Bagging Apple Fruit for Codling Moth Control in Western Montana

Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is a major insect pest of apple (Malus domestica). If unmanaged, then codling moth can infest nearly all apples in an orchard, where the flesh-tunneling larva leave frass-laden tracks in the fruit. Insecticide-based management requires accurate application timing (typically based on adult moth and/or degree-day monitoring) and multiple spray applications. Both the season-long commitment to codling moth monitoring and management and limited familiarity with insecticides, application tools, and proper application procedures can prevent a small-scale or backyard grower from effectively limiting fruit damage. In addition, an increasing segment of growers is interested in nonchemical alternatives. Bagging fruitlets early in the season could be a simple and effective method of codling moth management for this subset of growers. At our research orchard in Corvallis, MT, we tested a method combining fruit thinning and bagging using plastic bags the first season and nylon bags the second season. Plastic bags reduced the incidence of codling moth damage to fruit from 34% to 10%, but european earwig (Forficula auricularia) frass, which was found in more than 50% of plastic-bagged apples, made harvesting the fruit unappealing. We tested nylon fruit bags during the second year of the study. These bags did not significantly reduce the incidence of codling moth. Both the soluble solids content and titratable acidity were higher in unbagged fruit during the second year of the study, whereas color measurements indicated bagged fruit were greener on the shaded side of the fruit. Failure of the nylon bags may have been attributable to eggs laid before bagging, eggs laid or larva burrowing through bagging, or improper bag application methods. Further research could assess whole-tree bags, the addition of rubber bands or twist ties when applying nylon bags, pretreatment of fruit with horticulture oil, and/or dipping nylon bags in kaolin clay before application; however, these steps add time and increase costs, which may discourage the small-scale fruit grower. Overall, results indicate that fruit bagging holds promise for codling moth management; however, further work is needed to optimize the methodology.

Pengendalian Ramah Lingkungan Hama Ulat Grayak (Spodoptera litura Fabricius) pada Tanaman Kedelai

Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) atau dikenal dengan ulat grayak merupakan hama penting pada tanaman kedelai dan beberapa jenis tanaman penting di Indonesia. Serangan S. litura dapat mengakibatkan kerusakan, bahkan kehilangan hasil pada tanaman kedelai. Gejala serangan berupa daun berlubang karena larva memakan jaringan daun hingga menyisakan epidermis dan tulang daun. Hama ini dilaporkan menyerang tanaman kedelai di sentra-sentra produksi di Indonesia yaitu Aceh, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Sulawesi Selatan dan dan Sulawesi Tengah. Upaya pengendalian hama ulat grayak yang dilakukan petani adalah menggunakan pestisida sintetik, namun karena dampak negatif penggunaannya terhadap kesehatan manusia dan keseimbangan ekosistem alam, maka perlu adanya alternatif pengendalian yang dampak negatifnya rendah terhadap lingkungan. Beberapa teknologi pengendalian yang telah diteliti dan diketahui efektifitasnya antara lain; penggunaan Spodoptera litura nuclear polyhedrosis virus (SlNPV) (50-100%), cendawan entomopatogen Beauvaria bassiana (51-93%), Metarhizium anisopliae (93-100%), Nomuraea rileyi dan Lecanicillium lecanii (80-85%), Parasitoid (13-56%), predator Forficula auricularia (96%), nematoda entomopatogen Steinernematidae (30-51%), pestisida nabati (>30%), tanaman perangkap dan varietas tahan Aplikasi yang tepat akan mendukung perkembangbiakan spesies tersebut di alam sehingga akan terjadi siklus rantai makanan yang seimbang dan berkelanjutan. Komponen pengendalian ini dapat dimasukkan dalam pengendalian terpadu, sehingga serangan S. litura dapat ditekan, tanaman berproduksi optimal, keseimbangan ekosistem dapat dipertahankan, residu pestisida dapat diturunkan dan sistem pertanian berkelanjutan tercapai.

Forficula auricularia (European earwig).

The European earwig, Forficula auricularia, is a polyphagous insect that is native to large parts of Europe and western Asia as far east as western Siberia. In the early twentieth century it was accidentally introduced into North America where it became widespread in a number of states/provinces of both the USA and Canada. It has also invaded Australia and New Zealand, and more recently Mexico, Chile and the Falkland Islands. Although economic damage to vegetable and flower gardens is generally minor, when high population densities occur it is a major pest in gardens and greenhouses, and a significant nuisance in households. Within and sometimes also outside its native range it is also regarded as a beneficial organism used or encouraged as a biological control agent to control other insect pests in orchards and gardens.

Uso dos dermápteros no cenário agronômico: uma análise bibliométrica sobre a utilização destes predadores

Objetivou-se com esse estudo inventariar os trabalhos científicos publicados nos últimos 10 anos sobre o uso de dermápteros no cenário agronômico. Para isto, realizou-se uma revisão de literatura buscando por pesquisas científicas publicadas sobre a utilização de dermápteros no cenário agronômico. A busca por essas informações ocorreu entre os meses de dezembro de 2020 e fevereiro de 2021 nas bases de dados: Web of science, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, Springer e Scielo, utilizando como palavras-chave “Dermaptera”e “Predadores”. Os critérios de inclusão dos estudos na revisão foram o idioma (artigos em inglês, português e espanhol), artigos de pesquisa, data de publicação (publicados nos últimos 10 anos) e relação com a temática estudada. Após a seleção baseada nos critérios supracitados, os estudos selecionados foram lidos na íntegra e os dados coletados foram organizados em uma planilha utilizando o Microsoft Excel®. Com base nos critérios de elegibilidade, encontrou-se um total de 1.626 estudos, destes 466 foram selecionados para leitura completa e após a leitura, apenas 65 artigos corresponderam ao tema. Destes, foi possível obter informações como: espécies de dermápteros estudadas, áreas de estudos, distribuição geográfica, anos de publicação, áreas de aplicação e espécies de pragas predadas. O levantamento enaltece a escassez de pesquisas sobre a temática,no entanto, destaca-se uma alta quantidade de estudos acerca da espécie Forficula auricularia L., 1758. A pesquisa em questão aponta o Brasil como o país que mais publicou sobre o tema e revela que o foco dos estudos fez referência a utilização desses insetos no controle biológico de pragas agrícolas.

Zoophagous entomofauna and entomopathogenic agents reported on Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) in north-western of Romania

In Europe, the box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) was first reported in 2006, in southwestern Germany, then spread to almost all countries. Larvae of this species affect the aesthetic value of the box tree. In the last period, numerous studies were carried out regarding the identification of useful entomofauna that reduce the numerical density of the population of Cydalima perspectalis. In this study conducted in north-western Romania (Cluj County, in 2019), entomopathogens and useful entomofauna were monitored in four areas, represented by four cities. The entomopathogenic agents contaminated the larvae of the box tree moth in a proportion of 5.6% at Gherla, 6.8% at Dej, 8.7% at Cluj-Napoca and 15.3% at Ciucea. Most larvae have been infected with Bacillus. At Cluj-Napoca and Ciucea, the presence of the larval endoparasite Exorista larvarum L. (Diptera: Tachinidae) was reported. Parasitoid species determined a parasitization rate of 5.1% at Dej, 8.6% at Gherla and 13.4% at Cluj-Napoca. Predators affected pupae in a proportion of 3.8% at Gherla, 4.2% at Dej and 16% at Cluj-Napoca. Among the pupae predators, for the first-time common earwig was reported, Forficula auricularia L. Entomopathogenic agents affected 5.3% of the pupae collected from Cluj-Napoca, 7.7% in Gherla and 12.5% in Dej. During the monitoring period of the zoophagous entomofauna and the entomopathogenic microorganisms, affected the pupae in a percentage of 20.1% in Gherla, 21.8% in Dej, 34.7% in Cluj-Napoca, contributing to the diminution of the population of the harmful species.

First record of the desert earwig Forficula lucasi Dohrn, 1865 (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) in Greece: A hitchhiker among the refugees or a seldom encounter?

The relatively small order Dermaptera (commonly called “earwigs”) is comprised of more than 1900 described species mainly distributed in the Afrotropics, Southeastern Asia and South America, while a small number of species occur in the warmer temperate regions of North America, Europe, Asia and Australia (Hudson 1973; Popham 2000; Haas et al. 2011). In the Balkans and Turkey, this insect order is understudied and knowledge about the distribution and ecology of the earwig fauna is scattered (Haas & Henderickx 2002; Anlaş et al. 2010; Anlaş & Kočárek 2012; Muranyi 2013; Haas 2015). In Greece 16 species have been recorded so far (Haas 2015, 2018), showing greater diversity than other countries in the Balkans (Muranyi 2013). From the poorly studied North Aegean Islands, four earwig species are reported (Haas 2015), namely Anisolabis maritima (Bonelli, 1832), Forficula auricularia Linnaeus, 1758, F. lurida Fischer, 1853 and Labidura riparia (Pallas, 1773).