'association comme l'étaitT. tabaci, l'effectif de ce dernier ayant pu être limité par un PDR élevé qui aurait réduit l'individualisation des pieds d'oignons.

     

Proteinase inhibitors from Nicotiana alata enhance plant resistance to insect pests

The ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana alata) produces one 6-kDa chymotrypsin inhibitor and four 6-kDa trypsin inhibitors from a single 40.3-kDa precursor protein. Three different approaches have been used to assess the potential of these proteinase inhibitors (PIs) in insect control. The first was an in-vitro approach in which all five inhibitors, the single chymotrypsin inhibitor or three of the four trypsin inhibitors were tested for their ability to inhibit gut protease activity in insects from four orders. The second approach was to incorporate the N. alata PIs in the artificial diet of the native budworm (Helicoverpa punctigera) and the black field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus). H. punctigera larvae and T. commodus nymphs had a significant (P<0.01) reduction in growth after ingestion of the PI and were more lethargic than insects on the control diet. Several of the H. punctigera larvae also failed to complete moulting at the third or fourth instar. The third approach was to express the N. alata PIs in transgenic tobacco under the control of the 35S CaMV promoter. When H. punctigera larvae were fed tobacco leaves expressing the N. alata PIs at 0.2% soluble protein, significant (P<0.01) differences in mortality and/or growth rate were observed.     

Triacontanol: a potent plant growth regulator in agriculture

Abstract

Triacontanol (TRIA) is a natural plant growth regulator found in epicuticular waxes. It is used to enhance the crop production in millions of hectares, particularly in Asia. Quite a number of researchers have reported the TRIA-mediated improvement in growth, yield, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, uptake of water and nutrients, nitrogen-fixation, enzymes activities and contents of free amino acids, reducing sugars, soluble protein, and active constituents of essential oil in various crops. Expectedly, TRIA enhances the physiological efficiency of the cells and, thus, exploits the genetic potential of plant to a large extent. In fact, TRIA increased free amino acids, reducing sugars, and soluble protein of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) within 5 min. TRIA elicited the appearance of L(+)-adenosine within 1 min in the roots of plants, the shoots of which were sprayed with nanomolar concentrations of TRIA. TRIA and octacosanol (OCTA), the primary alcohols, are ubiquitous in the environment. OCTA was reported to inhibit the activity of TRIA in the seedlings of rice (Oryza sativa L.) at equimolar concentrations; and both TRIA and OCTA elicited a second messenger, known as OCTAM and triacontanol second messenger (TRIM), respectively. TRIA rapidly increases the ratio of L(+)- to D(–)-adenosine, probably at the tonoplast. However, it is to be resolved as to how TRIA elicits L(+)-adenosine and what is the source of L(+)-adenosine in plants. Based on known metabolic processes, de novo synthesis of L(+)-adenosine is unlikely, because of the rapidity of the response. TRIA-mediated increase in dry matter production could influence the inter-relationship between primary and secondary metabolism, leading to increased biosynthesis of secondary products. Various studies present strong evidences that application of TRIA applied either to the root medium or to leaves enhanced the growth and yield of vegetables and other crops, including agronomic and horticultural crops as well as medicinal and aromatic crop plants under normal and adverse conditions. However, further investigations are required to elucidate the possible role of TRIA on plant growth regulation, physiological activities and secondary metabolite biosynthesis regarding medicinal and aromatic plants subjected to abiotic stress. The present review covers the pivotal role of TRIA in plant growth and development, its mode of action and its significance in improving the crop productivity and quality of agricultural crops.     

Effect of a new insect growth regulator,RO 13-5223, on hymenopterous parasites of scale insects

The insect growth regulator, RO 13-5223, applied at concentrations up to 0.1% a.i., did not affect the normal development of immature stages of 2 hymenopterous parasites:Metaphycus bartletti Annecke & Mynhardt andAphytis holoxanthus DeBach, parasitoids ofSaissetia oleae (Olivier) andChrysomphalus aonidum (L.), respectively. Spraying citrus trees at the rate of 7.5 g. a.i./tree had no adverse effect on the activity of the following parasitoids:Aphytis chrysomphali (Mercet) andComperiella bifasciata Howard, an ecto- and endoparasite of the California red scale,Aonidiella aurantii Maskell, respectively;Aphytis hispanicus (Mercet) andProspaltella inquirenda Silvestri, an ecto- and endoparasite of the citrus chaff scale,Parlatoria pergandii Comstock, respectively.     

病虫发生程度预报质量评估方法

介绍了对病虫发生程度预报质量进行评估的统计检验方法———McNemar检验和Kappa检验,以及这2种检验方法的原理、假设检验和统计学意义。结合2个实例来说明2种统计检验方法在病虫发生程度预报质量评估中的应用,分析结果表明McNemar检验、Kappa检验能对病虫发生程度预测质量给出更加有效、准确的评估。