Preliminary Analysis of Grains Bought from Four Markets in Kano State

The new order in world trade demands strict adherence to the rules of food quality and safety as an essential factor in the selection of raw materials for production since the quality of end products is dependent on that of the raw materials for its production. Therefore, in order to determine the quality of some agricultural grains bought from four markets (Yankaba, Dawanau, Tarauni and A. Rimi) in Kano State, Nigeria. These grains were examined for test weights, pest infestation, level of impurities, and germination potential to determine their export and processing standards. The results showed some difference among the different grains in term of weight, which can be attributed to their difference in physical properties. The result showed that there was some level of impurities present in grains sold in these markets, but no live adult insect was present in all the grain sample. The result also showed that cowpea from respective markets did not meet the standard economic threshold of insect egg free. Cowpea samples had the highest level of insect damage, an average of 2.9 % insect damage was observed. From the result, the average seeds germination in maize and sorghum samples was high (95 % and 88 % respectively) and acceptable according to recommended standards. Determining these terms is important to end users during purchasing, storage, consumption, exportation, and processing, as such will help to increase their knowledge about condition of agricultural produce in our various agricultural market for satisfactory purchasing. There are some food safety standards met by grains sold in these markets, and most commodities sampled too had standards that are either acceptable or unacceptable for consumption, export and processing purpose.

Adult insect personality in the wild -- Calopteryx splendens as a model for field studies

Animal personality has received increasing interest and acknowledgement within ecological research over the past two decades. However, some areas are still poorly studied and need to be developed. For instance, field studies focused on invertebrates are currently highly underrepresented in the literature. More studies including a wider variety of traits measured and species tested is needed to improve our understanding of trait-correlation patterns and generalities. We studied nine behavioural traits, in the damselfly Calopteryx splendens, from an array of three experiments: (i) courtship, (ii) aggressiveness and (iii) boldness, and calculated their repeatability. The behaviours were measured twice, in two different contexts: (i) undisturbed territory and (ii) partially deteriorated territory. All behavioural traits measured, except for two, were repeatable across the two contexts. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of within population personality differences in an adult damselfly in the wild. We further propose Calopteryx splendens as a promising model species for testing personality in the wild under highly controlled environmental conditions.

Biological Parameters of the Bark Beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions

Biological parameters of the bark beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) was investigated under different temperature regimes (27, 29, 31 and 35ºC). The females reared at 29°C, lived 30.93±2.36 days for oviposition. The female laid a maximum of 6.71±1.89 eggs per day and a maximum of 6.99±1.33 batches per female. Each batch had an average of 13.78±2.01 eggs. The mean total fecundity recorded was 67.8±4.25 eggs, with a shortest egg incubation period. At 29°C, the duration of the larval stage was 20.17±2.89 days, the pupal stage 5.03±1.11 days, and the life span of the adult insect was 29.44±3.19 days. Significant differences (P<0.05) were noted when the duration of the different life stages under 29 and 35ºC were compared, with longer duration at 29°C. Insects reared at 35°C had narrower bodies and smaller sizes. Furthermore, the developmental stages period, including the ovipositional period (days) were negatively correlated with temperature. Keywords: Xylosandrus crassiusculus, bark beetle, biological parameters, temperature regimes.

Climate drivers of adult insect activity are conditioned by life history traits

Insect phenological lability is key for determining which species will adapt under environmental change. However, little is known about when adult insect activity terminates, and overall activity duration. We used community-science and museum specimen data to investigate the effects of climate and urbanization on timing of adult insect activity for 101 species varying in life history traits. We found detritivores and species with aquatic larval stages extend activity periods most rapidly in response to increasing regional temperature. Conversely, species with subterranean larval stages have relatively constant durations regardless of regional temperature. Multivoltine and univoltine species both extended their period of adult activity similarly in warmer conditions. Longer adult durations may represent a general response to warming, but voltinism data in subtropical environments is likely underreported. This effort provides a framework to address drivers of adult insect phenology at continental scales, and a basis for predicting species response to environmental change.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals female-biased olfactory genes potentially involved in plant volatile-mediated oviposition behavior of Bactrocera dorsalis

Background Olfactory systems take on important tasks to distinguish salient information from a complex olfactory environment, such as locating hosts, mating, aggression, selecting oviposition sites, and avoiding predators. The olfactory system of an adult insect consists of two pairs of main olfactory appendages on the head, the antennae, and the palps, which are covered with sensilla. Benzothiazole and 1-octen-3-ol could elicit oviposition behavior in gravid B. dorsalis are regarded as oviposition stimulants. However, the mechanism for how B. dorsalis percepts benzothiazole and 1-octen-3-ol still remains unknown. Results We conducted a comparative analysis of the antennal transcriptomes in different genders of B. dorsalis using Illumina RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). We identified a total of 1571 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the two sexes, including 450 female-biased genes and 1121 male-biased genes. Among these DEGs, we screened out 24 olfaction-related genes and validated them by qRT-PCR. The expression patterns of these genes in different body parts were further determined. In addition, we detected the expression profiles of the screened female-biased chemosensory genes in virgin and mated female flies. Furthermore, the oviposition stimulants-induced expression profilings were used to identify chemosensory genes potentially responsible for benzothiazole and 1-octen-3-ol perception in this fly. Conclusions The results from this study provided fundamental data of chemosensory DEGs in the B. dorsalis antenna. The odorant exposure assays we employed lay a solid foundation for the further research regarding the molecular mechanism of benzothiazole and 1-octen-3-ol mediated oviposition behavior in B. dorsalis.

Infestation of Magulacra nigripennata Dognin (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) in a commercial cupuassu plantation in Nova Califórnia, Rondônia State, Brazil

The cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd ex Sprengel) K. Schum.) is a native tree from the tropical rainforest and one of the most important fruit trees in the Amazon region. Its pulp and seeds are widely used in the alimentary industry, as well as food by the people of northern Brazil. Among the factors that can compromise the production of cupuassu are the attack of diseases and insect pests. The aim of this work is to report the attack of a wood-borer lepidopteran in commercial cupuassu plantation located in the district of Nova Califórnia, Rondônia State, Brazil. In April 2019 an infestation of a wood-borer insect was observed causing the death of branches. Branches containing caterpillars in their inside were collected and taken to the Entomology Laboratory of the Embrapa Acre, where they were placed in a screened cage. After about 60 days, an adult insect emerged, which was identified as Magulacra nigripennata, a lepidopteran associated with cocoa and cupuassu plantations in that country. A random survey of 100 plants in the plantation area detected an infestation level of 36%, indicating the harmful potential of this pest to the cupuassu crops in the Amazon region.

PENGARUH FOSFIN (PH3) TERHADAP MORTALITAS HAMA GUDANG Sitophilus oryzae L. PADA KOMODITAS GANDUM

ABSTRACTWheat (Triticum spp.) is one of the commodities cereals are consumed by people in Indonesia. Indonesia climate conditions that are less in accordance with the growth and development of wheat crops affect food security of Indonesia. The imports of wheat Indonesia tend to increase from over the years. In the process, Sitophilus oryzae Linnaeus which is major insect pest of grain so that it causes damage and decrease of quality of grain. Therefore, effective control measures of this insect pest by quarantine officers are important. Phosphine solid formulations are expected to control pests S. oryzae effectively. The objectives of this study were to determine the dosage and exposure time which will were effectively kill S. oryzae on wheat commodities. S. oryzae on wheat was exposed to phosphine at 3 dosage (0.5 gr/m3, 1 gr/m3, and 1.5 gr/m3) and exposure times (6, 12, 18 and 24 hours). Moreover, mortality test of adult insect and adult insect of F1 offspring. Results showed that application of phosphine at dosage of 0.5 gr/m3, 1 gr/m3 and 1.5 gr/m3 with exposure time 18 and 24 hours completely killed 100% mortality adult insect of S. oryzae on wheat commodities. Dosage 1.5 gr/m3 with exposure time 24 hours show the average adult insect of F1 offspring as much as one tail. Keywords: Sitophilus oryzae L., Phosphine (PH3), Wheat

Asosiasi Lalat Buah (Bactrocera spp.) (Diptera : Tephritidae) dan Parasitoidnya pada Tanaman Jambu Biji Kristal (Psidium guajava L.) yang Dibudidayakan di Bali

Association of Fruit Flies (Bactrocera spp.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Their Parasitoid on Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Cultivated in Bali. The study on the association of fruit flies (Bactrocera spp.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their parasitoid on guava (Psidium guajava L.) cultivated in Bali was conduted in order to know the abundance, attacks percentage and the species of parasitoid associated on guava, cultivated in Bali. The sampling was done intentionally by taking attacked fruit in Musi Village, Buleleng Regency; Pelaga Village, Badung Regency; and Tiga Village, Bangli Regency. The results showed that 3 species of fruit flies were found, namely B. carambolae, B. papayae and B. albistrigata. The percentage and number of adult insect emergence in Musi Village were B. papayae (50.87% ; 2772 imago), B. carambolae (35.18% ; 1803 imago) and B. albistrigata (13.94% ; 741 imago). In Pelaga Village B. carambolae (61.31% ; 2864 imago) dominates and B. papayae only 38.69% and 1801 imago. B. carambolae is also found dominant in Tiga Village (59.08% ; 2303 imago) and B. papayae only 40.92% and 1603 imago. Percentage of damage to guava is 24.27% on average. There are three species of parasitoids found that are associated with fruit flies on guava in Bali, namely Fopius arisanus, Diachasmimorpha sp. and Opius sp. The average parasitic rate is 6.76%. The highest parasitic rate is in Musi Village, Buleleng while the lowest is in Tiga Village, Bangli.