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.     

三只羊岩溶峰丛洼地桃树优质高产栽培技术研究

在广西三只羊岩溶峰丛洼地进行幼龄期桃树作物套种、施肥以及疏果等栽培技术的对比试验。结果表明,套种黄豆能明显促进桃树基茎和主枝直径的增长,套种玉米则抑制桃树基茎和主枝直径的增长;混施猪粪水和磷肥的桃树其果实品质明显优于混施羊粪和磷肥以及牛粪和磷肥的桃树的果实;同时,中等疏果强度,即保留枝条上桃果间距14~18cm,可获最大种植效益,桃果重量增加50.3%,桃树的产值提高52.9%。     

碧桃朝鲜球坚蚧的出蛰若虫空间格局及应用

采用多种聚集度指标、Iwao法和Taylor幂函数法分析朝鲜球坚蚧出蛰若虫在碧桃上的空间格局。结果表明,出蛰若虫在碧桃上呈聚集分布,分布以个体群形式存在。碧桃不同段位上的聚集度指标和Iwao法均表明其为聚集分布,而Taylor幂函数法测定为上、中段均匀分布,下段聚集分布,综合分析其成因是各样地受害程度及垂直方向虫口密度差异显著所致。聚集均数λ值的测定结果表明,该虫的聚集原因主要由出蛰若虫自身的生物学习性和环境因素所引起。此外,利用空间格局参数确定了理论抽样数和序贯抽样模型。     

利用电子鼻评价桃果实香气

为了明确不同桃品种资源果实香气差异,对桃果实香气评价和品质改良提供参考,本研究利用电子鼻系统对桃品种资源果实整果香气进行测定和区分.通过PEN 3.5电子鼻系统采集74份不同品种资源桃果实芳香成分并得到了不同传感器的响应值,采用主成分(PCA)、线性判别法(LDA)和负荷加载(LO)方法分析数据.LO分析结果显示,硫化...     

CO2浓度倍增减轻UV-B辐射对大棚番茄的抑制作用研究

在CO2浓度倍增(700 μmol·mol-1)条件下,以5个不同剂量的UV-B辐射对大棚番茄的光合作用及SOD、POD、CAT酶活性的影响进行了研究.结果表明CO2倍增能够明显提高番茄叶绿素含量、净光合速率和抗氧化酶活性.在CO2倍增条件下,低剂量UV-B辐射(<1.163 kJ·m-2·d-1)可以刺激番茄叶片叶绿素含量升高,抗氧化酶活性升高,与CO2的正效应有叠加现象,但对光合作用的影响不大;高剂量的UV-B(>1.163 kJ·m-2·d-1)辐射使植株的叶绿素含量、净光合速率和抗氧化酶活性降低,对植物产生胁迫作用,CO2倍增与UV-B辐射复合处理可以减弱和部分抵消这种抑制作用.     

Production of St. John's wort plants under controlled environment for maximizing biomass and secondary metabolites

Summary St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a medicinal plant used in the treatment of neurological disorders and has been recently shown to have anticancer potential. The principle medicinal components of St. John's wort are hypericin. pseudohypericin, and hyperforin. One of the problems associated with medicinal plant preparations including St. John's wort is the extreme variability in the phytochemical content, mostly due to environmental variability, and biotic and abiotic contamination during cropping. The current study was undertaken to transplant St. John's wort plants from in vitro bioreactors in a closed controlled environment system (CCES) with CO₂ enrichment for the optimized production of biomas and phytochemicals. The growth and levels of hypericin, pseudohypericin, and hyperforin in plants grown in CCES were compared with those of the greenhouse and in vitro-grown plants. The environmental parameters in the greenhouse were found to be variable whereas in the CCES these parameters were controlled. Generally, all the growth parameters and hypericin and psendohypericin levels were significantly higher in the plants grown in the CCES. These results provide the first indication that growing St. John's wort plants, under CO₂ enrichment in a closed environment system can enhance the biomass and medicinal contents. The adaptation of this growing system may be useful for the production of optimized products of St. John's wort and other medicinal species.     

Growth and development of Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae): effect of host age

The tiny parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa, has been used successfully to control greenhouse whiteflies (GHWFs) in greenhouses in many countries throughout the world. Therefore, there has been considerable interest in developing methods for artificially rearing this wasp. However, little information is available concerning the regulation of its development including the host-parasitoid interactions that are required for the parasitoid to complete its life cycle. Here we confirm that parasitoid developmental rates differ significantly based upon the host instar parasitized. Development was faster when 3rd and 4th instar GHWFs were offered for parasitization than when 1st or 2nd instars were used. Our results show that it is primarily the embryo and the first two parasitoid instars that exhibit prolonged developmental times when 1st and 2nd instar whiteflies are parasitized. Although percent emergence was not affected by host age at the time of parasitization, adult longevity as well as adult emergence pattern varied greatly depending upon the instar parasitized. When 3rd and 4th instar GHWFs were selected for oviposition, adult wasps lived significantly longer than when 1st or 2nd instars were used; also, there was a sharp emergence peak on the 2nd day after emergence was first observed (reduced or absent when 1st or 2nd instar GHWFs were parasitized) and the emergence period was reduced from between 8 and 11 days to 5 days. In general, the younger the host instar parasitized, the less synchronous was parasitoid development. Previous reports that E. formosa will not molt to the 2nd instar until the host has reached its 4th instar were not confirmed. When 1st instar host nymphs were parasitized, 2nd instar parasitoids were detected in 3rd instar hosts. Importantly, however, no matter which instar was parasitized, the parasitoid never molted to its last instar until the host had reached Stage 5 of its last instar, a stage in which host pharate adult formation has been initiated. It appears, then, that a condition(s) associated with host pharate adult formation is required for the parasitoid's final larval molt. Results reported here should facilitate the development of in vitro rearing systems for E. formosa.     

Phytoseiid predators suppress populations of Bemisia tabaci on cucumber plants with alternative food

Phytoseiids are known to attack whiteflies, but it is an open question whether they can be used for biological control of these pest insects. Preselection experiments in the laboratory showed that two out of five phytoseiid species tested, Euseius scutalis and Typhlodromips swirskii, stood out in terms of their ability to develop and reproduce on a diet of Bemisia tabaci immatures. In this paper, we show that both predators are able to suppress whitefly populations on isolated cucumber plants in a greenhouse. Predatory mites were released 2 weeks in advance of the release of B. tabaci. To enable their survival and promote their population growth, they were provided weekly with alternative food, that is, Typha sp. pollen. A few weeks after whitefly introduction, the numbers of adult whiteflies on plants with predators were consistently lower than on plants without predators, where B. tabaci populations grew exponentially. After 9 weeks, this amounted to a 16- to 21-fold difference in adult whitefly population size. This shows that the two phytoseiid species are promising biocontrol agents of B. tabaci on greenhouse cucumber. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A research on the microfungal flora of somegreenhouse soils in the vicinity of LapsekiÇanakkale,Turkey

Qualitative and quantitative distributions of microfungal flora of the some greenhouse soils in the vicinity of Lapseki, Canakkale were studied. A total of 25 soil samples were collected from 10 cm depth in five greenhouses. Using soil dilution technique, 128 different microfungal isolates were obtained Isolates collected belonged to Oomycetes (1), Zygomycetes (7), Ascomycetes (9) and 96 belonging to the Deuteromycetes Fifteen isolates were classified as Mycelia Sterilia. The genera of microfungi most abundant in the greenhouse soils were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Geomyces, Exophiala and Fusarium. Qualitative and quantitative distributions of the Aspergillus were higher than those of the other genera. It was found that the maximum value was in greenhouse 5 and the minimum value was in greenhouse 4. The solarization method was the most effective in reducing fungal numbers.     

Effects of branch solid Fe sulphate implants on xylem sap composition in field-grown peach and pear: changes in Fe, organic anions and pH

The effects of placing solid implants containing Fe sulfate in branches of Fe-deficient pear and peach trees on the composition of the xylem sap have been studied. Iron sulfate implants are commercially used in northeastern Spain to control iron chlorosis in fruit trees. Implants increased Fe concentrations and decreased organic acid concentrations in the xylem sap, whereas xylem sap pH was only moderately changed. The citrate to Fe ratios decreased markedly after implants, therefore improving the possibility that Fe could be reduced by the leaf plasma membrane enzyme reductase, known to be inhibited by high citrate/Fe ratios. In peach, the effects of the implants could be observed many months post treatment. In pear, some effects were still observed one year after the implants had taken place. Results obtained indicate that solid Fe sulfate implants were capable of significantly changing the chemical composition of the xylem sap in fruit trees.