Life history and host range determination of Paectes n. sp. – a potential classical biological control agent of Brazilian peppertree in the United States

TrissolcushyalinipennisRajmohana & Narendran is an Old World egg parasitoid ofBagradahilaris(Burmeister). Its potential as a classical biological control agent in the United States has been under evaluation in quarantine facilities since 2014. A survey of resident egg parasitoids using fresh sentinelB.hilariseggs in Riverside, California, revealed thatT.hyalinipennisis present in the wild. Four cards with parasitized eggs were recovered, from which one yielded a single liveT.hyalinipennisand two unidentified dead wasps (Scelionidae), and three yielded twenty liveTrissolcusbasalis(Wollaston) and one dead wasp. Subsequently, samples from Burbank, California, collected with a Malaise trap as part of the BioSCAN project, yielded five females ofT.hyalinipennis. It is presumed that the introduction ofT.hyalinipennisto this area was accidental. Surveys will be continued to evaluate the establishment ofT.hyalinipennisas well as the presence of other resident parasitoid species.

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Host Specificity of Coniatus tamarisci (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from France: Potential Biological Control Agent of Tamarix spp. in the United States

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/26.2.349 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 349-356 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Luca Fornasari

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Biological Control ◽

Host Specificity ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

The United States ◽

Control Agent ◽

Tamarix Spp

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Field demonstration of a semiochemical treatment that enhances Diorhabda carinulata biological control of Tamarix spp.

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-49459-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alexander M. Gaffke ◽

Sharlene E. Sing ◽

Tom L. Dudley ◽

Daniel W. Bean ◽

Justin A. Russak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Aggregation Pheromone ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Adult Emergence ◽

Classical Biological Control ◽

The United States ◽

Control Agent ◽

Weed Biological Control ◽

Single Well ◽

Tamarix Spp

Abstract The northern tamarisk beetle Diorhabda carinulata (Desbrochers) was approved for release in the United States for classical biological control of a complex of invasive saltcedar species and their hybrids (Tamarix spp.). An aggregation pheromone used by D. carinulata to locate conspecifics is fundamental to colonization and reproductive success. A specialized matrix formulated for controlled release of this aggregation pheromone was developed as a lure to manipulate adult densities in the field. One application of the lure at onset of adult emergence for each generation provided long term attraction and retention of D. carinulata adults on treated Tamarix spp. plants. Treated plants exhibited greater levels of defoliation, dieback and canopy reduction. Application of a single, well-timed aggregation pheromone treatment per generation increased the efficacy of this classical weed biological control agent.

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Divergence in Photoperiod Responses of a Classical Biological Control Agent, Galerucella calmariensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Across a Climatic and Latitudinal Gradient

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/nvaa161 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tyson Wepprich ◽

Fritzi S Grevstad

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Biological Control ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Growing Season ◽

Classical Biological Control ◽

The United States ◽

Day Length ◽

Season Length ◽

Galerucella Calmariensis ◽

Growing Season Length

Abstract A key knowledge gap in classical biological control is to what extent insect agents evolve to novel environments. The introduction of biological control agents to new photoperiod regimes and climates may disrupt the coordination of diapause timing that evolved to the growing season length in the native range. We tested whether populations of Galerucella calmariensis L. have evolved in response to the potential mismatch of their diapause timing since their intentional introduction to the United States from Germany in the 1990s. Populations collected from 39.4° to 48.8° latitude in the western United States were reared in growth chambers to isolate the effects of photoperiod on diapause induction and development time. For all populations, shorter day lengths increased the proportion of beetles that entered diapause instead of reproducing. The critical photoperiods, or the day length at which half of a population diapauses, differed significantly among the sampled populations, generally decreasing at lower latitudes. The latitudinal trend reflects changes in growing season length, which determines the number of generations possible, and in local day lengths, at the time when beetles are sensitive to this cue. Development times were similar across populations, with one exception, and did not vary with photoperiod. These results show that there was sufficient genetic variation from the two German source populations to evolve different photoperiod responses across a range of environmental conditions. This study adds to the examples of rapid evolution of seasonal adaptations in introduced insects.

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New genera and species of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from China and South Korea

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2083.1.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2083 (1) ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. K. LOPATIN ◽

A. S. KONSTANTINOV

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Biological Control ◽

South Korea ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

The United States ◽

Control Agent ◽

New Genera ◽

Leaf Beetles ◽

Paederia Foetida ◽

Noxious Weed

Two new genera from China (Taumaceroides Lopatin and Yunnaniata Lopatin) and 11 new species (Smaragdina quadrimaculata Lopatin, S. oblongum Lopatin, Hyphaenia volkovitshi Lopatin, Arthrotus daliensis Lopatin, Taumaceroides sinicus Lopatin, Yunnaniata konstantinovi Lopatin, Calomicrus yunnanus Lopatin, C. minutissimus Lopatin, Hermaeophaga belkadavi Konstantinov, H. dali Konstantinov from China, and H. korotyaevi Konstantinov from South Korea) are described and illustrated. A key to Hermaeophaga species of Eurasia is presented. Since Hermaeophaga dali was collected feeding on Paederia foetida L. (Rubiaceae), which is an invasive noxious weed in the United States, this species has potential as a biological control agent of this weed.

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Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ALB65 Inhibits the Growth of Listeria monocytogenes on Cantaloupe Melons

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01926-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Thao D. Tran ◽

Celia Del Cid ◽

Robert Hnasko ◽

Lisa Gorski ◽

Jeffery A. McGarvey

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Biological Control ◽

Listeria Monocytogenes ◽

Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Gene Clusters ◽

The United States ◽

Control Agent ◽

Content Type

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes high rates of hospitalization and mortality in people infected. Contamination of fresh, ready to eat produce by this pathogen is especially troubling because of the ability of this bacterium to grow on produce under refrigeration temperatures. In this study, we created a library of over 8,000 plant phyllosphere-associated bacteria and screened them for the ability to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes in an in vitro fluorescence-based assay. One isolate, later identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ALB65, was able to inhibit the fluorescence of L. monocytogenes by >30-fold in vitro. B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 was also able to grow, persist, and reduce the growth of L. monocytogenes by >1.5 log CFU on cantaloupe melon rinds inoculated with 5 × 103 CFU at 30°C and was able to completely inhibit its growth at temperatures below 8°C. DNA sequence analysis of the B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 genome revealed six gene clusters that are predicted to encode genes for antibiotic production; however, no plant or human virulence factors were identified. These data suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 is an effective and safe biological control agent for the reduction of L. monocytogenes growth on intact cantaloupe melons and possibly other types of produce. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cause disease in approximately 1,600 to 2,500 people in the United States every year. The largest known outbreak of listeriosis in the United States was associated with intact cantaloupe melons in 2011, resulting in 147 hospitalizations and 33 deaths. In this study, we demonstrated that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ALB65 is an effective biological control agent for the reduction of L. monocytogenes growth on intact cantaloupe melons under both pre- and postharvest conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 can completely inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes during cold storage (<8°C).

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Field Damage to Yellow Starthistle Infected by Synchytrium solstitiale, and Greenhouse Maintenance and Host Range of the Fungus

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-02-11-0139 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 95 (8) ◽

pp. 907-912

Author(s):

F. M. Eskandari ◽

W. L. Bruckart ◽

T. L. Widmer

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Biological Control ◽

Host Range ◽

Leaf Tissue ◽

The United States ◽

Carthamus Tinctorius ◽

Yellow Starthistle ◽

Potted Plants ◽

Host Range Determination ◽

Range Determination

Yellow starthistle (YST, Centaurea solstitialis) is a major weed pest of the western United States. Synchytrium solstitiale, a pathogen of YST, caused significant damage to symptomatic (versus asymptomatic) plants in a field study in France. Before it was evaluated as a candidate for biological control of YST in the United States, protocols for pathogen maintenance under greenhouse conditions were developed. Maintenance, increase, and host range determination protocols involved incubation at 10/15°C (night/day) with an 8-h photoperiod either of potted or exhumed (i.e., roots of 4-week-old plants grown in flasks of water) plants inoculated with galled leaf tissue, or potted plants in which inoculum was wrapped within healthy leaves by a plastic wrap. The leaf-wrap protocol, used during the host range determination, always resulted in disease of YST. Several safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) cultivars and other plants related to YST became diseased following this protocol, thus raising concern about host specificity. Development of disease on nontarget species precludes proposal of S. solstitiale for biological control of YST at this time.

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