A first experiment in mass-rearing of coregonid larvae in tanks with a dry food

Development, survival and reproduction of Ambyseius andersoni (Chant), a predatory mite widely distributed in Europe, were assessed on different food items. These included two key pests of ornamental coniferous plants, i.e., Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi) and Pentamerismus taxi (Haller) and pollen of Pinus sylvestris L. The rationale behind these experiments was to provide a preliminary assessment of the potential of A. andersoni as a biocontrol agent of the above phytophagous arthropods and evaluate pine pollen as an alternative food source for the predator. Under laboratory conditions (23 ± 0.5 °C, 70 ± 10% RH and 16L:8D) A. andersoni was able to feed, develop and reproduce on all tested diets. The shortest development time (egg to female) was obtained when the predator fed on P. taxi (mean = 5.12 d) and the longest was on pine pollen (mean = 6.55 d). The rm value was significantly higher on both tested prey (0.166 on P. taxi and 0.160 on O. ununguis) than on pollen (0.139). Thus, we do not recommend pine pollen for mass rearing of A. andersoni; however, we conclude that pollen may provide sufficient sustenance for the predator population under field conditions when prey are absent. The potential of A. andersoni as a biocontrol agent of O. ununguis and P. taxi is discussed.

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Selecting packaging material for dry food products by trade‐off of sustainability and performance: A case study on cookies and milk powder

Packaging Technology and Science ◽

10.1002/pts.2561 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 303-318

Author(s):

Maarten Baele ◽

An Vermeulen ◽

Dimitri Adons ◽

Roos Peeters ◽

Angelique Vandemoortele ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Milk Powder ◽

Food Products ◽

Packaging Material ◽

Trade Off ◽

Dry Food ◽

And Performance

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Evaluation of iron, copper and zinc concentrations in commercial foods formulated for healthy cats

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1177/1098612x211026254 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1098612X2110262

Author(s):

Stacie Summers ◽

Jonathan Stockman ◽

Jennifer A Larsen

Keyword(s):

Food Products ◽

Metabolizable Energy ◽

Life Stages ◽

Trace Mineral ◽

Iron Copper ◽

Copper And Zinc ◽

Zinc Concentrations ◽

Dry Food ◽

Raw Foods ◽

Mineral Concentrations

Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze iron, copper and zinc concentrations in commercial foods and compare among food formats (dry, canned, raw), foods marketed by age category (adult 1+ years and senior 7+ years) and foods intended for adult maintenance vs all life stages. Methods In total, 112 commercial non-therapeutic food products marketed for healthy adult and senior cats were purchased in the USA. Foods were analyzed for their proximate composition. Trace mineral concentrations were measured using inductively coupled argon plasma–optical emission spectroscopy and described on a calculated metabolizable energy basis using standard modified Atwater values. Results Measured iron (median 58.4 mg/1000 kcal [range 15.7–379.0]), copper (median 5.6 mg/1000 kcal [range 0.8–13.3]) and zinc (median 47.6 mg/1000 kcal [range 7.6–128.1]) concentrations were highly variable among cat foods. When all food products – regardless of their nutritional adequacy substantiation method – were compared with the Association of American Feed Control Officials regulatory minimums, 13/112 food products had a mineral deficiency, of which a majority (n = 11/13) were raw food products. Raw foods had significantly lower trace mineral concentrations compared with dry food products and, except for copper, canned food products. Cat foods marketed for senior cats had higher iron ( P = 0.019) and zinc ( P <0.0001) concentrations than foods marketed for adult cats. Foods intended for adult maintenance had higher iron ( P = 0.003) and zinc concentrations than foods intended for all life stages ( P <0.0001). Conclusions and relevance Iron, copper and zinc concentrations in commercial non-therapeutic foods for adult and senior cats are highly variable. A minority of foods – mainly raw food products – were deficient in these minerals. It is unknown if some foods with high trace mineral concentrations could have adverse effects as studies are needed to establish safe upper limits for dietary intake of trace minerals in healthy cats.

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Feline ureteral obstruction: a case-control study of risk factors (2016–2019)

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1177/1098612x211017461 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1098612X2110174

Author(s):

Alexandra J Kennedy ◽

Joanna D White

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Roc Curve ◽

Ureteral Obstruction ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Abdominal Ultrasound ◽

Case Control ◽

Total Calcium ◽

Creatinine Concentration ◽

Dry Food ◽

Control Study

Objectives Ureteral obstruction (UO) in cats causes acute kidney injury and typically requires surgical intervention. Information is required about potentially modifiable risk factors to inform prevention strategies. Methods A case-control study was performed to assess risk factors associated with feline UO. Cases were defined as cats with either of the following: (1) ureteral obstruction (ureteroliths: 13/18; unknown: 5/18) confirmed with pyelography; or (2) a creatinine concentration >140 µmol/l with both UO (ureteroliths: 6/10; blood clots: 3/10; pyonephrosis: 1/10) and pyelectasia ⩾5 mm on abdominal ultra sonography. Controls were defined as cats without evidence of UO on history, physical examination and abdominal ultrasound. Age, sex, breed (domestic shorthair/longhair), diet (predominantly dry, mixed or predominantly moist food), housing (indoors or mixed) and plasma total calcium were evaluated for their association with UO using multivariable logistic regression. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was created to evaluate the predictive ability of the final model. Results In total, 168 cats (28 cases, 140 controls) were included. Age, sex, breed, housing and total calcium were not significantly associated with UO; however, diet was. Compared with cats eating a predominantly moist food diet, cats fed a predominantly dry food diet were 15.9 times more likely to develop a UO (95% confidence interval 2.9–295; P = 0.009). There was no difference in the association between diet and UO in cats fed a mixed diet vs cats fed a predominantly moist food diet ( P = 0.25). The area under the ROC curve was 72%. Conclusions and relevance Changes in diet formulation could provide a simple and economical method to reduce the risk of UO.

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Integrative taxonomy and phylogeography of Telenomus remus (Scelionidae), with the first record of natural parasitism of Spodoptera spp. in Brazil

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93510-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ana P. G. S. Wengrat ◽

Aloisio Coelho Junior ◽

Jose R. P. Parra ◽

Tamara A. Takahashi ◽

Luis A. Foerster ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Mitochondrial Gene ◽

First Record ◽

Mass Rearing ◽

Classical Biological Control ◽

Egg Parasitoid ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Agricultural Pests ◽

Telenomus Remus ◽

Natural Parasitism

AbstractThe egg parasitoid Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) has been investigated for classical and applied biological control of noctuid pests, especially Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) species. Although T. remus was introduced into Brazil over three decades ago for classical biological control of S. frugiperda, this wasp has not been recorded as established in corn or soybean crops. We used an integrative approach to identify T. remus, combining a taxonomic key based on the male genitalia with DNA barcoding, using a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene fragment. This is the first report of natural parasitism of T. remus on S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs at two locations in Brazil. We also confirmed that the T. remus lineage in Brazil derives from a strain in Venezuela (originally from Papua New Guinea and introduced into the Americas, Africa, and Asia). The occurrence of T. remus parasitizing S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs in field conditions, not associated with inundative releases, suggests that the species has managed to establish itself in the field in Brazil. This opens possibilities for future biological control programs, since T. remus shows good potential for mass rearing and egg parasitism of important agricultural pests such as Spodoptera species.

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Reproductive performance and transcriptome analyses of Tetranychus urticae when feeding on bean leaves and an artificial diet

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.24.7.11 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (7) ◽

pp. 1272-1283

Author(s):

Yongjuan He ◽

Jiale Lv ◽

Endong Wang ◽

Xuenong Xu

Keyword(s):

Tetranychus Urticae ◽

Artificial Diet ◽

Mass Rearing ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Detoxification Enzymes ◽

Adult Longevity ◽

Natural Food ◽

Leaf Extracts ◽

Transcriptome Analyses ◽

Bean Leaves

As an important pest, Tetranychus urticae fed on thousands of host plants and showed strong capability in host adaptation. However, hardly any success artificial diet has been developed for it. In this study, we compared adult longevity and reproduction of T. urticae that fed on its natural food (bean leaves) and an artificial diet with leaf extracts added, and tried to investigate the reason why the artificial diet was inefficient through transcriptome analyses. Mean adult longevity and cumulative fecundities of T. urticae was reduced by 53.4% and 93.8%, respectively. Transcriptome analyses showed that 1731 genes were differentially expressed comparing individuals fed with the artificial diet and with their natural food, among which most (77.1%) were down regulated. No significant induced expression of xenobiotic transporters and detoxification enzymes were observed when T. urticae were fed with the artificial diet. In contrast, differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in digestive related terms, especially in lipid metabolism related pathways, with most genes down regulated. Our results indicated the significance in further investigating lipid demand and metabolism of T. urticae to improve its mass rearing techniques.

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