scholarly journals Prospects for Use of Biological Control of Insect and Mites for the Food Industry in North America

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1969
Author(s):  
Vincent A. D. Hervet ◽  
William R. Morrison

There are a number of strategies used to mitigate and control insect infestations in stored products and stored product facilities in North America and globally. Fumigation remains one of the main techniques used, particularly in bulk grain. Other techniques are also utilized effectively, such as the use of extreme temperatures and the use of biological control agents, but are mainly restricted to organic products and to Europe, respectively. Here, we review the past research conducted in the field of biological control for pests of stored products in North America and in Europe, its past and present successes in Europe, its challenges, and what we can learn from them to develop biological control as a viable option to problems of insect pests of stored products in North America.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sardul Singh Sandhu ◽  
Anil K. Sharma ◽  
Vikas Beniwal ◽  
Gunjan Goel ◽  
Priya Batra ◽  
...  

The growing demand for reducing chemical inputs in agriculture and increased resistance to insecticides have provided great impetus to the development of alternative forms of insect-pest control. Myco-biocontrol offers an attractive alternative to the use of chemical pesticides. Myco-biocontrol agents are naturally occurring organisms which are perceived as less damaging to the environment. Their mode of action appears little complex which makes it highly unlikely that resistance could be developed to a biopesticide. Past research has shown some promise of the use of fungi as a selective pesticide. The current paper updates us about the recent progress in the field of myco-biocontrol of insect pests and their possible mechanism of action to further enhance our understanding about the biological control of insect pests.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 1581-1586
Author(s):  
Huifang Guo ◽  
Yufeng Qu

Abstract Compared with the numerous natural enemies against insect pests that have been identified, the commercialization of natural biological control resources remains very limited. To increase the use of natural enemies for biological control, determining how to improve the low efficacy, slow speed, and high cost of natural enemies is very important. Mediterranean species of The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodoidea), increasingly threatens many crops in China, and control primarily depends on chemical insecticides. Here, the effect of ethanol extracts from two plants, Agrimonia pilosa (Ledeb) (Rosales: Rosaceae) and Melia azedarach (Linn) (Meliaceae: Melia), on predominant natural enemies of B. tabaci was investigated using a leaf dipping or spraying method. The results showed that the ethanol extract of A. pilosa significantly improved the infectivity of the fungus Isaria javanica (Friedrichs & Bally) (Ascomycota: Hypocreales), and the mortality of whiteflies caused by the combination of fungus (105 spores/mL) with the extract of A. pilosa (2 mg/mL dried powder of A. pilosa containing 0.0942 mg/mL total polyphenols) was 81.6%, which was significantly higher than that caused by the fungus only. However, the ethanol extract of M. azedarach had no effect on fungus infectivity. Additionally, insecticide tolerance of the predator Pardosa pseudoannulata was also significantly improved by the extract of A. pilosa. The longevity of the parasitoid Encarsia formosa was not affected by the extracts. These findings indicate that the extract of A. pilosa played a dual role that included improving pathogenic fungi infectivity and insecticidal tolerance of a predator and thus could be a synergist in the biological control of B. tabaci.


1962 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Brown ◽  
R. C. Clark

Over the past ten years a number of exotic predators have been introduced into New Brunswick and other parts of North America as part of a biological control program against the balsam woolly aphid, Adelges piceae (Ratz.). Several of these have become established and others show considerable promise. As introductions continue it becomes exceedingly important that field workers be able to distinguish rapidly all stages of introduced and native predators. Field identification characters for some species (Chamaemyiidae and Syrphidae) have been published in previous papers in this series (Brown and Clark, 1956, 1960; Clark and Brown, 1957) and have been found to be very useful.


2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
David William Hagstrum ◽  
Paul Whitney Flinn

Abstract Stored-product entomologists have a variety of new monitoring, decision-making, biological, chemical, and physical pest management tools available to them. Two types of stored-product insect populations are of interest: insects of immediate economic importance infesting commodities, and insects that live in food residues in equipment and facilities. The sampling and control methods change as grain and grain products move from field to consumer. There are also some changes in the major insect pest species to take into consideration. In this review, we list the primary insect pests at each point of the marketing system, and indicate which sampling methods and control strategies are most appropriate. Economic thresholds for insect infestation levels developed for raw commodity storage, processing plants, and retail business allow sampling-based pest management to be done before insect infestations cause economic injury. Taking enough samples to have a representative sample (20-30 samples) will generally provide enough information to classify a population as above or below an economic threshold.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gislayne Trindade Vilas-Bôas ◽  
Rita C. Alvarez ◽  
Clelton A. Dos Santos ◽  
Laurival A. Vilas-Boas

As proteínas Cry produzidas pela bactéria entomopatogênica Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner são bem conhecidas devido a alta citotoxicidade que exibem a uma variedade de insetos-alvo. O modo de ação destas proteínas é específico e torna os produtos à base de B. thuringiensis os mais amplamente utilizados em programas de controle biológico de pragas na agricultura e de importantes vetores de doenças humanas. Contudo, embora as proteínas Cry sejam os fatores de virulência inseto-específico mais conhecidos, linhagens de B. thuringiensis apresentam também uma ampla gama de fatores de virulência, os quais permitem à bactéria atingir a hemolinfa e colonizar eficientemente o inseto hospedeiro. Dentre estes fatores, destacam-se as proteínas Vip, Cyt, enterotoxinas, hemolisinas, fosfolipases, proteases, enzimas de degradação, além das recentemente descritas parasporinas. Essa revisão aborda a ação desses fatores de virulência, bem como a caracterização e o controle da expressão de seus genes. Adicionalmente, são discutidos aspectos relacionados ao nicho ecológico da bactéria com ênfase nas características envolvidas com a biossegurança da utilização dos produtos à base de B. thuringiensis para o controle biológico de insetos-alvo. Virulence Factors of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner: Something Beyond of Cry Proteins? Abstract. The Cry proteins produced by the entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner are widely known due to its high toxicity against a variety of insects. The mode of action of these proteins is specific and becomes B. thuringiensis-based products the most used in biological control programs of insect pests in agriculture and of important human disease vectors. However, while the Cry proteins are the best-known insect-specific virulence factor, strains of B. thuringiensis show also a wide range of other virulence factors, which allow the bacteria to achieve the hemolymph and colonize efficiently the insect host. Among these factors, we highlight the Vip proteins, Cyt, enterotoxins, hemolysins, phospholipases, proteases and enzymes of degradation, in addition to the recently described parasporin. This review explores the action of these virulence factors, as well as, the characterization and control of expression of their genes. Additionally, we discuss aspects related to the ecological niche of the bacteria with emphasis on the characteristics involved in the biosafety of the use of B. thuringiensis-based products for biological control of target insects.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 905
Author(s):  
Chiara Ferracini ◽  
Cristina Pogolotti ◽  
Franco Rama ◽  
Giada Lentini ◽  
Valerio Saitta ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Pheromone-based devices are successfully used to control insect pests in agriculture. (2) Methods: Investigations were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mating disruption (MD) to control the chestnut tortrix moths, Cydia fagiglandana and Cydia splendana. Surveys were performed in northern Italy in 2019–2020. MD was carried out using the pheromone dispenser Ecodian® CT. The effectiveness of MD was assessed by recording male adult catches in pheromone-baited sticky traps and larvae in chestnut fruits, comparing MD and control plots. (3) Results: The total number of trapped males was significantly lower in MD plots than in control ones, for all sites and years. Trap catch suppression in MD plots averaged 89.5% and 93.8% for C. fagiglandana and 57.4% and 81% for C. splendana in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The larval infestation rate in fruits did not vary between plots except for one site where a reduction of about 71% in the MD plot was recorded in 2019. (4) Conclusions: Low catches in MD plots turned out to be a good measure of the effectiveness of communication disruption, but no satisfactory data have been obtained regarding fruit infestation, highlighting how the reduction of male catches cannot always be considered as a reliable indicator of successful control. Specific investigations about background population density, dispersal and mating/oviposition behavior are thus essential for a viable management strategy.


1960 ◽  
Vol 3 (28) ◽  
pp. 679-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. LaChapelle

Abstract The techniques of avalanche forecasting and control have found increasingly wide adoption in North America in the past decade. Numerous government and private agencies are now engaged in work to protect ski areas, highways, railroads and power lines. Practical control measures such as artillery fire have been developed to a high degree of effectiveness, but the construction of permanent defense structures other than snow sheds is still in its infancy. Experimental work on instrumentation, forecasting, defense structures and the use of explosives, artillery and jet aircraft is currently in progress.


2020 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridgett M vonHoldt ◽  
Matthew L Aardema

Abstract This bibliography provides a collection of references that documents the evolution of studies evidencing interbreeding among Canis species in North America. Over the past several decades, advances in biology and genomic technology greatly improved our ability to detect and characterize species interbreeding, which has significance for understanding species in a changing landscape as well as for endangered species management. This bibliography includes a discussion within each category of interbreeding, the timeline of developing evidence, and includes a review of past research conducted on experimental crosses. Research conducted in the early 20th century is rich with detailed records and photographs of hybrid offspring development and behavior. With the progression of molecular methods, studies can estimate historical demographic parameters and detect chromosomal patterns of ancestry. As these methods continue to increase in accessibility, the field will gain a deeper and richer understanding of the evolutionary history of North American Canis.


1945 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 192-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. U. Monro

In the past, fumigation at temperatures much below 60°F. has not been widely advocated to control insect pests in unheated structures. The objections to such a practice have been based on a number of considerations which will be discussed later. The possibility of estending the schedule of treatments to lower temperatures is obviously of great importance in Canada, where the mean monthly temperatures in most parts of the country lie below 60°F. for 8 or 9 months of the year and where there are three or four months when the range is between 40° and 60°F.


1960 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Clark ◽  
N. R. Brown

Although Laricobius rubidus LeConte (1861, 1866) is not a common predator of the balsam woolly aphid, Adelges piceae (Ratz.), this paper is included in the series because of the close taxonomic similarities of L. rubidus in all stages to the recently introduced L. erichsonii Rosenh. In the past there has been confusion in the literature because the majority of records of rubidus have been erroneously attributed to erichsonii. These records have been discussed in detail in a paper on L. erichsonii, a species which has been introduced into North America as part of a biological control program against A. piceae (Clark and Brown, 1958).


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