No description available.

Semiochemicals released from logs infested by southern pine beetle (SPB), <i>Dendroctonus frontalis</i>, from a total of eight infestations located in Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia were collected four to eight days after initial attack. The quantities and chiralities of most semiochemicals, as analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography, showed geographic and temporal variations. Changes in the quantities of α-pinene (aP), frontalin (F), and <i>endo</i>-brevicomin (eB), are believed to result from responses of the host and the beetle to each other's activity at a given time and differences in their respective health. The chiralities of aP, F, and eB at all locations generally remained stable over time, yet variation across the insect's geographic range, particularly for aP and F, is believed to be due to genetic variation of individuals. Geographic and temporal variations in the quantities and chiralities of <i>cis</i>-verbenol (cV), <i>trans</i>-verbenol (tV), and verbenone (V) are presumed to be due to the multiple pathways of origin (SPB, autoxidation, and microorganisms). Analysis of the same semiochemicals isolated from hindguts of individual beetles from Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina showed quantities of cV and tV to be substantially greater in females than in males; whereas, males contained much greater amounts of V. Geographic differences were found in quantities of tV and V in both sexes and in aP and F in males only. The chiralities of most semiochemicals present in SPB hindguts differed markedly from those released from infested logs. Males produced predominantly (+)-F and (-)-eB, (-)-cV, and (-)-V; however, the chirality of tV varied considerably among areas. In contrast, females produced predominantly (+)-cV and (+)-V and (-)-F, (-)-eB, and (-)-tV. The (+) enantiomer of aP predominated in both sexes, but the proportion of (+ )-aP was generally lower than that released from SPB-infested logs from the same areas. Geographic differences in chirality of tV and V were significant in males and for eB in females. In laboratory trials, aP autoxidized under ambient temperatures to form tV, myrtenol (M), V and to a lesser extent, cv. Both the quantities and chiralities of these compounds were dependent on the chirality of the aP precursor. Significantly greater amounts and proportions of the (+) enantiomer of each compound were produced when (+)-aP was predominant than when the antipode of the precursor was predominant. The extent to which autoxidation products playa role in bark beetle behavior is expected to be dependent on the proportion of aP in pine resin and its chirality present in a pine species. The information gained from this research was used to elaborate on previously proposed behavioral sequences occurring during the mass attack of host trees by SPB and to suggest new avenues to improve the use of semiochemicals in pest management efforts. / Ph. D.

12 pp. / Pine Bark Beetles, THE PIÑON IPS BARK BEETLE, FIREWOOD AND BARK BEETLES IN THE SOUTHWEST, USING INSECTICIDES TO PREVENT BARK BEETLE ATTACKS ON CONIFERS, GUIDELINES FOR THINNING PONDEROSA PINE FOR IMPROVED FOREST HEALTH AND FIRE PREVENTION / Various techniques to reduce brood production of Ips and Dendroctonus spp. in ponderosa pine slash are discussed.

This thesis describes the syntheses of semiochemicals and their applications in the development of control methods for pest insects. The compounds synthesized are divided into three groups: 1) Lepidoptera pheromones; 2) methyl substituted chiral pheromones and 3) aphid pheromones. Different purification techniques have been explored in order to provide &gt; 99% pure semiochemicals for field tests. Examples of the techniques are uses of urea inclusion complexes, argentum chromatography, low temperature crystallization and what we call the Baeckström isolation technique. Iridoids have been produced in a synthetic strategy including an intramolecular enal-enamine [4+2] cycloaddition, a dynamic acetylation and an enantioselective transesterification mediated by a lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia. The use of chiral auxiliaries to perform the intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition has also been investigated. A useful asymmetric route to iridoids has been developed.

<p>This thesis describes the syntheses of semiochemicals and their applications in the development of control methods for pest insects. The compounds synthesized are divided into three groups: 1) Lepidoptera pheromones; 2) methyl substituted chiral pheromones and 3) aphid pheromones. </p><p>Different purification techniques have been explored in order to provide > 99% pure semiochemicals for field tests. Examples of the techniques are uses of urea inclusion complexes, argentum chromatography, low temperature crystallization and what we call the Baeckström isolation technique.</p><p>Iridoids have been produced in a synthetic strategy including an intramolecular enal-enamine [4+2] cycloaddition, a dynamic acetylation and an enantioselective transesterification mediated by a lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia. The use of chiral auxiliaries to perform the intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition has also been investigated. A useful asymmetric route to iridoids has been developed.</p>

No description available.

Studies focused on developing a semiochemical-based monitoring system for Plutella xylostella (L.) using sex pheromone and Z3-hexenyl acetate. A commercially available pheromone trapping system was used to capture male moths at sites in Alberta in 2007 and 2008. Larval sampling occurred every two weeks after the first males were captured. Male moth capture was predictive of larval density on individual sample dates during the growing season. The predictive capability of pheromone-baited trap capture was not in direct proportion to population density and was inconsistent. Modifications to the trapping system were tested to improve attractiveness. Adding Z3-hexenyl acetate at various doses to pheromone did not improve the attractiveness to males over pheromone alone and did not attract significant numbers of females when tested at various times during the flight season. Trap height and colour did not influence male capture. Pheromone dose and lure type did influence male moth capture in traps. / Plant Science

<p dir="ltr">The striped cucumber beetle (<i>Acalymma vittatum</i>) is a leading pest across a variety of cucurbit crops in eastern North America. These beetles can rapidly infest and damage a field, leading to frequent insecticide applications to manage them. Chemical control is effective at reducing beetle populations, but it also causes detrimental non-target effects on pollinators, which are essential for cucurbit yield. Developing a holistic IPM (integrated pest management) approach is necessary to manage pests while avoiding non-target effects in cucurbit production systems. </p><p dir="ltr">A unique and well-characterized behavior of striped cucumber beetles is their olfactory attraction to both plant volatiles and their species-specific aggregation pheromone, vittatalactone. The interacting effects of combining these olfactory stimuli for cucumber beetle attraction have not previously been tested. I expected when presented with plant volatiles and pheromone together, the striped cucumber beetles will show synergistic attraction, resulting in enhanced attraction stronger than the sums of the separate effects. Along with targeting striped cucumber beetles, I expected to elicit cross-attraction of related cucurbit pests (e.g., spotted cucumber beetle) to these same signals based on previous findings indicating cross-attraction. The expected cross attraction may be due to the reliance on olfactory cues to inform the related insects on preferrable host plants and nutrition. </p><p dir="ltr">Cucurbit systems are also highly reliant on pollination services for high-quality fruit; thus, the feasibility of these semiochemical tools depends on their influence on pollinator behavior. I expect pollinators to be attracted to floral volatiles but not vittatalactone or individual plant volatiles without the full complement of floral scent (e.g., indole, leaf volatiles). Altogether, this research aims to develop a targeted management tool for striped cucumber beetles and other cucurbit pests, while avoiding pollinator distraction or other detrimental effects.</p><p dir="ltr">To measure the efficacy of using olfactory signals as attractants, clear sticky cards were deployed in the field with combinations of pheromone paired with volatiles (floral and/or leaf), as well as the individual components, to quantify pest responses. Simultaneously, a pan trap sampling method was implemented to measure pollinator responses to the same semiochemical combinations. The results of the study demonstrate that striped cucumber beetles are strongly attracted to volatile lures containing pheromones, floral volatiles, and combinations of the two, although the combined pheromone and floral volatile treatments did not synergize beetle attraction. </p><p dir="ltr">Though combined lures did not synergize attraction, this data demonstrates additive effects on beetle behavior. The findings also highlight the importance of understanding seasonal disparities between the behavior of early and late generations of striped cucumber beetles. Temporal variation in attraction demonstrated by the pests is crucial to understand when to implement lure-based management strategies. Two years of testing floral volatile and herbivory-induced plant volatile (HIPV) lure treatments on key cucurbit pollinators showed varying levels of attraction. There was no attraction of focal cucurbit bees to the striped cucumber beetle pheromone, but there were differences in the response of pollinators to plant volatile components. </p><p dir="ltr">Cucurbits require high pollination activity for successful fruit, though the most important bees in pollinating this system are bees belonging to the genera, <i>Apis</i> and <i>Eucera</i>. Along with these bee groups, other bees such as those belonging to <i>Melissodes</i>, <i>Lasioglossum</i>, and <i>Bombus</i> are also known important pollinators. <i>Lasioglossum</i> bees showed a strong attraction to the full-floral blend, TIC (1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene, indole, (E)-cinnamaldehyde), but no preference for indole or HIPVs. <i>Melissodes</i> bees were most attracted to methyl salicylate and TIC, whereas <i>Eucera</i> bees exhibited strong attraction to ocimene and TIC. These findings suggest that different pollinator taxa have unique preferences for plant volatiles, highlighting the importance of optimizing lure combinations to avoid disrupting pollination activities in cucurbit production.</p><p dir="ltr">Additionally, this study revealed that other key cucurbit pests, such as spotted cucumber beetles and western corn rootworms, also showed strong attraction to the tested volatile components. These findings suggest that the selected volatiles may have broader implications for pest management beyond striped cucumber beetles. Further research is needed to fully understand the efficacy and refine formulations of these volatile lures to implement in IPM.</p>

The Eurasian spruce bark beetle Dendroctonus micans is a major pest of spruce which is expanding its range in France, Turkey, England and Wales. Its monospecific predator Rhizophagus grandis has followed naturally the bark beetle into most areas and, since the 1960s, has also been mass-produced and successfully released within newly infested locations. In this scope, the development of an effective trapping method would be very useful to assess the bark-beetle presence at previously uninfested sites, or predator establishment after release or natural spread. We demonstrated the efficiency of oxygenated monoterpenes-baited kairomone traps to monitor R. grandis in various epidemiological conditions, including areas localized behind or at the limit of the pest’s distribution, or in areas where artificial releases were performed. Because the predator is strictly species-specific, another exciting possibility offered by the kairomone trapping is the indirect monitoring of the pest itself in areas of unknown status (e.g. areas under colonization, or considered as at risk at medium- term). R. grandis is also considered as one of the most valuable natural enemies to strike aggressive North-American Dendroctonus species. In this respect, R. grandis has been recently applied in a neo-classical biological program against the red turpentine beetle D. valens, which invaded China from North America in the late 1990’s. In laboratory tests conducted on pine logs in the laboratory, or on living pine trees in the field, we demonstrated that R. grandis adults can successfully enter and reproduce into D. valens galleries. In Europe, R. grandis is the only species regularly found in the brood systems of D. micans, where adults and larvae attack the gregarious larvae of their prey. In such enclosed systems, R. grandis’ functional response is therefore influenced by various interrelated components, such as the prey density, the predator density, or the prey distribution. Measuring the predator’s success in terms of larval survival and growth rates, we demonstrated the time spent by R. grandis larvae to wound and kill their prey to be the main factor limiting their development. This factor may be considerably influenced by the proportions of diseased, wounded or molting prey rise in the brood system, for instance as a result of an increase in prey density, or due to the presence of conspecific adults (which wound their prey but do not consume them entirely). Furthermore, our tests suggest that no cannibalism or noticeable intraspecific competition occurred between R. grandis larvae, whereas some lighter mode of competition probably took place. R. grandis also exhibits a reproductive numerical response to prey density, which mainly relies on the perception of chemical stimuli and inhibitors released in the bark beetle brood system. In the current study, we developed a non-destructive approach to follow the dynamics of volatile compound production, using sequential sample collection on SPME fibers. Our tests demonstrated that the larval activity of D. micans or D. valens strongly influences the release of some oxygenated monoterpenes. However, our attempts to correlate the relative quantities of some identified chemicals to offspring production were less successful as it concerns the identification of potential oviposition stimuli and inhibitors. The problematic rose by the progression of D. micans, as well as detailed results of each of the described above studies are discussed in the two published papers and the three manuscripts forming this thesis. Bringing all these studies together, several perspectives are also presented in the general discussion. / Ravageur des épicéas, Dendroctonus micans est toujours en voie d’extension en France, en Turquie, en Angleterre et au Pays de Galles. Dans la plupart de ces zones, le dendroctone est accompagné de manière naturelle par son prédateur monospécifique, Rhizophagus grandis. Depuis les années 1960, le prédateur a également fait l’objet d’une production de masse et de programmes de lâchers dans les zones d’arrivée récente du scolyte. Dans le cadre de la lutte biologique contre D. micans, les gestionnaires forestiers doivent donc estimer au plus tôt la présence du ravageur dans des zones jusque là indemnes, mais également vérifier l’établissement du prédateur par progression naturelle ou résultant d’introductions délibérées. Dans la présente étude, nous avons démontré l’efficacité de pièges d’interception appatés à l’aide de monoterpènes oxygénés pour la capture de R. grandis. Celle-ci s’est faite dans différentes conditions épidémiologiques, incluant notamment des zones situées en arrière du front de progression du scolyte et des zones où des lâchers artificiels ont été réalisés. Comme R. grandis est strictement inféodé au dendroctone, un autre avantage de la technique est la possibilité de réaliser un dépistage indirect du ravageur dans les zones où son statut est incertain (zones en cours de colonisation, ou considérées comme à risque à moyen terme). Par ailleurs, R. grandis est également considéré comme un des meilleurs ennemis naturels potentiels pour lutter contre d’autres espèces de Dendroctonus aggressifs. Dans cette optique, R. grandis a été récemment utilisé dans un programme de lute biologique contre D. valens, ravageur invasif arrivé en Chine dans la fin des années 1990 en provenance d’Amérique du Nord. Nous avons démontré la capacité de R. grandis à s’introduire et à se reproduire dans les galeries de D. valens lors de tests de laboratoire, mais aussi sur des arbres vivants en pinèdes. En Europe, R. grandis est strictement inféodé aux galeries de D. micans, où larves et adultes du prédateur s’attaquent aux larves grégaires du scolyte. Dans ce système clos, la réponse fonctionelle de R. grandis est influencée par plusieurs facteurs étroitement corrélés, la densité de proies, la densité de prédateurs, et la distribution des proies. En mesurant l’efficacité de prédation de R. grandis en termes de survie des larves et de taux de croissance, nous avons démontré l’influence sur leur développement du temps passé par les larves à blesser et à tuer leurs proies. Ce facteur est par ailleurs fortement dépendant de la proportion de larves malades, blessées ou en cours de mue au sein du système ; une proportion qui peut augmenter en réponse à une augmentation de la densité de proies, ou lorsque des adultes sont présents (ceux-ci blessent les proies mais ne les consomment pas entièrement). Enfin, nos tests suggèrent qu’il n’existe que peu de cannibalisme ou de compétition intraspécifique entre larves de R. grandis, tandis que des modes de compétition moins importants prennent vraisemblablement place. R. grandis présente également une réponse numérique reproductive à la densité de proies disponibles, principalement basée sur la perception de stimuli et d’inhibiteurs présents dans les galeries du scolyte. Par la collecte de composés volatils présents dans ces systèmes à l’aide de fibres SPME, nous avons développé une méthode non-destructive pour suivre la dynamique de production des médiateurs chimiques. Nos tests ont démontré que l’activité des larves de D. micans ou D. valens influence fortement la dynamique de production de certains monoterpènes oxygénés. En revanche, il n’a pas été été possible de corréler les différents composés identifiés au nombre de larves de R. grandis présentes dans le système. La problématique soulevée par la progression de D. micans, de même que les résultats détaillés de chacune des études décrites ci-dessus sont discutés dans les deux papiers publiés et les trois manuscrits formant cette thèse. Les différentes perspectives apportées par ce travail sont également présentées dans la discussion générale.

The use of pheromone-based or semiochemical lures and devices for the detection of insect pest population and monitoring in agriculture is a common practice. In many countries the use of these devices is exempt from registration requirements based on regulatory thresholds set by the relevant authorities, however, not in South Africa. The question arises whether the pheromones or semiochemicals dispensed through such devices, influence the naturally occurring compounds observed and whether a concern of toxicity and ecotoxicity is justified. A tomato field was selected in a commercial growing area of South Africa and a novel five-component lure, T.V. PheroLure®, was identified from a local manufacturer, Insect Science (Pty) Ltd. The T.V. PheroLure® consists of a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) blend which is placed in a polyethylene bulb. Tomato VOCs were collected before, during and after the application of the T.V. PheroLure® which was used in combination with a yellow bucket funnel trap. The VOCs were collected at different heights (0 cm, 30 cm and 60 cm) of the tomato plants, from planting until harvest (22 weeks) and surrounding tomato fields without the T.V. PheroLure®. The results obtained indicated that: (i) the T.V. PheroLure® had no significant influence on the natural VOCs observed in the tomato field and (ii) that the height of sampling had no influence on VOCs observed. This study also indicated that apart from a slight increased contribution of limonene, there was no significant influence observed from the T.V. PheroLure® compounds on the natural background VOCs found in the tomato field. Therefore, it could be argued that the natural phenology of the plant has a greater influence on the VOCs observed than T.V. PheroLure® and that the concern of toxicity and ecotoxicity is unjustified when using these devices for monitoring purposes only. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)