Biology of Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell, 1897 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A New Pest of Tropical Hibiscus

Originating in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, the hibiscus bud weevil (HBW), Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell 1897, was discovered infesting China rose hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.) in south Florida in May 2017. Although the biologies of the congeneric boll weevil, A. grandis Boheman 1843, and pepper weevil, A. eugenii Cano 1894 are well documented, no data are available regarding the biology of HBW. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the biology of this pest when reared at 10, 15, 27 and 34 °C and on different food sources. This weevil has three larval instars and its life cycle was completed only at 27 ± 1 °C. Weevil development was similar on an artificial diet when compared with a diet of hibiscus buds. Adult HBW could survive solely on pollen, but reproduction did not occur. Without water, HBW survived for ≈15 days; survival times reached nearly 30 days when water was accessible. Our results suggest that if left unmanaged, HBW has the potential to cause significant economic damage to the hibiscus industry. Given that a comprehensive understanding of a pest’s biology is critical for development of effective integrated pest management, our results provide a foundation for future research endeavors to mitigate the impact of this weevil in south Florida.

Hibiscus bud weevil (Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell, Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

A profile of the hibiscus bud weevil intended for the use of interested laypersons with some knowledge of biology as well as academic audiences. The hibiscus bud weevil, a pest of China rose hibiscus, originates from northeastern Mexico and southern Texas and can cause large economic losses to hibiscus growers. This fact sheet provides nursery owners, homeowners, and other interested people with information on this serious pest.

Extraction, Purification of Tyrosinase and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activity of Four Medicinal Plants from Nanded District (MS), India

Tyrosinase has an important role in melanin formation, is responsible for the production of colour pigments of skin, hair, and eye. In the presents study, tyrosinase was isolated from Mushrooms, isolation of enzyme was done by acetone precipitation procedure and precipitation of enzyme was done with ammonium sulphate precipitation method. Plants selected for extraction were Azadirachta indica (Neem), Manikara zapota (Chiku), Annona squamosa (Sitaphal), and Hibiscus Rosa-sinesis (China rose). For phytochemical screening Alkaloids-Mayer’s Test, Flavonoids (Shinoda Test, Alkaline Reagent Test), sugar (Benedict’s reagent Test), Glycosides (Borntrager's Test), Phenolic compounds Test (Ferric chloride Test, Gelatin Test, Lead Acetate Test). Mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory assay was determined by the spectroscopic method. The study shows the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of selected medicinal plants.

Overexpression of a Rosa rugosa Thunb. NUDX gene enhances biosynthesis of scent volatiles in petunia

Rosa rugosa is an important natural perfume plant in China. Rose essential oil is known as ‘liquid gold’ and has high economic and health values. Monoterpenes are the main fragrant components of R. rugosa flower and essential oil. In this study, a member of the hydrolase gene family RrNUDX1 was cloned from Chinese traditional R. rugosa ‘Tang Hong’. Combined analysis of RrNUDX1 gene expression and the aroma components in different development stages and different parts of flower organ, we found that the main aroma component content was consistent with the gene expression pattern. The RrNUDX1 overexpressed Petunia hybrida was acquired via Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation systems. The blades of the transgenic petunias became wider and its growth vigor became strong with stronger fragrance. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis showed that the contents of the main aroma components of the transgenic petunias including methyl benzoate significantly increased. These findings indicate that the RrNUDX1 gene plays a role in enhancing the fragrance of petunia flowers, and they could lay an important foundation for the homeotic transformation of RrNUDX1 in R. rugosa for cultivating new R. rugosa varieties of high-yield and -quality essential oil.

Revisiting China’s methane emissions from coal sector

<p>Methane emissions associated with human activities contributes significantly to global climate change. China is the world largest methane emitter and the coal mining sector is the largest contributor. Recent atmospheric inversion by Miller et al. using spaceborne column CH<sub>4</sub> concentration measurements inferred that emissions in China rose by more than 1.0 Tg CH<sub>4</sub> yr<sup>−1</sup> from 2010 to 2017 due to the contribution of fossil fuel, especially from coal sector. Here we revisit methane emissions from the coal sector in China by comparing a sectorial bottom up emission inventory (2005-2019) with the results from another ensemble of CH<sub>4</sub> inversions using GOSAT satellite data during 2011-2017. During that period, the bottom up inventory gives an average emission of 17.9 Tg CH4 yr-1 and the median of all inversions of 18.6 Tg CH4 yr-1, with a range of [10.8, 25.6] corresponding to the min-max of all inversions and the use of two gridded maps of emissions to separate the coal sector from total emissions in each inversion grid cell. We confirm the upward trend in methane emissions from the coal sector from 2005 to 2019 observed by Miller et al. In addition, we show that trend accelerated after 2016 as consistently found in the bottom-up inventory and top-down inversions approaches. However, during the period of 2010-2017, the bottom-up inventory and top-down inversions showed opposite trends in emissions. Especially during the period of 2014-2016, emissions from coal sector decreased at a rate of 0.8 Tg CH4 yr-1 using bottom up inventory, while emissions from top-down inversions maintained a relatively high growth rate at 0.4 Tg CH4 yr-1. Suggesting possible underestimation of the emission by bottom up inventories. In addition, we estimates the contribution of abandoned mines to the growth of methane emissions from coal sector was around 20%, we also show a COVID-19 pandemic related sharp dip in methane emission from the coal sector in Feb 2020 and rebound since in April 2020 based on the estimation of monthly bottom-up inventory.</p>

Compared the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease attributable to Tobacco Exposure in China, Japan, USA and World

Background Tobacco exposure (TE) is the major contributor of CVD mortality, but few published studies on CVD mortality attributable to TE analyzed the possible reasons underlying the long-term trends in China. Methods The mortality data in China, Japan, USA and World were obtained from GBD 2017. The joinpoint regression was used to assess the magnitude and direction of trends over time for CVD mortality, and the age-period-cohort method was used to analyze the temporal trends of CVD mortality by age, period, and cohort. Results There was a significant downward trend in age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of CVD attributable to smoking in four regions, but China has the smallest decline and the ASMR in China rose to the first rank in 2017. All the net drifts per year in four regions were negative, and the local drifts were below zero. The longitudinal age curves of the CVD mortality attributable to smoking increased in four regions and China had the largest increase. The period/cohort RRs indicated a decline, and China has the smallest decline. We further analyzed the trend of IHD and stroke, and found the morality, period/cohort RR of IHD in China was always in high level. Conclusions CVD mortality attributable to TE had declined in four regions, and it was at a high level in China. The proportion of IHD mortality attributable to TE had been similar to stroke, which had significantly changed the traditional cognition of CVD composition, and the control measure was not enough for IHD in China.