Abstract: The present study was aimed at characterizing differences in mate acceptance and host plant recognition between Busseola fusca (Lep.: Noctuidae) reared for several generations under laboratory conditions and wild conspecifics, directly collected from maize stems in the field. The mating success was significantly higher in laboratory reared when compared with the wild B. fusca population. Oviposition on artificial stems was significantly higher for laboratory-reared insects than for...
Abstract: Diadegma semiclausum (Helle´n) (Hymenoptera: lchneumonidae), an exotic diamondback moth parasitoid, was released in two pilot areas (Werugha in Coast Region and Tharuni in Central Province) in Kenya. Fifteen month before release, observations on the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus), and local natural enemy population dynamics and pest damage were initiated in both areas and continued for three years after release. The P. xylostella population was bimodal with highe...
Abstract: The bionomics of Stethorus tridens Gordon fed Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard were studied in the laboratory. The number of prey consumed by S. tridens increased with increasing instar levels and the total mean number consumed during immature development was 184.1 ± 18.02 T. evansi nymphs per individual. For adult male and adult female, the daily consumption was 41.3 ± 0.80 and 67.8 ± 1.69 nymphs, respectively. Stethorus tridens successfully developed to adulthood between 2...
Abstract: The tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi, is reported as a severe pest of tomato and other solanaceous crops from Africa, from Atlantic and Mediterranean Islands, and more recently from the south of Europe (Portugal, Spain and France). A population of the predaceous mite Phytoseiulus longipes has been recently found in Brazil in association with T. evansi. The objective of this paper was to assess the development and reproduction abilities of this strain on T. evansi under la...
Abstract: The biological-control function of field boundaries of Guinea grass, Panicum maximum Jacq. on the spotted stem borer, Chilo partellus Swinhoe was examined as a reservoir for arthropod predators and as a trap plant for the pest. Field border vegetation and predator density were manipulated to determine the effect of the grass border on the abundance of stem borers and their predators in maize fields, and the effect of predators on the stem borer population. The strip of Guinea grass...
Abstract: The spider mite Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard can cause severe damage to tomato crops. The predatory mite Phytoseiulus longipes Evans was recently reported in association with T. evansi in Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of P . longipes on the population of T. evansi on tomatoes under screenhouse condition. The study consisted on four experiments, in each of which 80 potted plantlets were distributed...
Abstract: In Cameroon, the noctuid Busseola fusca is the most important pest of maize. The braconid Cotesia sesamiae, which is the most common larval parasitoid of noctuid stemborers in eastern Africa, was absent on B. fusca attacking maize. Thus, it is planned to introduce several strains of the parasitoid from Kenya. Pre-release surveys were undertaken in major maize growing areas to catalogue stemborer species, and larval and pupal parasitoids on maize and four wild host plant species. On...
Abstract: We evaluated eight Napier grass [Pennisetum purpureum Schumach (Poaceae)] varieties, used in various parts of eastern Africa as fodder, for their potential role as trap plants in the management of the African stemborer, Busseola fusca Füller (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) through a push–pull strategy. Oviposition preference, larval orientation, settling, arrest and dispersal, feeding, mortality and survival, and development were determined for each of these varieties under laboratory ...
Abstract: The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on stem borer parasitoid diversity, abundance,and parasitism were studied in cultivated and natural habitats in four agroecological zones in Kenya.Comparing habitat types, we found partial support for the “natural enemy”hypothesis, whereby, across all localities, parasitoid diversity was higher in more diverse host plant communities in natural habitats, whereas parasitoid abundance was higher in cultivated habitats. For both habitats, p...
Abstract: The mite Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Tetranychidae) probably originated in South America. Because of its importance as a tomato pest in Africa, an extensive project has been conducted to detect potentially effective natural enemies in South America for the classical biological control of the pest in Africa. A search for the natural enemies of T. evansi was conducted in the Province of Tucuma´n, northwestern Argentina, in December 2004, and this report describes the resul...
Abstract: The mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) is a highly polyphagous pest of fruits, vegetables, crops and ornamentals in Pakistan. Biological control approach by using Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) has been developed recently to control this pest. However, the efficiency of this parasitoid is variable according to the locality and the plants on which P. solenopsis is feeding. In this context, this experiment investigated under ...
Abstract: Kairomones are chemical signals that mediate interspecificinteractions beneficial toorganisms that detect the cues. These attractants can be individual compounds ormixtures of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) or herbivore chemicals such aspheromones, i.e., chemicals mediating intraspecific communication between herbivores.Natural enemies eavesdrop on kairomones during their foraging behaviour, i.e., locationof oviposition sites and feeding resources in nature. Kairomone mi...
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP)Diaphorina citriKuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) is a destructive, invasive speciesthat poses a serious threat to the citrus industry wherever it occurs. The psyllid vectors the phloem-limited bacteria‘CandidatusLiberibacter americanus’and‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, causal agents of the incurable citrus greening disease or huanglongbing (HLB). Itis essential to understand which regions and areas are suitable for colonization by ACP to formula...
Abstract: Insect seminal fluid, the non-sperm component of the ejaculate, comprises a variegated set of molecules, including, but not limited to, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, salts,hormones, nucleic acids, and vitamins. The identity and functional role of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) have been widely investigated, in multiple species. However, most of the other small molecules in insect ejaculates remain uncharacterized. Metabolomics is currently adopted to deepen our understanding of c...
Abstract: Kairomones are semiochemicals that are emitted by an organism and which mediate interspecific interaction that is of benefit to an organism of another species that receives these chemical substances. Parasitoids find and recognize their hosts through eavesdropping on the kairomones emitted from the by-products or the body of the host. Hemipteran insect pests feed on plant sap and excrete the digested plant materials as honeydew. Honeydew serves as a nutritional food source for para...