Currently, Prosopis laevigata (mesquite) has been affected by the Bruchinae coleoptera pest, whic feeds on its seed and causes significant losses in production and grain storage. In the Hñähñu community El Alberto (Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico), the use of aqueous extracts from garlic and nettle as botanical insecticides against different pests in agricultural fields is a known practice. Herein, we assess the efficacy of the method known by locals in the protection of mesquite seeds. Two tests were conducted: 1) Insecticidal effect on adult bruchins, and 2) Seed preservation test from Bruchinae infestation, with a germination test in seeds exposed to the treatments. There are probable insecticidal effects on immature stages of Bruchinae since there were no mortality effects on their adults during the first test. Mortality on adults in the second test was 75.6% with garlic and 50% with nettle. Nettle extract had more efficacy in seed protection with an infestation rate of 4%, whereas 27.5% of the seeds exposed to garlic extract were infested. Seed germination rate was 2.38% with nettle extract, and 1.19% with garlic extract. The method known by local inhabitants requires modifications to increase its efficacy and possible use in Integrated Pest Management in the future.

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, an insect of the order Hemiptera which attacks more than 600 species of plants, is one of the most important agricultural pests around the world. The insecticidal Cry proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are useful biological pesticides, and some are toxic to Hemipteran insects. In this study, Colombian native isolates of Bt were functionally characterized at molecular and biological levels. The strains contained between one and five different crystal shapes: round, triangular, amorphous, bipyramidal and squared. The strains presented between three to seven bands of proteins in their electrophoretic pattern that were organized into six groups according to their possible biological activity on insect pests. Cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, cry1B and cry1C genes were identified for PCR in the different Bt isolates. Bioassays were performed on tomato leaves whose surface was spread with 3 μg · ml−1 crude extract of Bt toxins. Second instar larvae of whitefly, which were placed on top of leaves and exposed to the toxins for 7 days, exhibited mortalities from 18 to 69%. The lethal concentration 50 (LC50) of ZBUJTL39, Bt kurstaki HD1 and ZCUJTL9 strains were 1.83, 1.85 and 2.16 μg · ml−1, respectively (p < 0.05). These results show that the native Bt strain ZBUJTL39, which contained the genes cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cryCa and cryBa could eventually be used for the development of an integrated management program together with other tools for the control of B. tabaci.

Rachiplusia nu (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is the main soybean plague in Argentina. The main strategy employed to control this pest is chemical control, applying different chemical groups regardless of their harmful effects on the environment and human health. Different biological products using entomopathogenic fungi have been developed and are commercially available to control different insect pests worldwide. The objective of this work was to develop and apply, under field conditions, different fungal formulations using entomopathogenic fungi to control R. nu larvae. The mortality percentages in bioassays of R. nu larvae treated with different colonies of fungal entomopathogens ranged between 86.6 ± 8.4% for Beauveria bassiana (LPSc 1098) and 56.6 ± 4.2% for Metarhizium anisopliae (LPSc 907). Under laboratory conditions using fungal formulations of B. bassiana, the formulation 4 (LPSc 1086) exhibited the highest mortality percentage (100%), followed by formulation 5 (LPSc 1098), 97 ± 1.3%. Under field conditions, larval mortalities were 82.4 ± 5.56% for formulation F4 and 61.8 ± 7.5% for formulation F5. The results obtained in this work indicate that although a greater number of tests under field conditions with the fungal formulation F4 are necessary, the results obtained in this work allow speculating that it is possible to use this fungal formulation under field conditions to control R. nu.

The use of suitable mass rearing methods is crucial to establish successful inundative or

inoculative biological control programs. The development of an artificial diet considerably

reduces costs of mass rearing. In this study, the efficacy of a new meridic artificial

diet for rearing the predatory bug, Orius albidipennis (Het., Anthocoridae), was studied.

The artificial diet was composed of some natural materials including lamb liver, hen yolk,

whey protein, honey, royal jelly and some specific vitamins. To determine the artificial diet

efficacy life table parameters of the bugs, using the two-sex life table method, fed artificial

and factitious diets, Ephestia kuehniella egg + date palm pollen, were compared. Results

showed that O. albidipennis could complete its life stages and reproduce when reared on the

recommended artificial diet. However, its fecundity and survival rate when fed the artificial

diet was lower than the controls. Overall, due to lower production costs the artificial diet

can be recommended for mass rearing of O. albidipennis despite the lower fecundity and

survival rate.

Control failure of pests and selectivity of insecticides to beneficial arthropods are key data for the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the control failure likelihood of Plutella xylostella and the physiological selectivity active ingredients to parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and to predators Polybia scutellaris (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and Lasiochilus sp. (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). In bioassays, P. xylostella larvae and O. sokolowskii, P. scutellaris and Lasiochilus sp. adults were used. Concentration-mortality curves of six insecticides for P. xylostella were established. These curves were used to estimate the mortality of P. xylostella at the recommended concentration, in order to check a control failure of insecticides to this pest. Furthermore, the lethal concentration for 90% of populations (LC90) and the half of LC90 were used in bioassays with the natural enemies to determine the selectivity of these insects to insecticides. All tested insecticides showed control failure to P. xylostella, indicated by high LC90 and low estimated mortalities (less than 80%). The cartap insecticide was selective in half of LC90 to Lasiochilus sp. and moderately selective in LC90 and the half of LC90, to Lasiochilus sp. and P. scutellaris, respectively. Deltamethrin was moderately selective in the half of LC90 to predator Lasiochilus sp. Cartap, carbaryl, and deltamethrin reduced the mortality of Lasiochilus sp. in the half LC90. The results also showed that the insecticides methamidophos, carbaryl, parathion methyl and permethrin were not selective to any of the tested natural enemies. The role of insecticides in IPM systems of Brassica crops is discussed based on their control failures to P. xylostella and selectivity to their natural enemies.

In a previous study, the endophytic Bacillus velezensis NC318 was isolated from the rhizosphere of date palm and showed strong antifungal activity against the soil-borne plant pathogenic fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc, the causal agent of Southern blight. The potential of the Bacillus genus in the inhibition of plant pathogens is mainly due to the production of certain bioactive compounds. In the present study, secondary metabolites extracted from the cell-free supernatant of strain NC318 showed strong antifungal activity on the mycelial growth and germination of S. rolfsii sclerotia in vitro. With 50 μl of bioactive compounds crude extracts, the mycelial growth inhibition rate was 97% and any germination of sclerotia was reported. Chemical analysis of the secondary metabolite crude extracts performed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS), revealed that the secreted bioactive compounds belonged to the family of lipopeptides (iturin, fengycin, surfactin), polyketides (bacillaene, macrolactin, difficidin and bacilysin) and siderophores (bacillibactin). These results provide a better understanding of the biocontrol mechanism of the bacteria strain B. velezensis NC318 against the soil fungal pathogens, especially S. rolfsii root rot.

Biological parameters of the larval parasitoid Cephalonomia tarsalis (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera : Bethylidae) and its host the saw-toothed beetle Oryzapehilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera : Silvanidae) were studied in the laboratory. The duration of the immature period, survival during development, as well as adult longevity and the number of progeny of both insects were recorded. Our data were used for the estimation of several demographic parameters and life table construction of both the host and the parasitoid. The wasp managed to complete its development (egg – adult) in 19.8 days at 25oC, whereas the adult female lived for 24.3 days. The host O. surinamensis demonstrated a longer developmental period (30.5 days) and adult female longevity (103.0 days). Female wasps laid an average of 66.4 eggs throughout their lifetime whereas their beetle hosts laid five times more eggs (313.9). Life table parameters of C. tarsalis were estimated for the first time. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was 0.124 which was almost double that of its host (0.056). Our results are discussed on the basis of evaluating and improving the performance of C. tarsalis as a biocontrol agent against O. surinamensis in storage facilities.

The aims of this study were to prospect Penicillium and Talaromyces species associated with Austrocedrus chilensis in sites with and without Austrocedrus Root Disease (ARD), which is caused by the pathogen Phytophthora austrocedri; and to find Penicillium sp. strains with biocontrol activity against this disease. Isolations from sites with and without the prevalence of ARD were made, and the obtained isolates were phenotypically and molecularly identified to species level. Several Penicillium species were isolated from all sites; five of them were exclusively isolated from sites with ARD. Penicillium communities were compared through multivariate analyses; communities were more complex in sites with ARD. Biocontrol activity of Penicillium and Talaromyces isolates was evaluated using co-cultures with Ph. austrocedri. Penicillium glabrum, T. amestolkiae, P. palitans, and P. crustosum showed the highest biocontrol effect. Our results highlight that Penicillium species have high biocontrol activity, which also reinforces the hypothesis that some Penicillium species could be used in formulating a control strategy.

The aim of this review is to describe ecological and physiological features of Andrallus spinidens Fabricius and to discuss various possibilities of using it as an appropriate biocontrol agent in different agroecosystems. This hemipteran is a cosmopolitan predator of caterpillar pests of rice, wheat, soybean, moong, pigeon pea, maize, sugarcane and cowpea with special feeding on Chilo suppressalis Walker, Naranga aenescnes Moore, Helicoverpa armigera Hübner and Spodoptera litura Fabricius. Climate, spatial distribution of prey and type of agricultural crop are among the factors influencing the biology and spatial-temporal distribution of A. spinidens. Studies have shown random or aggregated distribution of the predatory bug with population peaks in April, July and October. The 1st instar nymphs have no feeding, the 2nd and 3rd (the first 2 days) instars are seedling feeders while they are voracious predators of caterpillars from the middle of 3rd instar to adulthood. The salivary gland consisted of two anterior-, two lateral- and two posterior lobes with major secretion of trypsin, chymotrypsin, amino- and carboxypeptidases. The alimentary canal has a four-sectioned midgut in which the third section seems to be the main place for digestive enzymes including α-amylase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase cathepsins B, L and D as well as carboxy- and aminopetidases. Andrallus spinidens have shown compatibility with some insecticides and the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana. The predatory bug may be successfully reared in a laboratory using Galleria mellonella larvae as prey and both conservation and augmentation should be considered as biological control strategies against insect pests.

For the first time, the mycophagous beetle Sericoderus lateralis (Gyllenhal, 1827) was documented feeding on tomato leaf mold ( Cladosporium fulvum Cooke, 1878) tissues. The phenomenon was observed during the years 2022 and 2023 in a hydroponic tomato greenhouse situated near the Czech-Polish border within the cadastre of Dolní Lutyně municipality in Czechia. Greenhouse and laboratory observations confirmed that adult and larvae feeding activity led to a reduction in tomato leaf mold lesions. In addition, there was a positive correlation between tomato leaf mold disease progression and increased populations of S. lateralis in the tomato crop. Petri dish observations confirmed egg laying occurred on a diet of tomato leaf mold. Further research is warranted to discern whether S. lateralis is a potential biological control agent for tomato leaf mold or if it acts to facilitate the spread of the disease by acting as a spore vector.

Eupatorium odoratum is known for its ability to resist nematode infestations that attack the root systems of banana plants. An aqueous extract of the leaves and stems of E. odoratum (named EEOL) represents a natural solution that we investigated for its potential to control the harmful nematode, Radopholus similis, in Cavendish banana plants. Our research into EEOL’s efficacy spanned two distinct environments: a micro plot experiment model and a field model. Various concentrations of EEOL were examined to assess its efficacy in alleviating R. similis infestations and in mitigating their adverse effects on Cavendish banana plants. In the micro plot experiment model, the concentration of the original solution, diluted at ratios of 1:30×, 1 : 16×, 1 : 8×, 1 : 4×, and 1 : 2×, ranged from 1.76 to 28.16 mg · ml ^-1. In the field model, the corresponding rates varied from 6.03 to 96.54 l · ha ^-1. Key parameters, including infection rates, root necrosis indices, plant growth metrics, percentage of fallen trees, and harvest yields, were meticulously monitored and assessed. The results demonstrated that EEOL significantly reduced infection rates ( p < 0.05), decreased root necrosis indices ( p < 0.05), and promoted increased plant height, pseudostem circumference, and leaf area ( p < 0.05) in both models. Furthermore, it lowered the percentage of fallen trees ( p < 0.05) and enhanced harvest yields ( p < 0.05) in the field model. Notably, observations in the field model revealed that EEOL, particularly at a dosage of 96.54 l · ha ^-1, exhibited effectiveness equivalent to the conventional chemical nematode control method, fenamiphos ( p > 0.05). The study’s findings underscore the promising potential of EEOL in effectively managing R. similis infestations and improving the yield and quality of Cavendish banana plants. The aqueous extract of the stem and leaves of E. odoratum emerged as an effective nematode management solution for banana cultivation, in both the micro plot experiment and field conditions.