International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2020
Worldwide, stored products are attacked by a large number of pests resulting in significant econo... more Worldwide, stored products are attacked by a large number of pests resulting in significant economic losses. Among these stored grain pests, khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium (Everts) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is one of the top ranked pests that has ability to survive under diverse climate conditions. The management of this pest is mainly done by using synthetic chemicals which have side effects on consumers, ecosystem and non-target organisms. However, phyto-derivatives were found to be the effective environment friendly alternatives against T. granarium. Therefore, in this review, success of phyto-derivatives against khapra beetle from conventional means to modern research has been critically analyzed, summarized and discussed. In context, the different life stages of the insect starting from egg laying to adult development have been briefly explained. The review focuses upon recent research conducted on the evaluation of dozens of phyto-derivatives. In addition, the article has also highlighted some limitations of plant derived compounds and concludes via hoping that the future formulated pesticides will be safer, economical, least toxic to human and our planet ecosystem.
The study was carried out in eight provinces of China, with 16 different localities. A total of 1... more The study was carried out in eight provinces of China, with 16 different localities. A total of 150 adult dam-selflies were collected for the study from the area. Mitochondrial (COI) was the target gene to sequence from all 51 representative samples of the entire collection. From the resulted sequences, ten species belonging to seven genera and four families were identified. The families are Calopterygidae, Coenagrinidae, Chlorocyphidae and Devadattiade. After alignment through BioEdit v6, MEGA7 was used for phylogenetic tree construction as well as the calculation of genetic divergence, whereas genetic diversity was calculated by DnaSP v5. All species from the respective families had clustered together within the groups, but divided into subgroups. Maximum genetic divergence (9.31%) was found in the genus Rhinocypha, followed by Hetaerina with (8.23%), while, minimum divergence was observed for the genus Ceriagrion (0.32%) followed by Ischnura (0.48%). However, significant genetic diversity was found for all sequences at 346 mutations confirmed by two tests, Tajima's D and Fu's Fs. Maximum genetic diversity among genera was also observed, the genus Hetaerina has maximum genetic diversity (181 mutations) followed by Rhinocypha (68 mutations) while minimum genetic diversity was observed for the genus Ceriagrion followed by Ischnura. The presented results showed a higher diversity of damselflies in the south China regions.
The lepidopteran insect pests have significant importance in vegetable production. The present st... more The lepidopteran insect pests have significant importance in vegetable production. The present study was performed to investigate the baseline studies about the assessment of feeding and consumption potential, utilization indices and losses promises of leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab.) on Okra. The data regarding feeding potential, food utilization and consumption indices as well as losses of different larval instars were recorded and subjected to appropriate statistical analysis. The results showed that, in the beginning, the approximate digestibility of various instars was increase, e.g. third instar (51.36%-64.03%), fourth instar (63.42%-69.45%) and fifth instar (70.25%-76.10%). However, after a certain period, the digestibility was decreased and efficiency to convert the ingested food into biomass varied significantly. The consumption index values increased with an increase in time but the consumption and growth rate was declined of fourth instar larvae. The ingestion and digestion increased of third (10.01-13.06, 8.32-11.91 mg), fourth (11.27-17.28, 10.96-14.03 mg) and fifth (12.60-19.40, 11.93-15.28 mg) larval instars. The corrected weight of consumed leaves increased with a gain in body weight. However, in the third instar, a decline was observed on the last day of feeding. Maximum leaf area was consumed by fifth instar larvae (44.66 cm 2) followed by fourth (35.41 cm 2) and third (27.98 cm 2) instars. In conclusion, all the dependent parameters, including food utilization potential, consumption indices and losses were higher for fifth instar larvae than others. These results emphasized the re-establishment of fundamental (economic threshold level: ETL, economic injury level: EIL) integrated pest management concepts.
Microbial consortia accompanied to all eukaryotes can be inherited from ancestors, environment, a... more Microbial consortia accompanied to all eukaryotes can be inherited from ancestors, environment, and/or from various food source. Gut microbiota study is an emerging discipline of biological sciences that expands our understanding of the ecological and functional dynamics of gut environments. Microorganisms associated with honey bees play an important role in food digestion, colony performance, immunity, pollination, antagonistic effect against different pathogens, amelioration of food and many more. Although, many repots about honey bee gut microbiota are well documented, microbiome with other key components of honey bees such as larvae, adults, their food (pollen, beebread, and honey), honey combs, and floral nectar are poorly understood. Mutual interactions and extent of the roles of microbial communities associated with honey bees are still unclear and demand for more research on the nutritional physiology and health benefits of this ecologically and economically important group. Here in this study, we highlighted all the honey bee microbiome that harbored from different life stages and other relevant components. The anatomical parts of honey bee (larvae, adults), food source (pollen, beebread, and honey), honey combs, and floral nectar were highly flourished by numerous microorganisms like bacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Actinomycetes, Bacilli, Bacteroidetes, Cocci, Clostridia, Coliforms, Firmicutes, Flavobacteriia, Mollicutes) and fungi (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Mucormycotina, Saccharomycetes, Zygomycetes, Yeasts, Molds). Some distinctive microbial communities of a taxonomically constrained species have coevolved with social bees. This contribution is to enhance the understanding of honey bee gut microbiota, to accelerate bee microbiota and microbiome research in general and to aid design of future experiments in this growing field.
The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a devastating... more The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a devastating pest of Citrus spp. The aim of present study was to investigate the development and mortality of ACP on citrus (Citrus sinensis) (healthy and Huánglóngbìng-(HLB) diseased) and jasmine (Murraya paniculata) plants at various temperatures. Two new Isaria strains were collected from citrus orchards of Fuzhou (China), and HLB-diseased plants were verified by running PCR for 16S gene of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Development observations were recorded for egg, nymph and adult stages on all plants and three different temperatures (20, 25 and 30 °C) whereas mortality observations were recorded for the nymph (fifth instar) and adults on all plants at 25 °C. Field collected Isaria strains were belonged to previously reported Chinese strains under Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood methods, as well as, CLas isolates were belonged to previously reported Chinese isolates under MP and Neighbor-Joining methods. The fastest development and mortality was observed on HLB-diseased plants whereas longest time was taken by development and mortality completion on jasmine plants at all temperatures. The fastest developmental times of egg, nymph (first to fourth and fifth instar) and adult stages were ranged from 3.02 to 3.72 d, to 7.63–9.3 d, 5.35–5.65 d and 24.46–28.47 d on HLB-diseased plants at 30-20 °C, respectively. On the other hand, I. javanica caused the fastest mortality of nymphs and adults (32.21 ± 4.47% and 19.33 ± 4.51%) on HLB-diseased plants with the concentration of 1 × 10 8 conidia.mL −1 after 3 d and 7 d, respectively. It is concluded that there is a need for extensive molecular work to understand the extra-development and mortality of ACP on diseased plants, because, CLas bacterium can be supportive to uptake more sap from plant phloem.
To elucidate taxonomic eminence of identical pest species is essential for many ecological and co... more To elucidate taxonomic eminence of identical pest species is essential for many ecological and conservation studies. Without proficient skills, accurate molecular identification and characterization are laborious and time-consuming. The coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is biologically and morphologically identical to hispid leaf beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and is known as the most harming nuisances of palm cultivation worldwide. The present examination was to establish Wolbachia genotyping analysis along with host cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene for accurate identification between these individuals of the same family (Chrysomelidae). Here, we have cloned and sequenced a gene coding Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) and COI gene regions amplified from both species by polymerase chain reaction. The nucleotide sequences were directly determined (≈600 bp for wsp and ≈804 bp for COI) and aligned using the multiple alignment algorithms in the ESPript3 package and the MEGA5 program. Comparative sequence analysis indicated that the representative of wsp and COI sequences from these two beetles were highly variable. To ensure this bacterial variation, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of bacterial genes was conducted, and the results vindicated the same trend of variations. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis also indicates that B. longissima and O. nipae being the two different species harbors two distinct Wolbachia Hertig and Burt (Rickettsiales: Anaplamataceae) supergroups B and A, respectively. The present outcomes quickly discriminate between these two species. Considering its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, it can be used as a diagnostic tool for discriminating such invasive species particularly B. longissima and O. nipae which has overlapping morphologic characters.
A B S T R A C T The Nipa palm hispid, Octodonta nipae (Maulik) is an important invasive pest of p... more A B S T R A C T The Nipa palm hispid, Octodonta nipae (Maulik) is an important invasive pest of palm trees particularly in Southern China. How this beetle interacts with invading pathogens via its immune system remains to be dissected. Steinernema carpocapsae is a pathogenic nematode that attacks a number of insects of economic importance. The present study systematically investigates the cellular immune responses of O. nipae against S. carpocapsae infection using combined immunological, biochemical and transcriptomics approaches. Our data reveal that S. carpocapsae efficiently resists being encapsulated and melanized within the host's hemolymph and most of the nematodes were observed moving freely in the hemolymph even at 24 h post incubation. Consistently, isolated cuticles from the parasite also withstand encapsulation by the O. nipae hemocytes at all-time points. However, significant encapsulation and melanization of the isolated cuticles were recorded following heat treatment of the cuticles. The host's phenoloxidase activity was found to be slightly suppressed due to S. carpocapsae infection. Furthermore, the expression levels of some antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes were significantly up-regulated in the S. carpocapsae-challenged O. nipae. Taken together, our data suggest that S. carpocapsae modulates and surpasses the O. nipae immune responses and hence can serve as an excellent biological control agent of the pest.
Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (A... more Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (Arugula) and Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) was carried out during spring season from February to April consecutively during all the three years of 2016–18. Insect pollinators observed belonged to four orders i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera. A total of 20 major species of insect pollinators were recorded. The highest abundance of pollinator species belonged to Hymenoptera. The most prominent insect pollinator species were Apis mellifera followed by other three honey bee species of A. cerana, A. flo-rea, and A. dorsata respectively. Some species of solitary bees were also recorded. From Diptera, four species of syrphid fly and one species from Muscidae family were also recorded. Insect pollinators recorded from order Lepidoptera were Pieris brassicae, Vanessa cardui, and Papilio demoleus. Lady bird beetle Coccinella septempunctata was recorded from Coleoptera order as occasional visitor. It was noticed that E. sativa attracted more insect pollinators than B. rapa which may be attributed to different amount and chemical properties of nectar, with number of pollen grains, and flower canopy of both crops. Further studies are needed to confirm the reasons for higher pollinator visitation to E. sativa than B. rapa through chemical analysis of nectar, amount of pollens, flower physiology and phenology of both crops. Ó 2018 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Wolbachia pipientis is a diverse, ubiquitous and most prevalent intracellular bacterial group of ... more Wolbachia pipientis is a diverse, ubiquitous and most prevalent intracellular bacterial group of alpha-Proteobacteria that is concerned with many biological processes in arthropods. The coconut hispine beetle (CHB), Brontispa longissima (Gestro) is an economically important pest of palm cultivation worldwide. In the present study, we comprehensively surveyed the Wolbachia-infection prevalence and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism in CHB from five different geographical locations, including China's Mainland and Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. A total of 540 sequences were screened in this study through three different genes, i.e., cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), Wolbachia outer surface protein (wsp) and multilocus sequencing type (MLST) genes. The COI genetic divergence ranges from 0.08% to 0.67%, and likewise, a significant genetic diversity (π = 0.00082; P = 0.049) was noted within and between all analyzed samples. In the meantime, ten different haplotypes (H) were characterized (haplotype diversity = 0.4379) from 21 different locations, and among them, H6 (46 individuals) have shown a maximum number of population clusters than others. Subsequently, Wolbachia-prevalence results indicated that all tested specimens of CHB were found positive (100%), which suggested that CHB was naturally infected with Wolbachia. Wolbachia sequence results (wsp gene) revealed a high level of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00047) under Tajima's D test (P = 0.049). Meanwhile, the same trend of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00041) was observed in Wolbachia concatenated MLST locus. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis (wsp and concatenated MLST genes) revealed that all collected samples of CHB attributed to same Wolbachia B-supergroup. Our results strongly suggest that Wolbachia bacteria and mtDNA were highly concordant with each other and Wolbachia can affect the genetic structure and diversity within the CHB populations.
A B S T R A C T Noncoding RNAs play essential functions during epigenetic regulation of gene expr... more A B S T R A C T Noncoding RNAs play essential functions during epigenetic regulation of gene expression and development in numerous organisms. Three type of small noncoding RNAs found in eukaryotes, which are small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Small RNAs (sRNAs) originated from infecting viruses are known as virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs), are responsible for RNA silencing in plants. However, Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is mainly dependent on RNA silencing (RNAi). Interestingly, RNA silencing happens in plants and insects during viral infections. VsiRNAs originate from dsRNA molecules which further require hosts Dicer-like (DCL) proteins, RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) proteins, and Argonaute (AGO) proteins. RdRP uses ssRNA for complete RNA amplification process as well as DCL dependent secondary vsiRNA formation. Viral Suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) interfere with the movement of signals during silencing mechanism. Moreover, intercellular movement of viruses is facilitated by virus-encoded movement proteins. Proteomic and Transcriptomic mechanisms regulated by specific factors like microRNAs, which has become an essential factor of gene regulation. RNAi is also involved in gene suppression by regulating the transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression in many eukaryotes. Rice grassy stunt virus (RGSV) is a member of genus Tenuivirus. Although, there is no much work done on RGSV, but this virus has become very potent and destructive, and effects rice crop in many Asian countries, particularly in China. In this review, we have highlighted the rice viruses' biology and silencing suppressors. This work will be helpful for plant virologists in understanding the role of vsiRNAs mechanism in rice viruses especially RGSV.
Among the intracellular bacterial symbionts, the genus Wolbachia (Rickettsiaceae: Rickettsiales) ... more Among the intracellular bacterial symbionts, the genus Wolbachia (Rickettsiaceae: Rickettsiales) is one of the most abundant taxa associated with reproductive systems of various insects. It is cytoplasmic inherited endosymbiont that induce various reproductive alterations. Characterization analysis has revealed that a number of arthropods harbour Wolbachia sp. estimates from 20-80%, with emphasize on Coleopterous insects (41 species have been reported so far). Therefore, in the context of broad existence and unique phenotypic actions to alter reproductive systems of various insect, we aimed to determine the intriguing possibility of this endosymbiont from one of the deadliest palm pest, i.e. red palm weevil (RPW), Rynchophorus ferrugineus (Curculionidae) from different geographical locations using polymerase chain reactions (PCR) with four sets of Wolbachia-specific primers (SPs) along with one pair of universal bacterial primer (BP). Parallel analysis was also carried out with Wolbachia strain isolated from whitebacked plant hopper, Sogatella furcifera (Homoptera: Delphacidae), as a positive control. Our analysis confirmed the absence of Wolbachia sp. across the various life stages of RPW reared in laboratory or captured from the field. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis of all closely related Wolbachia-mediated weevils were compiled and retrieved from NCBI database indicates the extent of transfection of this bacterium into RPW for the future work on biological control of RPW. This study may facilitate to understand further evolutionary consequences of Wolbachia infection in weevils.
The hispid leaf beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a devastating p... more The hispid leaf beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a devastating pest of palm cultivation worldwide. Endosymbiotic bacteria in the genus Wolbachia are arguably one of the most abundant bacterial group associated with arthropods. Owing to its critical effects on host reproduction, Wolbachia has garnered much attention as a prospective future tool for insect pest management. However, their association, infection dynamics, and functionality remain unknown in this insect pest. Here, we diagnosis for the first time, the infection prevalence, and occurrence of Wolbachia in O. nipae. Experimental evidence by the exploration of wsp gene vindicate that O. nipae is naturally infected with bacterial symbiont of genus Wolbachia, showing a complete maternal inheritance with shared a common Wolbachia strain (wNip). Moreover, MLST (gatB, fbpA, coxA, ftsZ, and hcpA) analysis enabled the detections of new sequence type (ST-484), suggesting a particular genotypic association of O. nipae and Wolbachia. Subsequently, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay demonstrated variable infection density across different life stages (eggs, larvae, pupae and adult male and female), body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), and tissues (ovaries, testes, and guts). Infection density was higher in egg and female adult stage, as well as abdomen and reproductive tissues as compared to other samples. Interestingly, Wolbachia harbored dominantly in a female than the male adult, while, no significant differences were observed between male and female body parts and tissues. Phylogeny of Wolbachia infection associated with O. nipae rectified from all tested life stages were unique and fall within the same monophyletic supergroup-A of Wolbachia clades. The infection density of symbiont is among the valuable tool to understand their biological influence on hosts, and this latest discovery would facilitate the future investigations to understand the host-symbiont complications and its prospective role as a microbiological agent to reduce pest populations.
Adult dragonflies (Anisoptera) were collected from different localities of South China covering e... more Adult dragonflies (Anisoptera) were collected from different localities of South China covering eight provinces. Representative sequences were sixty-one, including 16 species, 11 genera and three families (Aeshnidae, Gomphidae and Libellulidae), under cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. After alignment of sequences by BioEdit v6, genetic interaction and divergence were computed by MEGA 7 whereas all the indices of genetic diversity were calculated by DnaSP v5 software. Phylogenetic trees were constructed through Neighbor-Joining method under Jukes-Cantor model, and all species of respective families were assembled with each other into individual groups. Maximum divergence was observed by Trithemis genus (18.69%), followed by Orthetrum genus (18.16%), whereas a minimum value of divergence was noted for Pantala genus (0.31%). On the other hand, maximum genetic diversity was recorded for Orthetrum genus up to 142 mutations, followed by Trithemis genus (126 mutations), while the minimum value (two mutations) was observed for Pantala genus. Genetic diversity for overall and Libellulidae family sequences was much higher, up to 404 mutations and 344 mutations, respectively. Current results suggest a high diversity of odonates in the South China region and results are valuable in gaining a total obligation of the diversity of Asian odonates and conservation measures of this insect group.
The endo-symbiotic relationship between microorganism and eukaryotes are very common and has been... more The endo-symbiotic relationship between microorganism and eukaryotes are very common and has been broadly investigated from all insect species. The genus Wolbachia are obligatory intracellular bacteria that induce evolutionary alterations and have been frequently reported in egg cytoplasm's of various invertebrates including insects, spiders, mites, scorpions, crustaceans and nematodes, which exert a profound impact on host biology and behavior through a number of phenotypic alternations. Due to its ubiquitous phenotypic behavior, Wolbachia becomes a novel and promising natural micro-biocontrol agent to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility, killing of male embryos, parthenogenesis, and feminization. Autonomous transgenic capability, survival on several host species and the ability to modify the host reproductive systems makes it the most prominent and focusing scientific genomic research from last few decades. The aim of this review is to summarize the significance and recent discoveries of Wolbachia related to various arthropods which lead positive directions to be exploited in future for integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Further, this review also discussed the biology, phylogeny, distributions, classifications and types of Wolbachia infections on insect orders and coleopterans in particular.
The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine appli... more The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine application effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hyphomycetes) and sub-lethal dosages of Imidacloprid against the second and fourth instar larvae of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier was investigated in laboratory. Additionally, the in vitro hyphal growth of B. bassiana amended with three different concentrations (50, 250, 500 µl L-1) of Confidor ® 200 SL was also assessed. The results showed significantly higher mortality for the second and fourth instar larvae of RPW when B. bassiana and Imidacloprid applied together compared to their sole application. The highest mortality level (100%) for the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×10 6 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1µl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B. bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×10 6 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
The present study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of Rhizoglyphus tritici against th... more The present study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of Rhizoglyphus tritici against the comparative potential of ether extracts from Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus sp., Citrullus colocynthis, Allium sativum, Nicotiana tabacum, Curcuma longa, Nerium indicum, Syzygium aromaticum, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Cassia fistula. The whole trial was executed under laboratory conditions with five concentrations from T1-T5 (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 4% and 8%), and four exposure periods (7, 14, 21 and 28 days). The percentage inhibition of mite population was both time-dependent and concentration-dependent. All the plant extracts exhibited significant acaricidal potential for adult mite as compared to control. The significant population inhibition percentage trend was observed of C. longa 91%, 95.54%, 94.97% and 97.46% and S. aromaticum 88.06%, 92.17%, 95.27% and 96.67% followed by C. fistula 92.03%, 93.27%, 93.22% and 92.07% while least population inhibition percentage was observed of N. tabacum 84.70%, 85..08%, 90.70% and 93.14% after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The median lethal concentrations were also calculated for all extracts, and it was observed that S. aromaticum was highly toxic to mites at lowest concentration 0.128, 0.028, 0.006 and 0.005 followed by C. longa 0.071, 0.036, 0.027 and 0.016 while least toxicity was observed in C. colocynthis 0.047, 0.030, 0.009 and 0.009 against R. tritici, and lethal concentration (LC50) decreased with an increasing time of exposure of the R. tritici to the ether extract. It was concluded that acaricidal potential of plants is directly proportional to time exposure and during first and second week C. fistula and S. aromaticum followed C. longa but suddenly after two weeks acaricidal potential of S. aromaticum was boost up and it was concluded that C. fistula, S. aromaticum and C. longa proved to be more effective gainst stored grain mites as compared to the others plant extracts. Perhaps, this new study will provide the basis for further investigation in order to develop new and safer acaricides in field conditions.
The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine appli... more The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine application effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hyphomycetes) and sub-lethal dosages of Imidacloprid against the second and fourth instar larvae of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier was investigated in laboratory. Additionally, the in vitro hyphal growth of B. bassiana amended with three different concentrations (50, 250, 500 µl L-1) of Confidor® 200 SL was also assessed. The results showed significantly higher mortality for the second and fourth instar larvae of RPWrnwhen B. bassiana and Imidacloprid applied together compared to their sole application. The highest mortality level (100%) for the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×106 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1 µl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B. bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×106 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine appli... more The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine application effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hyphomycetes) and sub-lethal dosages of Imidacloprid against the second and fourth instar larvae of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier was investigated in laboratory. Additionally, the in vitro hyphal growth of B. bassiana amended with three different concentrations (50, 250, 500 μl L-1) of Confidor® 200 SL was also assessed. The results showed significantly higher mortality for the second and fourth instar larvae of RPW when B. bassiana and Imidacloprid applied together compared to their sole application. The highest mortality level (100%) for the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×106 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1 μl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B. bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×106 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
Moringa oleifera commonly known as Moringa is a multipurpose plant. Field trials were conducted t... more Moringa oleifera commonly known as Moringa is a multipurpose plant. Field trials were conducted to assess the potency of Moringa leaf (MLE) and root extracts (MRE) as plant growth regulator (PGR) and a Bio-pesticide on wheat crop. At distinct crop growth stages (tillering, booting, and heading) with different concentrations (5, 10, 12.5, and 25% v/v or w/v or w/w) of MLE and MRE were applied. Results showed statistically significant increase in crop growth traits and reduction in aphid infestation (booting, milk, and heading stage). As plant growth regulator maximum leaf area duration (LAD), leaf area index (LAI), and total dry matter accumulation (TDM) were recorded at all growth stages for MLE 25%. Highest crop growth rate (CGR) (24.91 gm-2day-1) at tillering was achieved for MLE 5%, 13.04 gm-2day-1 for MRE 10% at booting stage and 8.76 gm-2day-1 for MLE 10% at heading stage. Maximum thousand grains weight (57.33g), highest number of spikes per plant (9.67plant-1) and maximum grain yield (4446Kg hac-1) were determined for MLE 25%. The heading stage of the crop was heavily infested with aphids and MLE 5% significantly reduced pest infestation compared to other concentrations of MLE and MRE and control group. Overall, MLE and MRE proved very effective as plant growth regulator and a Biopesticide against wheat aphid on wheat crop.
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2020
Worldwide, stored products are attacked by a large number of pests resulting in significant econo... more Worldwide, stored products are attacked by a large number of pests resulting in significant economic losses. Among these stored grain pests, khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium (Everts) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is one of the top ranked pests that has ability to survive under diverse climate conditions. The management of this pest is mainly done by using synthetic chemicals which have side effects on consumers, ecosystem and non-target organisms. However, phyto-derivatives were found to be the effective environment friendly alternatives against T. granarium. Therefore, in this review, success of phyto-derivatives against khapra beetle from conventional means to modern research has been critically analyzed, summarized and discussed. In context, the different life stages of the insect starting from egg laying to adult development have been briefly explained. The review focuses upon recent research conducted on the evaluation of dozens of phyto-derivatives. In addition, the article has also highlighted some limitations of plant derived compounds and concludes via hoping that the future formulated pesticides will be safer, economical, least toxic to human and our planet ecosystem.
The study was carried out in eight provinces of China, with 16 different localities. A total of 1... more The study was carried out in eight provinces of China, with 16 different localities. A total of 150 adult dam-selflies were collected for the study from the area. Mitochondrial (COI) was the target gene to sequence from all 51 representative samples of the entire collection. From the resulted sequences, ten species belonging to seven genera and four families were identified. The families are Calopterygidae, Coenagrinidae, Chlorocyphidae and Devadattiade. After alignment through BioEdit v6, MEGA7 was used for phylogenetic tree construction as well as the calculation of genetic divergence, whereas genetic diversity was calculated by DnaSP v5. All species from the respective families had clustered together within the groups, but divided into subgroups. Maximum genetic divergence (9.31%) was found in the genus Rhinocypha, followed by Hetaerina with (8.23%), while, minimum divergence was observed for the genus Ceriagrion (0.32%) followed by Ischnura (0.48%). However, significant genetic diversity was found for all sequences at 346 mutations confirmed by two tests, Tajima's D and Fu's Fs. Maximum genetic diversity among genera was also observed, the genus Hetaerina has maximum genetic diversity (181 mutations) followed by Rhinocypha (68 mutations) while minimum genetic diversity was observed for the genus Ceriagrion followed by Ischnura. The presented results showed a higher diversity of damselflies in the south China regions.
The lepidopteran insect pests have significant importance in vegetable production. The present st... more The lepidopteran insect pests have significant importance in vegetable production. The present study was performed to investigate the baseline studies about the assessment of feeding and consumption potential, utilization indices and losses promises of leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab.) on Okra. The data regarding feeding potential, food utilization and consumption indices as well as losses of different larval instars were recorded and subjected to appropriate statistical analysis. The results showed that, in the beginning, the approximate digestibility of various instars was increase, e.g. third instar (51.36%-64.03%), fourth instar (63.42%-69.45%) and fifth instar (70.25%-76.10%). However, after a certain period, the digestibility was decreased and efficiency to convert the ingested food into biomass varied significantly. The consumption index values increased with an increase in time but the consumption and growth rate was declined of fourth instar larvae. The ingestion and digestion increased of third (10.01-13.06, 8.32-11.91 mg), fourth (11.27-17.28, 10.96-14.03 mg) and fifth (12.60-19.40, 11.93-15.28 mg) larval instars. The corrected weight of consumed leaves increased with a gain in body weight. However, in the third instar, a decline was observed on the last day of feeding. Maximum leaf area was consumed by fifth instar larvae (44.66 cm 2) followed by fourth (35.41 cm 2) and third (27.98 cm 2) instars. In conclusion, all the dependent parameters, including food utilization potential, consumption indices and losses were higher for fifth instar larvae than others. These results emphasized the re-establishment of fundamental (economic threshold level: ETL, economic injury level: EIL) integrated pest management concepts.
Microbial consortia accompanied to all eukaryotes can be inherited from ancestors, environment, a... more Microbial consortia accompanied to all eukaryotes can be inherited from ancestors, environment, and/or from various food source. Gut microbiota study is an emerging discipline of biological sciences that expands our understanding of the ecological and functional dynamics of gut environments. Microorganisms associated with honey bees play an important role in food digestion, colony performance, immunity, pollination, antagonistic effect against different pathogens, amelioration of food and many more. Although, many repots about honey bee gut microbiota are well documented, microbiome with other key components of honey bees such as larvae, adults, their food (pollen, beebread, and honey), honey combs, and floral nectar are poorly understood. Mutual interactions and extent of the roles of microbial communities associated with honey bees are still unclear and demand for more research on the nutritional physiology and health benefits of this ecologically and economically important group. Here in this study, we highlighted all the honey bee microbiome that harbored from different life stages and other relevant components. The anatomical parts of honey bee (larvae, adults), food source (pollen, beebread, and honey), honey combs, and floral nectar were highly flourished by numerous microorganisms like bacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Actinomycetes, Bacilli, Bacteroidetes, Cocci, Clostridia, Coliforms, Firmicutes, Flavobacteriia, Mollicutes) and fungi (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Mucormycotina, Saccharomycetes, Zygomycetes, Yeasts, Molds). Some distinctive microbial communities of a taxonomically constrained species have coevolved with social bees. This contribution is to enhance the understanding of honey bee gut microbiota, to accelerate bee microbiota and microbiome research in general and to aid design of future experiments in this growing field.
The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a devastating... more The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a devastating pest of Citrus spp. The aim of present study was to investigate the development and mortality of ACP on citrus (Citrus sinensis) (healthy and Huánglóngbìng-(HLB) diseased) and jasmine (Murraya paniculata) plants at various temperatures. Two new Isaria strains were collected from citrus orchards of Fuzhou (China), and HLB-diseased plants were verified by running PCR for 16S gene of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Development observations were recorded for egg, nymph and adult stages on all plants and three different temperatures (20, 25 and 30 °C) whereas mortality observations were recorded for the nymph (fifth instar) and adults on all plants at 25 °C. Field collected Isaria strains were belonged to previously reported Chinese strains under Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood methods, as well as, CLas isolates were belonged to previously reported Chinese isolates under MP and Neighbor-Joining methods. The fastest development and mortality was observed on HLB-diseased plants whereas longest time was taken by development and mortality completion on jasmine plants at all temperatures. The fastest developmental times of egg, nymph (first to fourth and fifth instar) and adult stages were ranged from 3.02 to 3.72 d, to 7.63–9.3 d, 5.35–5.65 d and 24.46–28.47 d on HLB-diseased plants at 30-20 °C, respectively. On the other hand, I. javanica caused the fastest mortality of nymphs and adults (32.21 ± 4.47% and 19.33 ± 4.51%) on HLB-diseased plants with the concentration of 1 × 10 8 conidia.mL −1 after 3 d and 7 d, respectively. It is concluded that there is a need for extensive molecular work to understand the extra-development and mortality of ACP on diseased plants, because, CLas bacterium can be supportive to uptake more sap from plant phloem.
To elucidate taxonomic eminence of identical pest species is essential for many ecological and co... more To elucidate taxonomic eminence of identical pest species is essential for many ecological and conservation studies. Without proficient skills, accurate molecular identification and characterization are laborious and time-consuming. The coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is biologically and morphologically identical to hispid leaf beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and is known as the most harming nuisances of palm cultivation worldwide. The present examination was to establish Wolbachia genotyping analysis along with host cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene for accurate identification between these individuals of the same family (Chrysomelidae). Here, we have cloned and sequenced a gene coding Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) and COI gene regions amplified from both species by polymerase chain reaction. The nucleotide sequences were directly determined (≈600 bp for wsp and ≈804 bp for COI) and aligned using the multiple alignment algorithms in the ESPript3 package and the MEGA5 program. Comparative sequence analysis indicated that the representative of wsp and COI sequences from these two beetles were highly variable. To ensure this bacterial variation, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of bacterial genes was conducted, and the results vindicated the same trend of variations. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis also indicates that B. longissima and O. nipae being the two different species harbors two distinct Wolbachia Hertig and Burt (Rickettsiales: Anaplamataceae) supergroups B and A, respectively. The present outcomes quickly discriminate between these two species. Considering its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, it can be used as a diagnostic tool for discriminating such invasive species particularly B. longissima and O. nipae which has overlapping morphologic characters.
A B S T R A C T The Nipa palm hispid, Octodonta nipae (Maulik) is an important invasive pest of p... more A B S T R A C T The Nipa palm hispid, Octodonta nipae (Maulik) is an important invasive pest of palm trees particularly in Southern China. How this beetle interacts with invading pathogens via its immune system remains to be dissected. Steinernema carpocapsae is a pathogenic nematode that attacks a number of insects of economic importance. The present study systematically investigates the cellular immune responses of O. nipae against S. carpocapsae infection using combined immunological, biochemical and transcriptomics approaches. Our data reveal that S. carpocapsae efficiently resists being encapsulated and melanized within the host's hemolymph and most of the nematodes were observed moving freely in the hemolymph even at 24 h post incubation. Consistently, isolated cuticles from the parasite also withstand encapsulation by the O. nipae hemocytes at all-time points. However, significant encapsulation and melanization of the isolated cuticles were recorded following heat treatment of the cuticles. The host's phenoloxidase activity was found to be slightly suppressed due to S. carpocapsae infection. Furthermore, the expression levels of some antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes were significantly up-regulated in the S. carpocapsae-challenged O. nipae. Taken together, our data suggest that S. carpocapsae modulates and surpasses the O. nipae immune responses and hence can serve as an excellent biological control agent of the pest.
Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (A... more Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (Arugula) and Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) was carried out during spring season from February to April consecutively during all the three years of 2016–18. Insect pollinators observed belonged to four orders i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera. A total of 20 major species of insect pollinators were recorded. The highest abundance of pollinator species belonged to Hymenoptera. The most prominent insect pollinator species were Apis mellifera followed by other three honey bee species of A. cerana, A. flo-rea, and A. dorsata respectively. Some species of solitary bees were also recorded. From Diptera, four species of syrphid fly and one species from Muscidae family were also recorded. Insect pollinators recorded from order Lepidoptera were Pieris brassicae, Vanessa cardui, and Papilio demoleus. Lady bird beetle Coccinella septempunctata was recorded from Coleoptera order as occasional visitor. It was noticed that E. sativa attracted more insect pollinators than B. rapa which may be attributed to different amount and chemical properties of nectar, with number of pollen grains, and flower canopy of both crops. Further studies are needed to confirm the reasons for higher pollinator visitation to E. sativa than B. rapa through chemical analysis of nectar, amount of pollens, flower physiology and phenology of both crops. Ó 2018 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Wolbachia pipientis is a diverse, ubiquitous and most prevalent intracellular bacterial group of ... more Wolbachia pipientis is a diverse, ubiquitous and most prevalent intracellular bacterial group of alpha-Proteobacteria that is concerned with many biological processes in arthropods. The coconut hispine beetle (CHB), Brontispa longissima (Gestro) is an economically important pest of palm cultivation worldwide. In the present study, we comprehensively surveyed the Wolbachia-infection prevalence and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism in CHB from five different geographical locations, including China's Mainland and Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. A total of 540 sequences were screened in this study through three different genes, i.e., cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), Wolbachia outer surface protein (wsp) and multilocus sequencing type (MLST) genes. The COI genetic divergence ranges from 0.08% to 0.67%, and likewise, a significant genetic diversity (π = 0.00082; P = 0.049) was noted within and between all analyzed samples. In the meantime, ten different haplotypes (H) were characterized (haplotype diversity = 0.4379) from 21 different locations, and among them, H6 (46 individuals) have shown a maximum number of population clusters than others. Subsequently, Wolbachia-prevalence results indicated that all tested specimens of CHB were found positive (100%), which suggested that CHB was naturally infected with Wolbachia. Wolbachia sequence results (wsp gene) revealed a high level of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00047) under Tajima's D test (P = 0.049). Meanwhile, the same trend of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00041) was observed in Wolbachia concatenated MLST locus. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis (wsp and concatenated MLST genes) revealed that all collected samples of CHB attributed to same Wolbachia B-supergroup. Our results strongly suggest that Wolbachia bacteria and mtDNA were highly concordant with each other and Wolbachia can affect the genetic structure and diversity within the CHB populations.
A B S T R A C T Noncoding RNAs play essential functions during epigenetic regulation of gene expr... more A B S T R A C T Noncoding RNAs play essential functions during epigenetic regulation of gene expression and development in numerous organisms. Three type of small noncoding RNAs found in eukaryotes, which are small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Small RNAs (sRNAs) originated from infecting viruses are known as virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs), are responsible for RNA silencing in plants. However, Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is mainly dependent on RNA silencing (RNAi). Interestingly, RNA silencing happens in plants and insects during viral infections. VsiRNAs originate from dsRNA molecules which further require hosts Dicer-like (DCL) proteins, RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) proteins, and Argonaute (AGO) proteins. RdRP uses ssRNA for complete RNA amplification process as well as DCL dependent secondary vsiRNA formation. Viral Suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) interfere with the movement of signals during silencing mechanism. Moreover, intercellular movement of viruses is facilitated by virus-encoded movement proteins. Proteomic and Transcriptomic mechanisms regulated by specific factors like microRNAs, which has become an essential factor of gene regulation. RNAi is also involved in gene suppression by regulating the transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression in many eukaryotes. Rice grassy stunt virus (RGSV) is a member of genus Tenuivirus. Although, there is no much work done on RGSV, but this virus has become very potent and destructive, and effects rice crop in many Asian countries, particularly in China. In this review, we have highlighted the rice viruses' biology and silencing suppressors. This work will be helpful for plant virologists in understanding the role of vsiRNAs mechanism in rice viruses especially RGSV.
Among the intracellular bacterial symbionts, the genus Wolbachia (Rickettsiaceae: Rickettsiales) ... more Among the intracellular bacterial symbionts, the genus Wolbachia (Rickettsiaceae: Rickettsiales) is one of the most abundant taxa associated with reproductive systems of various insects. It is cytoplasmic inherited endosymbiont that induce various reproductive alterations. Characterization analysis has revealed that a number of arthropods harbour Wolbachia sp. estimates from 20-80%, with emphasize on Coleopterous insects (41 species have been reported so far). Therefore, in the context of broad existence and unique phenotypic actions to alter reproductive systems of various insect, we aimed to determine the intriguing possibility of this endosymbiont from one of the deadliest palm pest, i.e. red palm weevil (RPW), Rynchophorus ferrugineus (Curculionidae) from different geographical locations using polymerase chain reactions (PCR) with four sets of Wolbachia-specific primers (SPs) along with one pair of universal bacterial primer (BP). Parallel analysis was also carried out with Wolbachia strain isolated from whitebacked plant hopper, Sogatella furcifera (Homoptera: Delphacidae), as a positive control. Our analysis confirmed the absence of Wolbachia sp. across the various life stages of RPW reared in laboratory or captured from the field. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis of all closely related Wolbachia-mediated weevils were compiled and retrieved from NCBI database indicates the extent of transfection of this bacterium into RPW for the future work on biological control of RPW. This study may facilitate to understand further evolutionary consequences of Wolbachia infection in weevils.
The hispid leaf beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a devastating p... more The hispid leaf beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a devastating pest of palm cultivation worldwide. Endosymbiotic bacteria in the genus Wolbachia are arguably one of the most abundant bacterial group associated with arthropods. Owing to its critical effects on host reproduction, Wolbachia has garnered much attention as a prospective future tool for insect pest management. However, their association, infection dynamics, and functionality remain unknown in this insect pest. Here, we diagnosis for the first time, the infection prevalence, and occurrence of Wolbachia in O. nipae. Experimental evidence by the exploration of wsp gene vindicate that O. nipae is naturally infected with bacterial symbiont of genus Wolbachia, showing a complete maternal inheritance with shared a common Wolbachia strain (wNip). Moreover, MLST (gatB, fbpA, coxA, ftsZ, and hcpA) analysis enabled the detections of new sequence type (ST-484), suggesting a particular genotypic association of O. nipae and Wolbachia. Subsequently, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay demonstrated variable infection density across different life stages (eggs, larvae, pupae and adult male and female), body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), and tissues (ovaries, testes, and guts). Infection density was higher in egg and female adult stage, as well as abdomen and reproductive tissues as compared to other samples. Interestingly, Wolbachia harbored dominantly in a female than the male adult, while, no significant differences were observed between male and female body parts and tissues. Phylogeny of Wolbachia infection associated with O. nipae rectified from all tested life stages were unique and fall within the same monophyletic supergroup-A of Wolbachia clades. The infection density of symbiont is among the valuable tool to understand their biological influence on hosts, and this latest discovery would facilitate the future investigations to understand the host-symbiont complications and its prospective role as a microbiological agent to reduce pest populations.
Adult dragonflies (Anisoptera) were collected from different localities of South China covering e... more Adult dragonflies (Anisoptera) were collected from different localities of South China covering eight provinces. Representative sequences were sixty-one, including 16 species, 11 genera and three families (Aeshnidae, Gomphidae and Libellulidae), under cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. After alignment of sequences by BioEdit v6, genetic interaction and divergence were computed by MEGA 7 whereas all the indices of genetic diversity were calculated by DnaSP v5 software. Phylogenetic trees were constructed through Neighbor-Joining method under Jukes-Cantor model, and all species of respective families were assembled with each other into individual groups. Maximum divergence was observed by Trithemis genus (18.69%), followed by Orthetrum genus (18.16%), whereas a minimum value of divergence was noted for Pantala genus (0.31%). On the other hand, maximum genetic diversity was recorded for Orthetrum genus up to 142 mutations, followed by Trithemis genus (126 mutations), while the minimum value (two mutations) was observed for Pantala genus. Genetic diversity for overall and Libellulidae family sequences was much higher, up to 404 mutations and 344 mutations, respectively. Current results suggest a high diversity of odonates in the South China region and results are valuable in gaining a total obligation of the diversity of Asian odonates and conservation measures of this insect group.
The endo-symbiotic relationship between microorganism and eukaryotes are very common and has been... more The endo-symbiotic relationship between microorganism and eukaryotes are very common and has been broadly investigated from all insect species. The genus Wolbachia are obligatory intracellular bacteria that induce evolutionary alterations and have been frequently reported in egg cytoplasm's of various invertebrates including insects, spiders, mites, scorpions, crustaceans and nematodes, which exert a profound impact on host biology and behavior through a number of phenotypic alternations. Due to its ubiquitous phenotypic behavior, Wolbachia becomes a novel and promising natural micro-biocontrol agent to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility, killing of male embryos, parthenogenesis, and feminization. Autonomous transgenic capability, survival on several host species and the ability to modify the host reproductive systems makes it the most prominent and focusing scientific genomic research from last few decades. The aim of this review is to summarize the significance and recent discoveries of Wolbachia related to various arthropods which lead positive directions to be exploited in future for integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Further, this review also discussed the biology, phylogeny, distributions, classifications and types of Wolbachia infections on insect orders and coleopterans in particular.
The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine appli... more The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine application effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hyphomycetes) and sub-lethal dosages of Imidacloprid against the second and fourth instar larvae of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier was investigated in laboratory. Additionally, the in vitro hyphal growth of B. bassiana amended with three different concentrations (50, 250, 500 µl L-1) of Confidor ® 200 SL was also assessed. The results showed significantly higher mortality for the second and fourth instar larvae of RPW when B. bassiana and Imidacloprid applied together compared to their sole application. The highest mortality level (100%) for the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×10 6 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1µl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B. bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×10 6 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
The present study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of Rhizoglyphus tritici against th... more The present study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of Rhizoglyphus tritici against the comparative potential of ether extracts from Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus sp., Citrullus colocynthis, Allium sativum, Nicotiana tabacum, Curcuma longa, Nerium indicum, Syzygium aromaticum, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Cassia fistula. The whole trial was executed under laboratory conditions with five concentrations from T1-T5 (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 4% and 8%), and four exposure periods (7, 14, 21 and 28 days). The percentage inhibition of mite population was both time-dependent and concentration-dependent. All the plant extracts exhibited significant acaricidal potential for adult mite as compared to control. The significant population inhibition percentage trend was observed of C. longa 91%, 95.54%, 94.97% and 97.46% and S. aromaticum 88.06%, 92.17%, 95.27% and 96.67% followed by C. fistula 92.03%, 93.27%, 93.22% and 92.07% while least population inhibition percentage was observed of N. tabacum 84.70%, 85..08%, 90.70% and 93.14% after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The median lethal concentrations were also calculated for all extracts, and it was observed that S. aromaticum was highly toxic to mites at lowest concentration 0.128, 0.028, 0.006 and 0.005 followed by C. longa 0.071, 0.036, 0.027 and 0.016 while least toxicity was observed in C. colocynthis 0.047, 0.030, 0.009 and 0.009 against R. tritici, and lethal concentration (LC50) decreased with an increasing time of exposure of the R. tritici to the ether extract. It was concluded that acaricidal potential of plants is directly proportional to time exposure and during first and second week C. fistula and S. aromaticum followed C. longa but suddenly after two weeks acaricidal potential of S. aromaticum was boost up and it was concluded that C. fistula, S. aromaticum and C. longa proved to be more effective gainst stored grain mites as compared to the others plant extracts. Perhaps, this new study will provide the basis for further investigation in order to develop new and safer acaricides in field conditions.
The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine appli... more The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine application effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hyphomycetes) and sub-lethal dosages of Imidacloprid against the second and fourth instar larvae of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier was investigated in laboratory. Additionally, the in vitro hyphal growth of B. bassiana amended with three different concentrations (50, 250, 500 µl L-1) of Confidor® 200 SL was also assessed. The results showed significantly higher mortality for the second and fourth instar larvae of RPWrnwhen B. bassiana and Imidacloprid applied together compared to their sole application. The highest mortality level (100%) for the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×106 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1 µl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B. bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×106 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine appli... more The Red Palm Weevil is a serious problem of the date palm in Pakistan. The sole and combine application effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hyphomycetes) and sub-lethal dosages of Imidacloprid against the second and fourth instar larvae of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier was investigated in laboratory. Additionally, the in vitro hyphal growth of B. bassiana amended with three different concentrations (50, 250, 500 μl L-1) of Confidor® 200 SL was also assessed. The results showed significantly higher mortality for the second and fourth instar larvae of RPW when B. bassiana and Imidacloprid applied together compared to their sole application. The highest mortality level (100%) for the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×106 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1 μl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B. bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×106 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
Moringa oleifera commonly known as Moringa is a multipurpose plant. Field trials were conducted t... more Moringa oleifera commonly known as Moringa is a multipurpose plant. Field trials were conducted to assess the potency of Moringa leaf (MLE) and root extracts (MRE) as plant growth regulator (PGR) and a Bio-pesticide on wheat crop. At distinct crop growth stages (tillering, booting, and heading) with different concentrations (5, 10, 12.5, and 25% v/v or w/v or w/w) of MLE and MRE were applied. Results showed statistically significant increase in crop growth traits and reduction in aphid infestation (booting, milk, and heading stage). As plant growth regulator maximum leaf area duration (LAD), leaf area index (LAI), and total dry matter accumulation (TDM) were recorded at all growth stages for MLE 25%. Highest crop growth rate (CGR) (24.91 gm-2day-1) at tillering was achieved for MLE 5%, 13.04 gm-2day-1 for MRE 10% at booting stage and 8.76 gm-2day-1 for MLE 10% at heading stage. Maximum thousand grains weight (57.33g), highest number of spikes per plant (9.67plant-1) and maximum grain yield (4446Kg hac-1) were determined for MLE 25%. The heading stage of the crop was heavily infested with aphids and MLE 5% significantly reduced pest infestation compared to other concentrations of MLE and MRE and control group. Overall, MLE and MRE proved very effective as plant growth regulator and a Biopesticide against wheat aphid on wheat crop.
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the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×106 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1 μl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B.
bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and
percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×106 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
grains weight (57.33g), highest number of spikes per plant (9.67plant-1) and maximum grain yield (4446Kg hac-1) were determined for MLE 25%. The heading stage of the
crop was heavily infested with aphids and MLE 5% significantly reduced pest infestation compared to other concentrations of MLE and MRE and control group. Overall, MLE and MRE proved very effective as plant growth regulator and a Biopesticide
against wheat aphid on wheat crop.
the second instar was recorded after 15 days of treatment with B. bassiana (1×106 conidia/ml) and Imidacloprid (1 μl L-1) in combination, while for the fourth instar larvae it was achieved after 20 days of application. However, the presence of Imidacloprid did not significantly affect the hyphal growth of B.
bassiana on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and greater colony sizes compared to untreated control were recorded in all cases. The maximum number of sporulation (173, 159.83 conidia ml-1) and
percentage (89.15, 79.4%) of mycosed R. ferrugineus cadavers was observed at lower dose rate (1×106 conidia/ml) of B. bassiana, exhibited the potential to be exploited for the control of RPW.
grains weight (57.33g), highest number of spikes per plant (9.67plant-1) and maximum grain yield (4446Kg hac-1) were determined for MLE 25%. The heading stage of the
crop was heavily infested with aphids and MLE 5% significantly reduced pest infestation compared to other concentrations of MLE and MRE and control group. Overall, MLE and MRE proved very effective as plant growth regulator and a Biopesticide
against wheat aphid on wheat crop.