NEW RECORDS OF SEED BEETLES (CHRYSOMELIDAE BRUCHINAE) OF THE ASPROMONTE NATIONAL PARK; A STUDY IN THE CALABRIAN APENNINES, ITALY

In this note original data on the Bruchids of the Aspromonte National Park are reported. The specimens examined were surprisingly found within the field activities for a project aimed to deepen the saproxylic coleopteran fauna of the Aspromonte National Park (Calabrian Apennines, Italy), in three different agroforestry systems dominated by chestnut. Out of a total of 134 specimens 129 have been identified as belonging to 3 genera and 14 species, namely: Paleoachantoscelides gilvus (Gyllenhal, 1839), Bruchidius dispar (Gyllenhal, 1833), Bruchidius murinus (Boheman, 1829), Bruchidius olivaceus (Germar, 1824), Bruchidius seminarius (Linnaeus, 1767), Bruchidius tibialis (Boheman, 1829), Bruchidius varius (Olivier, 1795), Bruchidius imbricornis (Panzer, 1795), Bruchidius pygmaeus (Boheman, 1833), Bruchidius trifolii (Motschulsky, 1873), Bruchus brachialis Fahraeus, 1839, Bruchus pisorum (Linnaeus, 1758), Bruchus rufipes Herbst, 1783, Bruchus viciae.

Βιολογία και Καταπολέμηση Ειδών Βρούχων που απαντώνται στην Ελλάδα

Οι βρούχοι είναι έντομα της τάξης των Κολεοπτέρων που προσβάλλουν σπόρους ψυχανθών, τόσο στον αγρό, όσο και στην αποθήκη. Αποτελούν σημαντικούς εχθρούς των αποθηκευμένων οσπρίων παγκοσμίως καθώς οι προσβεβλημένοι σπόροι χάνουν εμπορική του αξίας αλλά και την βλαστικότητα. Αντικείμενο έρευνας της παρούσας διατριβής, αποτέλεσε η αναγνώριση ειδών βρούχων που απαντώνται ανά την Ελλάδα και η αξιολόγηση νέων φιλικών προς το περιβάλλον και τον άνθρωπο ουσιών, ως μέσων αντιμετώπισης των βρούχων. Στην πρώτη σειρά πειραμάτων συλλέχθηκαν από 6 περιοχές της Ελλάδας 5530 άτομα που ταξινομήθηκαν σε 5 διαφορετικά είδη βρούχων και μαζί με αυτά 1 είδος παρασιτοειδούς υμενοπτέρου. Από τα δείγματα μας αναγνωρίστηκαν τα είδη Bruchus pisorum (σε συχνότητα 57.2%), Acanthoscelides obtectus (σε συχνότητα 10.8%), Bruchus rufimanus (σε συχνότητα 12.8%) και τα Callosobruchus chinensis και Callosobruchus maculatus (σε συχνότητα 5,6%). Στη δεύτερη σειρά πειραμάτων αξιολογήθηκε η εντομοκτόνος δράση ορισμένων αδρανών σκονών για την αντιμετώπιση του βρούχου των φασολιών. Αξιολογήθηκε, η εντομοκτόνος δράση ζεόλιθου ελληνικής προέλευσης σε ενήλικα του βρούχου των φασολιών A. obtectus και βρέθηκε ότι η μέση θανατηφόρος δόση ήταν 1.1 g ζεόλιθου ανά κιλό σπόρων φασολιού. Η εντομοκτόνος δράση του ζεόλιθου βρέθηκε να μην επηρεάζεται από τη θερμοκρασία και σχετική υγρασία. Επιπλέον, αξιολογήθηκε η δράση του καολίνη, της γης των διατόμων και ενός ιταλικής προέλευσης ζεόλιθου, σε ενήλικα άτομα του A. obtectus. Βρέθηκε ότι, με συγκέντρωση 5 g αδρανούς σκόνεως ανά κιλό σπόρων φασολιών προκαλείται ποσοστό θνησιμότητας >80% σε 48 ώρες μετά την εφαρμογή. Επιπλέον, βρέθηκε ότι ζεόλιθοι διαφορετικής προέλευσης και ορυκτολογικής σύστασης, όταν εφαρμόστηκαν σε σπόρους φασολιών προκάλεσαν 100% θνησιμότητα σε προνύμφες του A. obtectus. Σε συνεργασία με το Τμήμα Γεωλογίας του Α.Π.Θ., έγιναν οι ορυκτολογικές και χημικές αναλύσεις των ζεολιθικών πετρωμάτων που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν. Σε μία τρίτη σειρά πειραμάτων, αξιολογήθηκε η εντομοκτόνος δράση ατμών από καύση και θέρμανση επεξεργασμένου καπνού τσιγάρων. Στα πειράματα αυτά ενήλικα άτομα του A. obtectus εκτέθηκαν σε καπνό που προερχόταν από τσιγάρα. Ο καπνός παράχθηκε είτε από καύση (τσιγάρο τύπου στριφτού) είτε από θέρμανση (τσιγάρο τύπου iqos). Βρέθηκε ότι, όταν ενήλικα άτομα του A. obtectus εκτέθηκαν για 3 μέρες σε συγκέντρωση 40% ατμού από καύση ή θέρμανση καπνού, προκλήθηκε αντίστοιχα θνησιμότητα περίπου 80% και 30%, αντίστοιχα. Τα αποτελέσματα των πειραμάτων μας, συμβάλλουν στη γνώση της παρουσίας των βρούχων στον ελλαδικό χώρο και στην ανάπτυξη καινοτόμων μεθόδων αντιμετώπισης.

Urticaria, Anaphylaxia and Asthma from Contact with Work Air in Farmers and Agronomists Due to Bruchus Pisorum

Background: There are few reports of contact urticaria from the inhalation of allergens from legume pests. Objective: To study the origin of an outbreak of contact urticaria, asthma and anaphylaxis in farmers and agronomists who work handling dried peas. Method: Allergenic extracts composed of Bruchus lentis and B. pisorum, healthy peas, peas treated with aluminum phosphide and parasitized peas were used for in vivo tests (prick-test, oral challenge and bronchoprovocation) in affected patients and in five controls. with a history of atopy from other legumes. In addition, patch testing with live Bruchus pisorum, patch testing with more common insecticides, molecular component analysis, and Ig-E immunodetection were carried out. Results: Positive responses were found for the prick-test and the bronchoprovocation test to extracts of parasitized peas and B. pisorum, but the oral challenge was negative. A common 25 kDa band for infested peas and a 30 kDa band for infested pea and B. pisorum body was detected in all patients. The response for pea allergens was negative for all patients, unlike controls with a history of allergy to lentils and peanuts. Conclusion: It was determined that B. pisorum is a cause of symptoms of immediate hypersensitivity mediated by Ig E by inhalation of the allergen or by puncture of spicules or mushrooms of B. pisorum.

Bruchus pisorum (pea weevil).

The pea weevil is a small insect (up to 5 mm long) with good flight possibilities. The adults may fly up to 5 km in search of pea flowers. The larvae develop within a single pea seed; the pupae and newly emerged adults also remain there, so the pest is easily spread all over the world in seed (grain) trade. This is the reason why the pest can be found everywhere that pea is cultivated. It may be invasive in tropical, subtropical and warmer parts of temperate zones. It only has one generation per year, but is a prevalent pest on pea in many countries, causing considerable damage. Infestation by the pest causes economic losses, partly due to the direct loss of seed contents consumed by the pest and partly due to the fact that weevil-damaged seed has a lower germination rate and fetches a lower unit price.

Inheritance and Expressivity of Neoplasm Trait in Crosses between the Domestic Pea (Pisum sativum subsp. sativum) and Tall Wild Pea (Pisum sativum subsp. elatius)

The Neoplasm trait in pea pods is reported to be due to the lack of ultraviolet (UV) light in glasshouse conditions or in response to pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) damage. This pod deformation arises from the growth of non-meristematic tissue on pods of domesticated peas (Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum). Neither expressivity, nor the effect of pea weevil on neoplasm in the tall wild pea (P. sativum L. subsp. elatius (M. Bieb.) Asch. & Graebn.), have been adequately studied. We aimed to study the expression and inheritance of neoplasm in the tall wild pea and crosses between domesticated and tall wild peas grown in the glasshouse (without pea weevils) and in the field (with pea weevils) under natural infestation conditions. Neoplasm was found in all pods in tall wild peas when grown in the glasshouse, while it was not detected on pods of field-grown plants despite heavy pea weevil damage. In inter-subspecific crosses between P. sativum subsp. sativum and P. sativum subsp. elatius, all F1 plants had neoplastic pods, and the F2 populations segregated in a good fit ratio of 3 (neoplasm): 1 (free from neoplasm) under glasshouse conditions, which suggests that neoplasm on pods of the tall wild pea was controlled by a single dominant gene. Expressivity of neoplasm in the progeny differed from parent to parent used in inter-subspecific crosses. There was no relationship between neoplasm and damage by pea weevil under heavy insect epidemics under field conditions. The neoplasm occurring under glasshouse conditions may be due to one or to a combination of environmental factors. Since wild peas are useful genetic resources for breeding programs aiming at fresh pea production that could be utilized under glasshouse conditions, negative selection could be considered in segregating populations.

Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling resistance to pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum) in a high-density integrated DArTseq SNP-based genetic map of pea

Pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum) is a damaging insect pest affecting pea (Pisum sativum) production worldwide. No resistant cultivars are available, although some levels of incomplete resistance have been identified in Pisum germplasm. To decipher the genetic control underlying the resistance previously identify in P. sativum ssp. syriacum, a recombinant inbred line (RIL F8:9) population was developed. The RIL was genotyped through Diversity Arrays Technology PL’s DArTseq platform and screened under field conditions for weevil seed infestation and larval development along 5 environments. A newly integrated genetic linkage map was generated with a subset of 6,540 markers, assembled into seven linkage groups, equivalent to the number of haploid pea chromosomes. An accumulated distance of 2,503 cM was covered with an average density of 2.61 markers cM−1. The linkage map allowed the identification of three QTLs associated to reduced seed infestation along LGs I, II and IV. In addition, a QTL for reduced larval development was also identified in LGIV. Expression of these QTLs varied with the environment, being particularly interesting QTL BpSI.III that was detected in most of the environments studied. This high-saturated pea genetic map has also allowed the identification of seven potential candidate genes co-located with QTLs for marker-assisted selection, providing an opportunity for breeders to generate effective and sustainable strategies for weevil control.

Перспективы разведения и применения Triaspis thoracicus Cur. В контроли численности гороховой зерновки (Bruchus pisorum L.)

In this article, the problems of the possibility to use the bean weevil as alternative host for laboratory rearing of Triaspis-effective parasite of pea weevil, the most dangerous pest of pea, are elucidated, as well as the data of studying of some bioecologic peculiarities of this parasite.