No description available.

Differences in plant structure and host abundance, distribution and density within and between plants may affect host finding success of searching parasitoids. The main objective of this research consisted in developing and validating a model that can predict parasitism by Trichogramma evanescens on various plant structures. Also, we evaluated the effect of both artificial and natural plant structures on host encountering success and on searching behavior of two species of Trichogramma. / Size (S), heterogeneity (H) and connectivity (C) define plant structure. The development of the model of parasitism was based on laboratory experiments using three dimensional artificial plants of different combinations of S, H and C. The model was then validated with experiments, within greenhouse, using natural cruciferous plants of different structures. Significant regressions of observed values of parasitism as a function of those predicted by the model were obtained. / The effect of plant structure on two species of Trichogramma was studied by using three species of Lepidoptera and three structurally different but closely related crucifers. Also the distribution pattern of parasitized eggs according to leaf side and plant height was characterized. A repeated measure ANOVA in time where plant ages defined the repeated measures showed that all three main effects (plant, host, parasitoid) had significant effect on parasitism and only the parasitoid x plant structure interaction was significant. Mean percent of parasitism was higher on cabbage, intermediate on broccoli and lower on Brussels sprouts whereas cabbage appeared to be intermediate in plant structure, broccoli appeared to be the most simple and Brussels sprouts the most complex plant structure. On simple plant structure, both wasp species performed well on the three varieties of plant but T. evanescens outperformed T. pretiosum more often on the various plant structures. A doubly repeated measures ANOVA in space revealed significant effects of leaf side and plant height on parasitism, being greatest under leaf surface and at the base of the plant. The interaction between those two variables was not significant. / The effect of plant structure on searching behavior of T. evanescens was determined by direct observation of individual females searching on simple and complex plant structures during 1 hour. Time, frequence and sequence associated to activities and plant parts explored were obtained and analyzed. Plant structure had significant effect on time budget associated to activities (walking, resting, flying) and plant parts explored. / This study demonstrates that plant structure mediates ecological interactions by affecting host finding success and this may have important implications in population dynamics, evolution of hosts and parasitoids but also in biological control programs.

During a two years study (1993-1994) in southwestern Quebec, Artogeia rapae and Plutella xylostella were found to be the most important lepidopterous pests of cruciferous crops, followed by Trichoplusia ni and four minor species. The relationship between plant sampling and the use of degree-days, pheromone traps (P. xylostella) or butterflies counts (A. rapae) was assessed for A. rapae and P. xylostella. Three generations of A. rapae were observed annually, with a duration of 319.7 degree-days above $ rm 10 sp circ C (DD sb{10}),$ while P. xylostella had three to four generations with a duration of 277.7 $ rm DD sb{10}.$ Captures of P. xylostella were not linked to the level of infestations. By the end of summer, A. rapae was the most abundant species, especially on broccoli, while P. xylostella was often abundant early in the season. The complex of lepidopterous pests' natural enemies was identified, and the data were analyzed using an illustrated parasitoid web. Fourteen parasitoid and three hyperparasitoid species (12 Hymenoptera, 2 Diptera) were identified. The most important parasitoid, Cotesia rubecula, is a larval parasitoid of A. rapae that is newly established in Quebec. Overall, parasitism of lepidopterous eggs is almost not existent, whereas parasitism and infection of larvae and pupae by pathogens are important, but not significant to reduce butterfly populations. In order to evaluate the potential of oophagous parasitoids, the parasitism of up to 42 species/strains of Trichogramma was studied with different development stages of P. xylostella, A. rapae and T. ni eggs. Generally, Trichogramma females attacked preferably young eggs of a given host species. Females modified the number of offspring according to host size and host age, as fewer offspring emerged from the smallest or the oldest hosts. Host age had no impact on sex allocation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

No description available.

Baculoviruses are arthropod-specific DNA viruses that are highly virulent to most lepidopteran insects. Their host specificity and compatibility with IPM programmes has enabled their usage as safe microbial insecticides (biopesticides). Two baculovirus-based biopesticides, Cryptogran and Cryptex, which have been formulated with Cryptophlebia leucotreta granulovirus (CrleGV) have been registered for the control of false codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia (=Cryptophlebia) leucotreta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in South Africa and have been successfully incorporated into IPM programmes. However, several studies have indicated that insects can develop resistance to baculovirus-based biopesticide as was shown with field populations of codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L.), which developed resistance to the biopesticide Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV-M) in Europe. Other studies have shown that, under laboratory conditions, FCM populations differ in their susceptibility to Cryptogran and Cryptex. In order to investigate difference in susceptibility as well as protect against any future resistance by FCM to Cryptogran and Cryptex, a search for novel CrleGV-SA isolates from diseased insects from different geographic regions in South Africa was performed. Six geographic populations (Addo, Citrusdal, Marble Hall, Nelspruit, Baths and Mixed colonies) of FCM were established and maintained in the laboratory. Studies on the comparative biological performance based on pupal mass, female fecundity, egg hatch, pupal survival, adult eclosion and duration of life cycle of the Addo, Citrusdal, Marble Hall, Nelspruit and Mixed colonies revealed a low biological performance for the Citrusdal colony. This was attributed to the fact that FCM populations found in the Citrusdal area are not indigenous and may have been introduced from a very limited gene pool from another region. When insects from five colonies, excluding the Baths colony, were subjected to stress by overcrowding , a latent baculovirus resident in the Addo, Nelspruit, Citrusdal, Marble Hall and Mixed colonies was brought into an overt lethal state. Transmission electron micrographs revealed the presence of GV occlusion bodies (OBs) in diseased insects. DNA profiles obtained by single restriction endonuclease analysis of viral genomic DNA using BamH 1, Sa/1, Xba1 , Pst1, Xh01 , Kpn1, Hindlll and EcoR1 revealed five CrleGV-SA isolates latent within the insect populations. The new isolates were named CrleGV-SA Ado, CrleGV-SA Cit, CrleGV-SA Mbl, CrleGVSA Nels and CrleGV-SA Mix isolates. The novelty of the five CrleGV-SA isolates was confirmed by the presence of unique submolar bands, indicating that each isolate was genetically different. PCR amplification and sequencing of the granulin and egt genes from the five isolates revealed several single nucleotide polymorph isms (SNPs) which, in some cases, resulted in amino acid substitutions. DNA profiles from RFLPs, as well as phylogenetic analysis based on granulin and egt sequencing showed the presence of two CrleGV-SA genome types for the CrleGV-SA isolate. Cryptex and CrleGV-SA Ado, CrleGV-SA Cit, CrleGV-SA Mbl and CrleGV-SA Mix were placed as members of Group one CrleGV-SA, and Cryptogran and CrleGV-SA Nels isolate were placed into Group two CrleGV-SA. In droplet feeding bioassays, the median survival time (STso) for neonate larvae inoculated with Group one and two CrleGV-SA were determined to range from 80 - 88 hours (3.33 - 3.67 days), for all five colonies. LDso values for Group one and two CrleGV-SA against neonates from the Addo, Citrusdal, Marble Hall, Nelspruit and Mixed colonies varied between some populations and ranged from 0.80 - 3.12 OBs per larva, indicating some level of variation in host susceptibility. This is the first study reporting the existence of genetically distinct CrleGV baculovirus isolates infecting FCM in different geographical areas of South Africa. The results of this study have broad-ranging implications for our understanding of baculovirus-host interactions and for the application of baculovirus basedbiopesticides.

O equilíbrio entre insetos-praga e inimigos naturais existentes na cultura da soja, pode ser influenciado pelo manejo do solo, produtos fitossanitários e cultivares de soja. O presente estudo avaliou a diversidade de lepidópteros associados à cultura da soja, no continente Americano, e a abundância específica destes insetos e seus inimigos naturais (parasitóides e fungos entomopatogênicos), em soja convencional e transgênica RR, com aplicação de herbicidas seletivos (Amplo® e Aramo®) e uma formulação de glifosato (Gliz®), sendo o cultivo da soja BRS 133-convencional e BRS Charrua RR-transgênico realizado em Vacaria, RS, sob manejo de solo convencional, em três lotes de um hectare cada. Nas amostragens semanais, os lepidópteros foram coletados com pano-de-batida, mantidos em criação laboratorial até a obtenção dos adultos, dos parasitóides ou dos fungos entomopatogênicos. Também realizaram-se amostragens de solo para isolamento de fungos entomopatogênicos. Elaborou-se uma listagem dos lepidópteros associados à cultura da soja no continente Americano, relacionando-se 71 espécies cujas formas larvais já foram referidas alimentando-se de soja. No presente estudo foram coletadas 1634 larvas de lepidópteros identificados em 22 táxons, destacando-se Anticarsia gemmatalis, Pseudoplusia includens e Rachiplusia nu como as mais representativas (83,05% das larvas coletadas). A aplicação da formulação de glifosato afetou negativamente o número médio de lagartas em relação aos demais lotes tratados com herbicidas seletivos. Os himenópteros, dípteros e strepsípteros foram responsáveis pelo parasitismo de 34,52% das lagartas. Entretanto com relação ao parasitismo específico, observou-se que entre as lagartas parasitadas, 93,05% pertenciam às três espécies mais freqüentes, destacando-se os plusiíneos que foram mais parasitados que A. gemmatalis. N. rileyi foi o único fungo entomopatogênico isolado a partir de lagartas, sendo responsável por 1,41% da mortalidade das três espécies mais abundantes. Os números de unidades formadoras de colônias de Beauveria, Metarhizium e Paecilomyces, isolados das amostras de solo não diferiram estatisticamente entre os lotes. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-05-30T17:11:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Aline Carraro Formentini.pdf: 342643 bytes, checksum: 93c716533f6eda2fbf2bb806b35f1c62 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-30T17:11:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Aline Carraro Formentini.pdf: 342643 bytes, checksum: 93c716533f6eda2fbf2bb806b35f1c62 (MD5) / In soybean plantations, the equilibrium between insect pests and their natural enemies can be influenced by various factors such as soil management, use of phytosanitary products and soybean cultivar. This study evaluated the diversity of Lepidoptera associated with soybean crops in the Americas, and the specific abundance of these organisms and their natural enemies (parasitoids and entomopathogenic fungi) on conventional and transgenic RR soybean, treated with selective herbicides and glyphosate formulations. The experiment was carried out in Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul state. Conventional BRS 133 and transgenic RR soy were each planted on three, one-hectare plots and treated with either selective herbicides or a glyphosate formulation. During weekly sampling, Lepidoptera were collected using the drop cloth method and maintained in the laboratory until adults and associated parasitoids and fungi could be obtained. Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from soil samples. Based on literature data one list of 71 species of Lepidoptera that had been previously reported as feeding on soybean crop was prepared. In the present study, 1634 Lepidoptera larvae were identified in 22 taxa, including the following well-represented species: A. gemmatalis, P. includens e R. nu (83.05% of the larvae collected). The glyphosate treatments reduced the mean number of larvae when compared with the selective herbicide treatments. Hymenopterans, dipterans and strepsipterans were responsible for 34.52% of the total caterpillar parasitism. A large percentage of the larvae parasitized (93.05%) belong to the three most common species of Lepidoptera in our sampling, particularly to the Plusiinae, which were more heavily parasitized than A. gemmatalis. The entomopathogenic fungus N. rileyi was the only species isolated from the caterpillars and was responsible for 1.41% of the deaths amongst the three most common species. The numbers of colony-forming unities of Beauveria, Metarhizium and Paecilomyces, isolated from soil samples, did not differ among the plots.

O equilíbrio entre insetos-praga e inimigos naturais existentes na cultura da soja, pode ser influenciado pelo manejo do solo, produtos fitossanitários e cultivares de soja. O presente estudo avaliou a diversidade de lepidópteros associados à cultura da soja, no continente Americano, e a abundância específica destes insetos e seus inimigos naturais (parasitóides e fungos entomopatogênicos), em soja convencional e transgênica RR, com aplicação de herbicidas seletivos (Amplo® e Aramo®) e uma formulação de glifosato (Gliz®), sendo o cultivo da soja BRS 133-convencional e BRS Charrua RR-transgênico realizado em Vacaria, RS, sob manejo de solo convencional, em três lotes de um hectare cada. Nas amostragens semanais, os lepidópteros foram coletados com pano-de-batida, mantidos em criação laboratorial até a obtenção dos adultos, dos parasitóides ou dos fungos entomopatogênicos. Também realizaram-se amostragens de solo para isolamento de fungos entomopatogênicos. Elaborou-se uma listagem dos lepidópteros associados à cultura da soja no continente Americano, relacionando-se 71 espécies cujas formas larvais já foram referidas alimentando-se de soja. No presente estudo foram coletadas 1634 larvas de lepidópteros identificados em 22 táxons, destacando-se Anticarsia gemmatalis, Pseudoplusia includens e Rachiplusia nu como as mais representativas (83,05% das larvas coletadas). A aplicação da formulação de glifosato afetou negativamente o número médio de lagartas em relação aos demais lotes tratados com herbicidas seletivos. Os himenópteros, dípteros e strepsípteros foram responsáveis pelo parasitismo de 34,52% das lagartas. Entretanto com relação ao parasitismo específico, observou-se que entre as lagartas parasitadas, 93,05% pertenciam às três espécies mais freqüentes, destacando-se os plusiíneos que foram mais parasitados que A. gemmatalis. N. rileyi foi o único fungo entomopatogênico isolado a partir de lagartas, sendo responsável por 1,41% da mortalidade das três espécies mais abundantes. Os números de unidades formadoras de colônias de Beauveria, Metarhizium e Paecilomyces, isolados das amostras de solo não diferiram estatisticamente entre os lotes. / In soybean plantations, the equilibrium between insect pests and their natural enemies can be influenced by various factors such as soil management, use of phytosanitary products and soybean cultivar. This study evaluated the diversity of Lepidoptera associated with soybean crops in the Americas, and the specific abundance of these organisms and their natural enemies (parasitoids and entomopathogenic fungi) on conventional and transgenic RR soybean, treated with selective herbicides and glyphosate formulations. The experiment was carried out in Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul state. Conventional BRS 133 and transgenic RR soy were each planted on three, one-hectare plots and treated with either selective herbicides or a glyphosate formulation. During weekly sampling, Lepidoptera were collected using the drop cloth method and maintained in the laboratory until adults and associated parasitoids and fungi could be obtained. Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from soil samples. Based on literature data one list of 71 species of Lepidoptera that had been previously reported as feeding on soybean crop was prepared. In the present study, 1634 Lepidoptera larvae were identified in 22 taxa, including the following well-represented species: A. gemmatalis, P. includens e R. nu (83.05% of the larvae collected). The glyphosate treatments reduced the mean number of larvae when compared with the selective herbicide treatments. Hymenopterans, dipterans and strepsipterans were responsible for 34.52% of the total caterpillar parasitism. A large percentage of the larvae parasitized (93.05%) belong to the three most common species of Lepidoptera in our sampling, particularly to the Plusiinae, which were more heavily parasitized than A. gemmatalis. The entomopathogenic fungus N. rileyi was the only species isolated from the caterpillars and was responsible for 1.41% of the deaths amongst the three most common species. The numbers of colony-forming unities of Beauveria, Metarhizium and Paecilomyces, isolated from soil samples, did not differ among the plots.