The First Evidence of the Insecticidal Potential of Plant Powders from Invasive Alien Plants against Rice Weevil under Laboratory Conditions

In a laboratory experiment, we studied the insecticidal effects of invasive alien plants on the rice weevil. The research was carried out in two parts. In the first part, we studied the insecticidal properties of seven different plant species, namely, Bohemian knotweed (Fallopia × bohemica), Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), false indigo-bush (Amorpha fruticosa), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), and giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea). Mixtures of powders and wheat were prepared in two different concentrations, namely, 2.5 w% and 1.25 w%. The experiment was performed at temperatures 20 °C and 25 °C and at two humidity levels, 55% R.h. and 75% R.h. Very low mortality (below 8%) was found when using combinations with the higher relative humidity. No significant differences were observed between the effects of these concentrations. In the second part of the experiment, Norway spruce wood ash and diatomaceous earth (product SilicoSec®) were added to the powder obtained by milling leaves of four different invasive plant species (Canada goldenrod, staghorn sumac, tree of heaven, false indigo). In the independent application, wheat was added to the powder at a concentration 2.5 w%. In the treatments that involved mixtures of powder and wood ash/diatomaceous earth, we applied 1.25 w% plant powder and 1.25 w% wood ash or 1.25 w% plant powder and 450 ppm of a SilicoSec® preparation. The positive control was carried out as two separate treatments with 2.5 w% wood ash of Norway spruce and 900 ppm of the SilicoSec® product, while untreated wheat represented the negative control. The experiment was performed at two temperatures (20 °C and 25 °C) and two R.h. values (55 and 75% R.h.). The mortality of beetles was recorded on the 7th, 14th, and 21st day after the start of the experiment. Higher mortality rates of rice weevil adults were found at the higher relative humidity, and an important factor of mortality was also the day of exposure, as a higher mortality was found when the exposure of individuals to the tested substances was for a longer time period. After 21 days at 25 °C and 55% R.h., the combinations in which the lower concentration of Norway spruce wood ash was added to the powder of invasive alien plants achieved more than 90% mortality of beetles. By adding the plant powder of invasive alien plants to wood ash, we achieved a greater insecticidal efficacy of invasive plants and lower concentrations of wood ash. Nevertheless, the results of our research do not indicate any great usefulness of the plant powder of invasive plants in suppressing the rice weevil. Additional studies should primarily focus on the insecticidal efficacy of powder from the genus Solidago, which in our study, displayed the greatest insecticidal potential among the tested invasive plants.

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Dynamic monitoring and analysis of alien invasive land plants in autumn and winter in Qionghai Lake

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201911804016 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 118 ◽

pp. 04016

Author(s):

Lin Bai ◽

Kun Yao ◽

Yiying Yang ◽

Jiaying Li ◽

Qun Zhao

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plants ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Ornamental Plants ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Dynamic Monitoring ◽

Alternanthera Philoxeroides ◽

Invasive Alien Plants ◽

Eupatorium Adenophorum ◽

Wide Range ◽

Autumn And Winter

Qionghai Lake is the second largest freshwater lake in Sichuan Province. Invasive plants have damaged the ecological balance of Qionghai Lake. Regular investigation and monitoring of invasive alien plants in Qionghai Lake in autumn and winter. Study structural changes and trend changes. Mapping dynamic monitoring of the distribution of invasive plants. Upon investigation, a wide range of invasive plants with a large rits are Eupatorium Adenophorum, Lantana camara, Bidens alba(L.) DC, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Pharbitis purpurea(L.) Voisgt and Oxalis corniculata L. The introduction of the Tagetes erecta L as Ornamental plants, the proliferation occurred because of mismanagement. The number of Mirabilis jalapa L. is very small. Analysis of the way of invasive alien plants into the Qionghai Sea and the measures of prevention and control.

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Lesser leaf herbivore damage and structural defense and greater nutrient concentrations for invasive alien plants: Evidence from 47 pairs of invasive and non-invasive plants

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137829 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 723 ◽

pp. 137829 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kai Huang ◽

De-Liang Kong ◽

Xiu-Rong Lu ◽

Wei-Wei Feng ◽

Ming-Chao Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plants ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Invasive Alien Plants ◽

Herbivore Damage ◽

Non Invasive

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Prospect of Managing Invasive Plants by Native Insect Herbivores: A Case Study of Kashmir Himalaya

10.21203/rs.3.rs-704028/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tariq Ahmad ◽

Irfan Rashid ◽

Rayees Ahmad ◽

Maajid Mehraj ◽

Naieem Ahmad

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Insect Herbivores ◽

Kashmir Himalaya ◽

Invasive Plant Species ◽

Invasive Alien Plants ◽

Minimum Value ◽

Maximum Value

Abstract Biological invasions are considered a massive threat to native biodiversity engulfing both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems worldwide while having cascading ecological and economic effects on the invaded regions. Kashmir Himalaya, an important constituent of the biodiversity hotspot, is heavily invaded by invasive alien plants. An inventory of species diversity of invasive plants and native insect herbivores was carried out in different terrestrial habitats of Kashmir Himalaya in the years 2018-19 and 2019-20. The results showed maximum value (3.39) of Shannon’s diversity index at district Kupwara with minimum value (2.967) at district Srinagar. Margalef Index attained maximum value (5.966) at district Bandipora and a minimum value (4.724) at district Srinagar. Our data revealed maximum value of evenness (0.732) in district Baramulla with minimum value (0.650) at district Pulwama. Similarly, district Baramulla of North Kashmir showed highest Simpson value (0.957) while district Srinagar with minimum value (0.934). Plantago major belonging to the family Plantaginaceae was found to be the most dominant invasive plant species followed by Taraxacum officinale of family Asteraceae. Altica himensis was the most abundant native insect herbivore feeding on almost all invasive plant species with maximum damage on Rumex hastatus of Polygonaceae family. A total of 42 invasive plant species were recorded during the entire study period, of which 12 are worst invaders namely Plantago major, Taraxacum officinale, Trifolium rapens, Trifolium pratense, Plantago lanceolata, Cyanodon dactylon, Anthemis cotula, Clinopodium umbrosum, Ranunculus arvensis, Veronica persica, Dactylis glomerata and Vulpia myuros. A total of 14 native insect herbivores species were identified on these invasive alien plants, of which the prospect of 06 insect herbivore species as potential biocontrol agents is promising. Among the collected insect herbivores, a few namely Chrysolina herbacea, Melanoplus differentialis, Pieris brassicae and Altica himensis are being reared on native and invasive plant species under laboratory conditions. Preliminary results of these native insect herbivors as potential biocontrol agents against invasive alien plants are encouraging. These novel, non-coevolved insect herbivores can not only be exploited to control the spread of invasive plants but could also thwart huge economic losses associated with the management of invasive plants worldwide.

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Influence of Maize Grain Moisture Content on the Insecticidal Efficacy of Wood Ash, Leaf Powder and Diatomaceous Earth Against Maize Weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Journal of Entomology ◽

10.3923/je.2017.13.23 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 13-23

Author(s):

Jean Wini Goudo ◽

Dieudonne Ndjonka ◽

Katamssadan Haman Tofe ◽

Christopher Suh ◽

Elias Nchiwan Nu

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Diatomaceous Earth ◽

Wood Ash ◽

Sitophilus Zeamais ◽

Maize Weevil ◽

Grain Moisture ◽

Insecticidal Efficacy ◽

Leaf Powder ◽

Maize Grain

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Persistence and Effectiveness of Diatomaceous Earth and Spinosad® Against Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Stored Rice

Nigeria Journal of Entomology ◽

10.36108/nje/0202/63.01.31 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 113-117

Author(s):

C.F. Nwanade

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Diatomaceous Earth ◽

Adult Mortality ◽

Sitophilus Zeamais ◽

Control Groups ◽

Laboratory Temperature ◽

Dose Rates ◽

Insecticidal Efficacy ◽

And Control ◽

Residual Effectiveness

The insecticidal and residual effectiveness of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) (Nigeria-derived) and Spinosad® against Sitophilus zeamais on stored rice were evaluated under laboratory temperature (30 ± 2°C) and relative humidity (70 ± 5%). Adult mortality and progeny emergence were studied at three dose rates of DE and Spinosad® (0.1g/kg, 0.5g/kg, and 1g/kg). Spinosad® at 0.1-1.0 g/kg dose rates demonstrated significant results in mortality compared to DE and control groups at 14 d post-treatment and after the 2nd month of storage treatment. Spinosad® treated grains at the same dose rates also resulted in a significant reduction (P<0.05) in the emergence of progeny. Unlike DE, Spinosad® showed some insecticidal efficacy against S. zeamais on storage.

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Differential Effects of Abiotic Factors on the Insecticidal Efficacy of Diatomaceous Earth against Three Major Stored Product Beetle Species

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy12010156 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 156

Author(s):

Georgia V. Baliota ◽

Evagelia Lampiri ◽

Christos G. Athanassiou

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Diatomaceous Earth ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Critical Factor ◽

Cryptolestes Ferrugineus ◽

Differential Effects ◽

Insecticidal Effect ◽

Insecticidal Efficacy ◽

Insect Mortality ◽

Temperature Levels

This study evaluated the influence of temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth (DE) at two concentrations, 500 and 1000 ppm, on wheat, for the control of Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Coleoptera: Cucujidae), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae), and Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). These bioassays were carried out in all combinations of four temperature levels (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C), and two relative humidity levels (55 and 75%). Cryptolestes ferrugineus and O. surinamensis were found to be much more susceptible to the DE-treated wheat than T. confusum, but the increase of the DE dose increased the mortality level for all three species. Although the increase of temperature and the decrease of RH increased insect mortality in some of the combinations tested, the reverse was observed in some treatments, suggesting that there are considerable differential effects of these factors in DE efficacy. The increase of insect exposure from 1 to 21 days notably increased insect mortality, suggesting that exposure is a critical factor that may alleviate possible differential effects of certain abiotic conditions. The results of the present work provide data that illustrate the viability of the utilization of DE in stored product protection, as alternatives to chemical control methods.

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Major environmental factors and traits of invasive alien plants determining their spatial distribution

Journal of Ecology and Environment ◽

10.1186/s41610-021-00208-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Minwoo Oh ◽

Yoonjeong Heo ◽

Eun Ju Lee ◽

Hyohyemi Lee

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Alien Species ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Hot Spots ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Invasive Alien Plants ◽

Temperature Range ◽

Temperature Seasonality

Abstract Background As trade increases, the influx of various alien species and their spread to new regions are prevalent and no longer a special problem. Anthropogenic activities and climate changes have made the distribution of alien species out of their native range common. As a result, alien species can be easily found anywhere, and they have nothing but only a few differences in intensity. The prevalent distribution of alien species adversely affects the ecosystem, and a strategic management plan must be established to control them effectively. To this end, hot spots and cold spots were analyzed according to the degree of distribution of invasive alien plants, and major environmental factors related to hot spots were found. We analyzed the 10,287 distribution points of 126 species of alien plants collected through the national survey of alien species by the hierarchical model of species communities (HMSC) framework. Results The explanatory and fourfold cross-validation predictive power of the model were 0.91 and 0.75 as AUC values, respectively. The hot spots of invasive plants were found in the Seoul metropolitan area, Daegu metropolitan city, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, southwest shore, and Jeju island. Generally, the hot spots were found where the higher maximum temperature of summer, precipitation of winter, and road density are observed, but temperature seasonality, annual temperature range, precipitation of the summer, and distance to river and sea were negatively related to the hot spots. According to the model, the functional traits accounted for 55% of the variance explained by the environmental factors. The species with higher specific leaf areas were more found where temperature seasonality was low. Taller species preferred the bigger annual temperature range. The heavier seed mass was only preferred when the max temperature of summer exceeded 29 °C. Conclusions In this study, hot spots were places where 2.1 times more alien plants were distributed on average than non-hot spots (33.5 vs 15.7 species). The hot spots of invasive plants were expected to appear in less stressful climate conditions, such as low fluctuation of temperature and precipitation. Also, the disturbance by anthropogenic factors or water flow had positive influences on the hot spots. These results were consistent with the previous reports about the ruderal or competitive strategies of invasive plants instead of the stress-tolerant strategy. The functional traits are closely related to the ecological strategies of plants by shaping the response of species to various environmental filters, and our result confirmed this. Therefore, in order to effectively control alien plants, it is judged that the occurrence of disturbed sites in which alien plants can grow in large quantities is minimized, and the river management of waterfronts is required.

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Moisture Performance of Façade Elements Made of Thermally Modified Norway Spruce Wood

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11030348 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 348 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Miha Humar ◽

Boštjan Lesar ◽

Davor Kržišnik

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Moisture Content ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Spruce Wood ◽

Moisture Performance ◽

Average Relative Humidity ◽

Thermally Modified Wood ◽

Moisture Content Measurement ◽

Modified Wood

Wooden façades are gaining in importance. Thermally modified wood is becoming one of the preferred materials for claddings. In spite of the fact that façades made of thermally modified wood have been in use for more than two decades, reports about long-term monitoring have been sparse. The results of three-year monitoring of a façade made of thermally modified wood in Ljubljana are reported. Moisture content measurements of thermally modified façades were taken at 22 locations and compared to the moisture content of untreated Norway spruce wood. Temperature and relative humidity were recorded in parallel. The moisture content of the wood was compared to the average relative humidity before the measurements. The results confirm the lower moisture content of thermally modified wood in comparison to reference Norway spruce. The moisture content of the wooden façade could be best correlated with the average relative humidity and temperature 48 h before the wood moisture content measurement was taken.

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