Pest Management Science最新文献

Background: The psyllid Trioza erytreae (del Guercio, 1918) (Hemiptera: Triozidae) is one of the vectors of Candidatus liberibacter spp., the causal agent of the huanglongbing (HLB) the main citrus disease worldwide. In this study, we investigated for the first time how the flight behavior of T. erytreae is influenced by factors such as sex or daily and seasonal pattern fluctuations by using a flight mill device under controlled laboratory conditions.

Results: Our results showed that T. erytreae can fly an average distance of 16.20 m at a mean speed of 6 m per minute, but a few individuals were able to fly much longer, reaching a maximum distance of 395 m. Females displayed a higher flight capacity than males. Moreover, we found that T. erytreae is not confined to diurnal flight alone, as the psyllids demonstrated the ability to fly during the night, emphasizing the need for comprehensive vector control strategies that account for nocturnal activity.

Conclusion: Understanding the flight behavior of vector insects is essential for devising effective control measures aimed at mitigating the spread of vector-borne diseases. Further research in this area will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of vector movement and the development of more precise control measures. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: As the first identified microsporidium, Nosema bombycis can infect silkworm Bombyx mori to cause pebrine which brings huge economic losses to sericulture all over the world. The life cycle of Nosema bombycis is divided into three phases, including the infective phase, the proliferative phase and the sporogonic phase. The factor(s) that regulate spore maturation of Nosema bombycis is still unknown. Ste12 is a fungi-specific transcription factor that plays an important regulatory role in fungal development and pathogenicity. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the function of Ste12 homologous (NbSte12) in Nosema bombycis.

Results: Here, we analyzed the transcription and subcellular localization characteristics of NbSte12. It was mainly expressed in the nucleus of the immature spores, and NbSte12 had the transcriptional activation activity, with its C-terminal necessary for this ability. DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq) analysis revealed that the genes regulated by NbSte12 were involved in spore maturation, cell division, and energy metabolism. The knockdown of NbSte12 gene resulted in the decrease of chitin layer thickness, spore germination activity and proliferation. Then, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analyses showed that NbSte12 could bind to the promoters of the CHS7, SWP26, SWP30, PTP1 and PTP2 genes, which are involved in spore wall and polar tube formation, thereby positively regulating their transcription.

Conclusions: NbSte12 plays an indispensable role in the formation of chitin layer, spore germination and proliferation, thus regulating the development and maturation of microsporidium Nosema bombycis. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has increased in importance as a pest over the past decade in Brazilian cotton fields. The limited efficacy of conventional management tools and rapid development of insecticide/ insecticidal proteins resistance is forcing growers to search for new and more sustainable solutions. Here, we report the results from two studies utilizing a microencapsulated sprayable pheromone formulation in Brazilian cotton fields. The first study aimed to define optimal timing to initiate spray applications, optimal number of spray applications and appropriate intervals between spray applications. The second study was a large-scale effort to estimate the efficacy provided by the pheromone sprayable formulation in reducing mating (using trapping reduction as a surrogate measure) and subsequent damage to cotton plants.

Results: The highest FAW male moth suppression was achieved when pheromone was sprayed 10 times at an interval of 7-10 days between applications starting at the cotton first headpin square. In large-scale plots (e.g. 40-200 ha), overall median trapping reduction was estimated as 82% (95% CI: 76-87%) in pheromone-treated areas compared to the control plot, over the evaluated period. Additionally, pheromone treatment resulted in an overall median of 27% less damaged reproductive structures (95% CI: 17-37%) when compared to nontreated areas.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of mating disruption as a selective and nontoxic behavioral tool to manage FAW in cotton as an area-wide approach. It represents a key step for developing more sustainable methods for pest management. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Switzerland was the first European country to approve the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the purpose of plant protection treatments. The regulatory framework that has been established requires UAV sprayers to undergo a series of technical assessments that have generated a substantial amount of data. Here, we first describe the regulatory framework and the underlying rationales, followed by analyzing data from the technical assessments. The results show that the UAV sprayers being used in Switzerland achieve homogeneous transversal spray liquid distributions with coefficients of variation below 15 % at effective swath widths that are typically lower than those indicated by UAV manufacturers. Moreover, the lateral wind generated by the UAV sprayers as measured at distances of 10 m and 20 m, respectively, is not substantially affected by UAV size or weight. A survey we conducted to gain insight into agricultural practices under the current regulatory framework suggests that up to 11.5 % of the total of Swiss vineyards were treated with UAV sprayers in 2023. Other uses, such as spreading slug pellets, seem to gain importance as well. Finally, efficacy trials performed in Swiss vineyards suggest that UAV sprayers achieve limited control efficacy of powdery and downy mildew at high disease pressure, which is likely to be due to the relatively low amount of deposit around and on the bunches. We conclude this paper by outlining future regulatory challenges and directions for further development. © 2025 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.