How omnivory affects the survival and choices of earwig Doru luteipes (Scudder) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae)?

Doru luteipes (Scudder, 1876) is an omnivorous predator that finds different food resources in the corn plant: eggs of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797), uredospores of Puccinia polysora (Underw, 1897), and pollen. Knowing the survival and food preferences of this predator is essential to define its relevance as a biological control agent. We hypothesize that the foraging behavior and predatory capacity of D. luteipes may be affected when several food resources, especially eggs of S. frugiperda, uredospores of P. polysora, and pollen are concurrently in the same plant. The survival of D. luteipes in the nymph stage and their preference among food resources, often available in corn plants, were determined. To verify the survival of D. luteipes, newly hatched nymphs were fed exclusively with 1- uredospores of P. polysora, 2- eggs of S. frugiperda, 3- corn pollen, 4- a combination of uredospores + eggs, and 5- artificial diet (control). In another experiment, nymphs and adults of D. luteipes with 24 and 48 hours of fasting were individually released in the center of a container with four diets: 1- uredospores of P. polysora, 2- eggs of S. frugiperda, 3- corn pollen, 4- artificial diet, and maintained for 10 minutes, to evaluate the food choice and feeding time. The exclusive feeding with S. frugiperda eggs caused low nymph survival (8%), but the combination of P. polysora uredospores + S. frugiperda eggs allowed 58.3% survival. D. luteipes preferred feeding during the nighttime and the most significant proportions of choices by nymphs and adults were for pollen and diet, with adults spending more time eating pollen. These findings indicate that the trophic choices of D. luteipes are relevant to understand its contribution as an agent to control pest insects and fungal diseases in corn.

Predatory Capacity and Feeding Preference of Pesticide-Resistant Amblyseius deleoni Muma et Denmark (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae)

The population of the predatory mites Amblyseius deleoni had been decreasing due to continuous use of synthetic pesticides in tea plantations. Therefore, this study aimed to select pesticide-resistant individuals from a wild-type population of A. deleoni and to evaluate whether or not the resistant A. deleoni were still sensible as biological control agents. We exposed A. deleoni to (propargite), fungicide (copper oxide) and a neem seed extracts. We found that the propargite-resistant predatory mites consumed larvae and nymphs of Tetranychus urticae more than the control (wild type) (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the number of eggs and adults of T. urticae consumed (P > 0.05). The number of individuals of every stage of T. urticae consumed by copper-oxide resistant A. deleoni was the same (P > 0.05). In general, there were no changes in food preference in the resistant predators to the 3 of pesticides (P > 0.05). There were slight differences on the pattern of predatory capacity among the resistant predators to the three pesticides. Although the predators are resistant to the 3 pesticides, it took longer to consume their prey in comparison to the control. These findings suggested that pesticide-resistant A. deleoni were able to maintain their functions as a biocontrol agent. HIGHLIGHTS The effectiveness of Amblyseius deleoni as a natural predators have decreased due to continuous uses of synthetic pesticides to control pests and diseases on tea plantations Continuous exposure to propargite, CuO and neem seed extracts induced the predatory mites deleoni to develop resistance No significant changes in feeding preference and the predatory capacity of the mite deleoni on T. urticae after becoming resistant to pesticides Exposures deleoni to pesticides may have induced heritable epigenetic changes permanently or just reversible phenotypes without changing the DNA sequence

High Predatory Capacity of a Novel Arthrobotrys oligospora Variety on the Ovine Gastrointestinal Nematode Haemonchus contortus (Rhabditomorpha: Trichostrongylidae)

With the worldwide development of anthelmintic resistance, new alternative approaches for controlling gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep are urgently required. In this work, we identified and characterized native nematode-trapping fungi. We collected seven isolates of fungi with the capacity to form adhesive, three-dimensional networks as the main mechanism to capture, kill, and consume nematodes. The nematode-trapping fungi were classified into two groups; the first group includes the R2-13 strain, showing faster growth, abundant aerial hyphae, scarce conidia production, bigger conidia, and it formed a clade with Arthrobotrys oligospora sensu stricto. The second comprises the A6, A12, A13, R2-1, R2-6, and R2-14 strains, showing a growth adhering to the culture medium, forming little aerial hyphae, smaller conidia, and these formed a sister clade to A. oligospora. Except for the R2-6 strain, conidia production was induced by light. In all the strains, the predatory capacity against the sheep gastrointestinal nematode Haemonchus contortus was greater than 58% compared with the control group. The A6 and A13 strains were the most active against the infective H. contortus third instar (L3) larvae, with an average capture capacity of 91%. Altogether, our results support evidence for a novel A. oligospora variety with high nematode-trapping activity and promissory in helminthic control.

Uji Pemangsaan dan Tanggap Fungsional Predator Chysoperla carnea Stephens (Neuroptera: Crysopidae) Terhadap Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Predation and Functional Response Test of Predator Chysoperla carnea Stephens (Neuroptera: Crysopidae) Against Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). This study aims to evaluate the predatory capacity of C. carnea by measuring the rate of searching capacity and handling-time of one prey and its functional response to the population density of P. manihoti. The research was conducted at the Integrated Pest Management Laboratory (IPMLab), Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University. The study was conducted from February to May 2019. Testing of functional responses used a randomized block design with 5 treatments (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 nymphs-3) each of which was repeated 10 times. The results showed that the prey searching-capacity when the population was low (3 nymphs-3) took longer (10.37 minutes), while when the population was high it took a short time (6.23 minutes). The length of time for handling one prey in the low population was 6.08 minutes, while in the high population it was 5.48 minutes. Predator C. carnea has a tpe-2 functional response to an increase in the population of P. manihoti nymphs with the equation Y = 4.32x / 1 + 1.973x (R2 = 0.980). The rate of predation increases sharply when the population of low increases, and decreases when the increase of prey population increases. C. carnea has the potential to be developed as a control agent for P. manihoti.

Chlamydospores production enhancement of Duddingtonia flagrans in a solid-state fermentation system

Resistance structures such as chlamydospores produced by the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans allow the reduction of infectious larvae from gastrointestinal nematodes. The objective of this research was to study the effect of carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of chlamydospores of the fungus in a solid state fermentation system (SSF). Twelve substances were studied using a statistical strategy, evaluating their effect on the production of Chlamydospores Finally, using an optimization strategy, the modifications of the substances that favor the production of chlamydospores were defined, and the effect of these on the predatory capacity of the fungus was evaluated. Optimal conditions were the variability of 0.25% w / w ammonium sulfate and 0.56% w / w sodium acetate in broken rice. The maximum concentration reached under this condition was 2.27x107 chlamydospores g of dry substrate-1, with a productivity of 1.62x106 chlamydospores g of dry substrate-1 day-1.

Potential for the Postharvest Biological Control of Phthorimaea operculella (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) by Blattisocius tarsalis (Mesostigmata, Blattisociidae)

Phthorimaea operculella is one of the most important pests causing damage to stored potatoes. In this work, the effect of temperature (at 10, 20 and 30 °C) on the predation of pest eggs by Blattisocius tarsalis was studied in the laboratory. In addition, the effect of three predatory release rates on two pest densities was studied under microcosm conditions. The results showed that B. tarsalis maintains its predatory capacity at low temperatures (10 °C), obtaining an efficiency of 49.66 ± 5.06% compared to the control. In turn, at 20 °C, a maximum efficacy of 78.17 ± 4.77% was achieved, very similar to that presented at 30 °C (75.57 ± 4.34%). Under microcosm conditions and at low pest density (10 eggs/container), the mortality due to the mite was 96.97 ± 3.03%, 81.82 ± 8.84%, and 84.85 ± 8.30%, respectively, for the three predatory release rates (5, 10 or 20 mites/container). At the high infestation level, the pest control ranged from 61.54 ± 9.21% to 92.31 ± 2.74%, depending on the predatory release rate. The results obtained show that B. tarsalis could be a relevant control agent against P. operculella under non-refrigerated potato storage conditions, as well as in the first stages of their storage under refrigerated conditions.

Efficacy of a commercial fungal formulation containing Duddingtonia flagrans (Bioverm®) for controlling bovine gastrointestinal nematodes

Bioverm® (Duddingtonia flagrans) is a fungal formulation indicated for controlling gastrointestinal nematodes in ruminants and horses, which has recently been authorized for commercialization in Brazil. The objective was to determine the efficiency of Bioverm® against larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes after passage through the gastrointestinal tract of cattle. Twelve animals were used, divided into two groups. In the treated group, a single dose of 1 g of Bioverm® per 10 kg of live weight (containing 105 chlamydospores of D. flagrans) was provided for each animal. Fecal samples were obtained from the animals in each group at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 hours after administration. In assay A, 2 g of feces were added to Petri dishes containing 2% agar-water medium. In assay B, coprocultures were performed. In both assays, the peak of larval predation occurred within 48 hours after administration of Bioverm®. In assay A, a significant larval reduction (P < 0.05) was seen at 48 h (88.2%). In assay B, significant reductions (P < 0.05) were seen at 36 h (43.7%) and 48 h (82.3%). Bioverm® showed high predatory capacity after passage through the gastrointestinal tract of cattle and was effective for controlling gastrointestinal nematodes.

The Amino Acid-Mediated TOR Pathway Regulates Reproductive Potential and Population Growth in Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae)

The predatory mirid bug, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter, feeds on brown planthopper (BPH) eggs that are deposited on rice and gramineous plants surrounding rice fields. The development and reproduction of C. lividipennis are inhibited by feeding on BPH eggs from gramineous species, and the underlining regulatory mechanism for this phenomenon is unclear. In the present study, HPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the concentrations of six amino acids (AAs:Ala, Arg, Ser, Lys, Thr, and Pro) were significantly higher in rice than in five gramineous species. When C. lividipennis fed on gramineous plants with BPH eggs, expression of several genes in the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway (Rheb, TOR, and S6K) were significantly lower than that in the insects fed on rice plants with BPH eggs. Treatment of C. lividipennis females with rapamycin, dsRheb, dsTOR, or dsS6K caused a decrease in Rheb, TOR, and S6K expression, and these effects were partially rescued by the juvenile hormone (JH) analog, methoprene. Dietary dsTOR treatment significantly influenced a number of physiological parameters and resulted in impaired predatory capacity, fecundity, and population growth. This study indicates that these six AAs play an important role in the mediated-TOR pathway, which in turn regulates vitellogenin (Vg) synthesis, reproduction, and population growth in C. lividipennis.

Genetic Variation in the Feeding Behavior of Isofemale Lines of Nesidiocoris tenuis

Zoophytophagous predators provide biocontrol services in various major crops of modern horticulture due to the combination of its predatory capacity and the induction of plant defenses derived from its phytophagy. However, under certain conditions of prey scarcity, these natural enemies can inflict plant damage. Exploitation of genetic variation and subsequent selective breeding on foraging traits is a potential alternative to overcome this inconvenience. In this study, we quantified the genetic variation of phytophagy and zoophagy of Nesidiocoristenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), a zoophytophagous predator widely used in tomato crops to suppress key pests. We compared nine isofemale lines on their capacity to produce necrotic rings and wilting on tomato plants as a proxy for phytophagy, as well as their efficacy to prey on Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs, as a proxy for zoophagy. Differences between isofemale lines in phytophagy and zoophagy indicated a genetic basis. Variation found in the zoophagy levels was larger than that in phytophagy levels. Our results showed that there is a genetic basis for the variation observed in the feeding behavior of isofemale lines of N.tenuis, highlighting the potential importance of selective breeding for such traits of biocontrol interest.

Efficiency of biological control for fall armyworm resistant to the protein Cry1F

Understanding the ecological and toxicological relationship between genetically modified cultivars (GM) and biological control agents is of great importance for discussions related to the compatability of GM cultivars and integrated management strategies for pest resistance. The present study evaluated the search behavior and predatory capacity of Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Doru luteipes (Scudder) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) on eggs and caterpillars of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistant or not to the protein Cry1F expressed in Bt corn. To determine the search time, a stopwatch was run until the capture of the first prey, predation capacity was evaluated by counting the prey remaining after 24 hours of infestation. The injuries of S. frugiperda in genetically modified and conventional corn in the presence and absence of predators was also evaluated. The predators were not able to distinguish between resistant and susceptible prey (eggs or caterpillars), given the predatory behaviour observed. There was no difference in searching time or predatory capacity between the predators for eggs and caterpillars of either resistant or susceptible S. frugiperda. In the presence of predators, the injury scores for resistant S. frugiperda on the Bt corn plants were lower. It was concluded that O. insidiosus and D. luteipes did not notice the presence of the protein Cry1F in the prey S. frugiperda, which may facilitate the combined use of GM corn and biological control in integrated management programs and for management of pest resistance.