scholarly journals Use of Sugar Dispensers to Disrupt Ant Attendance and Improve Biological Control of Mealybugs in Vineyard

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 330
Author(s):  
Martina Parrilli ◽  
Marco Profeta ◽  
Luca Casoli ◽  
Fabio Gambirasio ◽  
Antonio Masetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship ◽  
Ant Attendance ◽  
Pseudococcus Comstocki

Planococcus ficus (Signoret) and Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are economically important pests occurring in vineyards, causing severe economic losses for growers and compromising bunch production. The partial effectiveness of insecticides used in controlling mealybug infestations as well as their high impact on the environment and on human health have led to the research of alternative and sustainable control methods, including biological control. Several natural enemies are reported to be effective against mealybugs, but their activity may be hindered by tending ants. These social insects are known to exhibit a mutualistic relationship with mealybugs, resulting in extremely aggressive behavior against beneficial insects. Consequently, this study explored a method to mitigate ant attendance by means of sugar dispensers in order to improve ecosystem services, as well as decrease mealybug infestation in vineyards. Field trials were carried out in four commercial vineyards of Northern Italy infested by mealybugs, in which Anagyrus vladimiri Triapitsyn (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were released as biological control agents. Our results showed that sugar dispensers reduced ant activity and mealybug infestation, leading to a significant enhancement of ecosystem services. The technique showed a great potential in boosting biological control against mealybugs in field conditions, though the field application seemed to be labour intensive and needs to be replicated for a multi-year evaluation.

scholarly journals Mechanistically Compatible Mixtures of Bacterial Antagonists Improve Biological Control of Fire Blight of Pear

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O. Stockwell ◽  
K. B. Johnson ◽  
D. Sugar ◽  
J. E. Loper
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Plant Disease ◽  
Fire Blight ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Extracellular Protease ◽  
Peptide Antibiotics ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Control Activity

Mixtures of biological control agents can be superior to individual agents in suppressing plant disease, providing enhanced efficacy and reliability from field to field relative to single biocontrol strains. Nonetheless, the efficacy of combinations of Pseudomonas fluorescens A506, a commercial biological control agent for fire blight of pear, and Pantoea vagans strain C9-1 or Pantoea agglomerans strain Eh252 rarely exceeds that of individual strains. A506 suppresses growth of the pathogen on floral colonization and infection sites through preemptive exclusion. C9-1 and Eh252 produce peptide antibiotics that contribute to disease control. In culture, A506 produces an extracellular protease that degrades the peptide antibiotics of C9-1 and Eh252. We hypothesized that strain A506 diminishes the biological control activity of C9-1 and Eh252, thereby reducing the efficacy of biocontrol mixtures. This hypothesis was tested in five replicated field trials comparing biological control of fire blight using strain A506 and A506 aprX::Tn5, an extracellular protease-deficient mutant, as individuals and combined with C9-1 or Eh252. On average, mixtures containing A506 aprX::Tn5 were superior to those containing the wild-type strain, confirming that the extracellular protease of A506 diminished the biological control activity of C9-1 and Eh252 in situ. Mixtures of A506 aprX::Tn5 and C9-1 or Eh252 were superior to oxytetracycline or single biocontrol strains in suppressing fire blight of pear. These experiments demonstrate that certain biological control agents are mechanistically incompatible, in that one strain interferes with the mechanism by which a second strain suppresses plant disease. Mixtures composed of mechanistically compatible strains of biological control agents can suppress disease more effectively than individual biological control agents.

Evaluation of Trap Cropping and Biological Control Against Southern Corn Rootworm (Coleopetera: Chrysomelidae) in Peanuts

1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Barbercheck ◽  
W.C. Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Entomopathogenic Nematodes ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Corn Rootworm ◽  
Cucurbita Maxima ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Trap Crop ◽  
Diabrotica Undecimpunctata Howardi ◽  
Southern Corn Rootworm ◽  
Trap Cropping

Field trials to test the efficacy of trap cropping and biological control for the management of Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber (Chrysomelidae: Luperini) in peanuts were conducted in 1992, 1993, and 1994. Cucurbita maxima Duchesne cv. ‘Blue Hubbard’ was used as a trap crop for adult beetles and the entomopathogenic nematodes, Steinernema carpocapse Weiser and Steinernema riobravis Cabanillas, Poinar and Raulston, were used as biological control agents against soil-inhabiting larvae. In 1992, peanut yields were highest in treatments that included a trap crop. Trap crop did not affect yield in 1993 or 1994. In 2 out of the 3 years, distribution of pod damage relative to the trap crop suggested that beetles oviposited more frequently in peanuts growing in the row next to the trap crop than in peanuts 3 rows from the trap crop. Although entomopathogenic nematodes persisted for a sufficient period to overlap with the presence of rootworms, they did not affect yield or pod damage in peanuts.

scholarly journals Control of Fire Blight by Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 and Pantoea vagans C9-1 Applied as Single Strains and Mixed Inocula

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (12) ◽  
pp. 1330-1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O. Stockwell ◽  
K. B. Johnson ◽  
D. Sugar ◽  
J. E. Loper
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Fire Blight ◽  
Erwinia Amylovora ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Mixed Inocula ◽  
Pantoea Vagans

The biological control agents Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 and Pantoea vagans C9-1 were evaluated individually and in combination for the suppression of fire blight of pear or apple in 10 field trials inoculated with the pathogen Erwinia amylovora. The formulation of pathogen inoculum applied to blossoms influenced establishment of the pathogen and the efficacy of biological control. Pantoea vagans C9-1 suppressed fire blight in all five trials in which the pathogen was applied as lyophilized cells but in none of the trials in which the pathogen was applied as freshly harvested cells. In contrast, Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 reduced disease significantly in only one trial. A mixture of the two strains also suppressed fire blight, but the magnitude of disease suppression over all field trials (averaging 32%) was less than that attained by C9-1 alone (42%). The two biological control agents did not antagonize one another on blossom surfaces, and application of the mixture of A506 and C9-1 to blossoms resulted in a greater proportion of flowers having detectable populations of at least one bacterial antagonist than the application of individual strains. Therefore, the mixture of A506 and C9-1 provided less disease control than expected based upon the epiphytic population sizes of the antagonists on blossom surfaces. We speculate that the biocontrol mixture was less effective than anticipated due to incompatibility between the mechanisms by which A506 and C9-1 suppress disease.

scholarly journals Impact of Trichoderma sp. on the Development of Heterobasidion Annosum in Decayed Understory Picea Abies Stumps

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 52-56
Author(s):  
Kristīne Kenigsvalde ◽  
Dina Nitiša ◽  
Dace Saulīte ◽  
Kari Korhonen ◽  
Līvija Vulfa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Antagonistic Effect ◽  
Heterobasidion Annosum ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Trichoderma Sp ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Trichoderma Isolates

Abstract Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. s.l. causes significant economic losses in conifer forests. Therefore, to reduce the spread of the infection surfaces of freshly cut conifer, stumps are commonly treated with biological control agents. Trichoderma sp. shows very strong antagonistic effect against H. annosum in vitro, but relatively few field studies have been conducted. Moreover, most of previous studies examined the impact of Trichoderma sp. on H. annosum in healthy conifer stumps. The aim of our work was to evaluate the effect of Trichoderma sp. against H. annosum in already decayed understory spruce stumps. In total, 75 decayed spruce stumps were surveyed. Part of the spruce stumps were left as a control, and the others were treated with one of two Trichoderma isolates (T472 and T945) belonging to two different species: T. viridescens and T. viride. The occurrence of H. annosum was evaluated 3 and 12 months after treatment. The main results were that the area of previously healthy wood occupied by H. annosum was larger in control stumps in comparison with treated stumps, but the differences were not statistically significant.

scholarly journals Investigating Biological Control Agents for Controlling Invasive Populations of the Mealybug Pseudococcus comstocki in France

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e0157965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibaut Malausa ◽  
Mathilde Delaunay ◽  
Alexandre Fleisch ◽  
Géraldine Groussier-Bout ◽  
Sylvie Warot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Pseudococcus Comstocki

Dual ecosystem services of syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae): pollinators and biological control agents

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1973-1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucinda Dunn ◽  
Manuel Lequerica ◽  
Chris R Reid ◽  
Tanya Latty
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Syrphid Flies

scholarly journals Viruses Infecting the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Rhizoctonia solani

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assane Hamidou Abdoulaye ◽  
Mohamed Frahat Foda ◽  
Ioly Kotta-Loizou
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Rhizoctonia Solani ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Fungal Host ◽  
Molecular Features ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
Fungal Viruses ◽  
Negative Sense

The cosmopolitan fungus Rhizoctonia solani has a wide host range and is the causal agent of numerous crop diseases, leading to significant economic losses. To date, no cultivars showing complete resistance to R. solani have been identified and it is imperative to develop a strategy to control the spread of the disease. Fungal viruses, or mycoviruses, are widespread in all major groups of fungi and next-generation sequencing (NGS) is currently the most efficient approach for their identification. An increasing number of novel mycoviruses are being reported, including double-stranded (ds) RNA, circular single-stranded (ss) DNA, negative sense (−)ssRNA, and positive sense (+)ssRNA viruses. The majority of mycovirus infections are cryptic with no obvious symptoms on the hosts; however, some mycoviruses may alter fungal host pathogenicity resulting in hypervirulence or hypovirulence and are therefore potential biological control agents that could be used to combat fungal diseases. R. solani harbors a range of dsRNA and ssRNA viruses, either belonging to established families, such as Endornaviridae, Tymoviridae, Partitiviridae, and Narnaviridae, or unclassified, and some of them have been associated with hypervirulence or hypovirulence. Here we discuss in depth the molecular features of known viruses infecting R. solani and their potential as biological control agents.

scholarly journals Nonreproductive Effects of Insect Parasitoids on Their Hosts

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K. Abram ◽  
Jacques Brodeur ◽  
Alberto Urbaneja ◽  
Alejandro Tena
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Community Ecology ◽  
Immune Defense ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Host Feeding ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Nonconsumptive Effects ◽  
Modes Of Action ◽  
Trophic Networks

The main modes of action of insect parasitoids are considered to be killing their hosts with egg laying followed by offspring development (reproductive mortality), and adults feeding on hosts directly (host feeding). However, parasitoids can also negatively affect their hosts in ways that do not contribute to current or future parasitoid reproduction (nonreproductive effects). Outcomes of nonreproductive effects for hosts can include death, altered behavior, altered reproduction, and altered development. On the basis of these outcomes and the variety of associated mechanisms, we categorize nonreproductive effects into ( a) nonconsumptive effects, ( b) mutilation, ( c) pseudoparasitism, ( d) immune defense costs, and ( e) aborted parasitism. These effects are widespread and can cause greater impacts on host populations than successful parasitism or host feeding. Nonreproductive effects constitute a hidden dimension of host–parasitoid trophic networks, with theoretical implications for community ecology as well as applied importance for the evaluation of ecosystem services provided by parasitoid biological control agents.

Economic assessment of nematode biological control agents in a potato production model

Nematology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 771-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruhiyyih Dyrdahl-Young ◽  
Emilie Cole ◽  
Marisol Quintanilla Tornel ◽  
Richard Weldon ◽  
Peter DiGennaro
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Unit Weight ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Yield Data

Summary Nematode parasitism is a yield limiting factor in many cropping systems, including potato production, which can translate into substantial economic losses. These impacted financial returns are simply calculated by subtracting the cost of production from total revenue (yield times the price per yield of potatoes). The production costs can include, but are not limited to, chemical and biological control agents. To assess economic returns associated with different nematode management strategies, we evaluated complete cost estimations for a representative commercial potato farm in central Michigan, USA. Economic returns were calculated using stochastic parameters for two biological control agents (MeloCon and Majestene), six chemical controls (Mocap, Movento, Nimitz, Velum and Vydate), and two soil amendments (poultry and dairy manure). Evaluated costs included stochastic estimations for price per unit weight of potatoes, fuel, labour and production land rent. Yield data from three field trials were used to create empirical distributions. Using yield data and stochastic cost estimations, we generated 500 simulations of net returns per treatment. The top three average returns were obtained from the use of Mocap, Nimitz and poultry manure. Velum, Movento, dairy manure and Vydate also gave returns significantly higher than no treatment at all; however, the biological nematicide, Majestene, showed negative returns. This simple financial model is a crucial layer of analysis on the performance of nematicides that can be adapted to advise growers through Agricultural Extension activities and needs to include the evaluation of biological control agents.

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