| 1. |
- Abdelfattah, Ahmed, et al.
(författare)
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Metabarcoding: A powerful tool to investigate microbial communities and shape future plant protection strategies
- 2018
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Ingår i: Biological control (Print). - : ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. - 1049-9644 .- 1090-2112. ; 120
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microorganisms are the main drivers shaping the functioning and equilibrium of all ecosystems, contributing to nutrient cycling, primary production, litter decomposition, and multi-trophic interactions. Knowledge about the microbial assemblies in specific ecological niches is integral to understanding the assemblages interact and function the function, and becomes essential when the microbiota intersects with human activities, such as protecting crops against pests and diseases. Metabarcoding has proven to be a valuable tool and has been widely used for characterizing the microbial diversity of different environments and has been utilized in many research endeavors. Here we summarize the current status of metabarcoding technologies, the advantages and challenges in utilizing this technique, and how this pioneer approach is being applied to studying plant diseases and pests, with a focus on plant protection and biological control. Current and future developments in this technology will foster a more comprehensive understanding of microbial ecology, and the development of new, innovative pest control strategies.
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| 2. |
- Aebi, Alexandre, et al.
(författare)
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The potential of native parasitoids for the control of Mexican bean beetles: A genetic and ecological approach
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-2112 .- 1049-9644. ; 47:3, s. 289-297
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bruchid beetles in the genus Zabrotes are important pests of field and stored beans all around the world and cause enormous economical losses in Mexico and Central America. Native parasitoids have been successfully used to suppress infestations by bruchid beetles in Africa, but few studies have assessed their potential to reduce seed damage in the New World and no successful biological control programs have been implemented, mainly due to the poor knowledge on their biology, systematics and ecology in this region. In this study, we used molecular tools to describe a new complex of three parasitoid species of bruchid beetles in the genus Horismenus, and investigated the level of gene flow and presence of ecotypes in this complex. We also examined the specific association between species of Horismenus and two sibling species of Zabrotes beetles, in order to evaluate their potential as biological control agents. Microsatellite data support the previous morphological description of three species, H. butcheri, H. missouriensis and H. depressus, but suggest some gene flow between H. missouriensis and H. depressus. Host-plant is shown to be the most important factor determining the ecological distribution of the two Zabrotes species, whereas altitude explains most of the distribution of the three Horismenus species. These results complement our understanding of this tritrophic system, providing a solid base for a potential biological control program using native parasitoids. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Alexandridis, Nikolaos, et al.
(författare)
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Models of natural pest control : Towards predictions across agricultural landscapes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1049-9644. ; 163
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Natural control of invertebrate crop pests has the potential to complement or replace conventional insecticide-based practices, but its mainstream application is hampered by predictive unreliability across agroecosystems. Inconsistent responses of natural pest control to changes in landscape characteristics have been attributed to ecological complexity and system-specific conditions. Here, we review agroecological models and their potential to provide predictions of natural pest control across agricultural landscapes. Existing models have used a multitude of techniques to represent specific crop-pest-enemy systems at various spatiotemporal scales, but less wealthy regions of the world are underrepresented. A realistic representation of natural pest control across systems appears to be hindered by a practical trade-off between generality and realism. Nonetheless, observations of context-sensitive, trait-mediated responses of natural pest control to land-use gradients indicate the potential of ecological models that explicitly represent the underlying mechanisms. We conclude that modelling natural pest control across agroecosystems should exploit existing mechanistic techniques towards a framework of contextually bound generalizations. Observed similarities in causal relationships can inform the functional grouping of diverse agroecosystems worldwide and the development of the respective models based on general, but context-sensitive, ecological mechanisms. The combined use of qualitative and quantitative techniques should allow the flexible integration of empirical evidence and ecological theory for robust predictions of natural pest control across a wide range of agroecological contexts and levels of knowledge availability. We highlight challenges and promising directions towards developing such a general modelling framework.
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| 4. |
- Caballero-Lopez, B., et al.
(författare)
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Aphids and their natural enemies are differently affected by habitat features at local and landscape scales
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-2112 .- 1049-9644. ; 63:2, s. 222-229
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biological control, an essential ecosystem service to agriculture, can be affected by ecological processes operating at landscape scales. Here we assessed the effect of landscape complexity, measured as proportion of arable land (PAL), on the abundance of aphids, parasitoids, and specialist and generalist predators. In addition we set up cage experiments to test the ability of these groups of enemies to suppress aphid densities. Landscape context did not significantly explain differences in aphid or parasitoid densities between fields. However, aphid densities were significantly higher in field interior compared to the margin. Coccinellid (specialist predator) abundance showed a similar pattern, with higher density in the field interior, indicating an aggregative response to aphid prey. In addition, Coccinellid abundance increased with PAL but only in field interiors and not at the field margins. The abundance of carabids (generalist predators) increased with PAL, suggesting that they benefit from landscape simplification. The cage experiment revealed that specialist as well as generalist predators were able to reduce the number of aphids on barley tillers and that a combination of both guilds did not provide a greater reduction of aphids. Our results suggest higher densities of generalist predators with increasing PAL Nonetheless, the greater abundance of coccinellids and carabid beetles in cereal fields embedded in simple landscapes does not necessarily imply better pest control since natural enemies may compete, thereby limiting their ability to control pests. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Campolo, Orlando, et al.
(författare)
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Interaction between ants and the Mediterranean fruit fly: New insights for biological control
- 2015
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Ingår i: Biological control (Print). - : ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. - 1049-9644 .- 1090-2112. ; 90, s. 120-127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During recent years, the positive role of ants as biological control agents in agro-ecosystems has gained growing interest. We investigated the predatory relationship between Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and the ant Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nylander), commonly widespread in the Mediterranean area. Additionally we investigated some bio-ethological aspects of C. capitata larvae that could be relevant timing factors for predation. Field observations highlighted that C. capitata larvae were preyed on by ants, and laboratory assays suggested that movement of medfly larvae, as well as olfactory cues, affected prey location by T. nigerrimum. Further observations on the circadian activity of C. capitata suggest that mature larvae leave the fruit to pupate in the soil mainly in the early morning, and they can bury faster in moistened soil. These ecological aspects are discussed in the context of sustainable agriculture. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Dalin, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Global land-use change and the importance of zoophytophagous bugs in biological control: Coppicing willows as a timely example
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1049-9644 .- 1090-2112. ; 59, s. 6-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perennial plants, such as willows, miscanthus, and hybrid poplars, are promising bioenergy crops while lowering atmospheric CO(2). Increases in the acreage of perennial bioenergy crops will pose new challenges and opportunities for biological control. In this review, we suggest that zoophytophagous bugs could be expected to become increasingly important in biological control of arthropod pests in perennial bioenergy crops. The main reasons are: (1) perennial bioenergy crops provide suitable habitats for arboreal natural enemies like zoophytophagous bugs; (2) zoophytophagous bugs often increase in response to low disturbance frequencies; and (3) plant-feeding by zoophytophagous bugs will not likely affect plant biomass production in perennial crops. We review aspects of the biology of zoophytophagous bugs expected to be important in biological control of pests in perennial systems. We also present a predator-prey model investigating how alternative harvest methods affect biological control of herbivorous pests by zoophytophagous bugs in willow biomass plantations. Although there is good evidence that zoophytophagous bugs can provide pest control, more research is needed about factors affecting the dispersal and population dynamics of zoophytophagous bugs in agricultural landscapes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Favaro, Riccardo, et al.
(författare)
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Host instar influence on offspring sex ratio and female preference of Neodryinus typhlocybae (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) parasitoid of Metcalfa pruinosa (Say) (Homoptera, Flatidae)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1049-9644. ; 125, s. 113-120
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The parasitoid wasp Neodryinus typhlocybae (Ashmead) was introduced to Europe for the biological control of nearctic planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa (Say), which causes severe damage to both crops and ornamental species in the absence of specialized natural enemies. We performed a series of experiments to evaluate the host instar preference and the effects on parasitoid offspring sex. Results showed that parasitism occurs mostly on 3rd, 4th and 5th host instars. Male parasitoid offspring were reared exclusively from 3rd instars. Both male and female offspring originated from the 4th instar, but the sex ratio remained male-biased. A greater proportion of female offspring originated from the 5th instar. Virgin mothers produced exclusively male progeny. When female wasps were exposed to an equal proportion of 3rd, 4th and 5th host instars, parasitism occurred predominantly on the 5th instar, while the least parasitized was the 3rd instar. The age of female wasps did not influence the preference for host instars or the offspring sex ratio. However, females previous experienced with small host instars resulted in a greater production of female offspring on the 5th instar, compared to females which had never encountered small instars. We discuss the relevance of these findings, which could provide new insights for the optimization of the mass rearing of this parasitoid wasp.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Jarrett, Benjamin J.M., et al.
(författare)
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Experimental adaptation of native parasitoids to the invasive insect pest, Drosophila suzukii
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1049-9644. ; 167
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The spread of invasive pests is increasing due to greater global transportation and climate change-mediated range shifts. In a new community, these invasive species provide a novel resource that native predators or parasitoids can evolve to utilise. For invasive agricultural pests, this could provide top-down control; however, initial attack rates on invasive species in the wild are generally low. The potential for rapid adaptive evolution of native species to improve developmental success on invasive species is unknown. We address this by focusing on Drosophila suzukii, a polyphagous invasive pest, and two cosmopolitan Drosophila parasitoids found in North America prior to the arrival of D. suzukii (Pachycrepoideus vindemiae and Trichopria drosophilae). We experimentally evolved three replicate populations of both species on D. suzukii and the cosmopolitan D. melanogaster, a common host for both parasitoids. We found evidence that P. vindemiae increased developmental success by 88% (95% credible intervals = [−14%, 254%]) and T. drosophilae increased developmental success by 259% [38%, 711%] on D. suzukii after only three generations of selection, despite very low founding sizes of 2 and 30 wasps, respectively. These results demonstrate that rapid evolution of increased virulence is possible even from low genetic diversity, with implications for integrating evolutionary techniques into biological control of invasive species.
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| 10. |
- Johnsson, Anna-Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Development and evaluation of SCAR markers for a Pseudomonas brassicacearum strain used in biological control of snow mould
- 2009
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Ingår i: Biological Control. - : Elsevier BV. - 1049-9644 .- 1090-2112. ; 48, s. 181-187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biological control microorganisms have long been promoted as an alternative to conventional pesticides. Before registration of a microbial biocontrol product for commercial sale, it must be evaluated as regards potential spread and persistence after release. In this study, strainspecific sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers were developed to monitor the biocontrol candidate strain Pseudomonas brassicacearum MA250, which is effective against snow mould (Microdochium nivale). One SCAR marker, OPA2-73, was used in quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) on samples from a climate chamber experiment in which winter wheat seeds were treated with the bacterium or a chemical control agent, or left untreated. The results showed that MA250 persisted for up to 3 weeks after sowing on the kernel residues and also colonized the roots of treated seedlings. Total MA250 cell numbers on biocontrol treated seedlings after three weeks were approximately 10(6) Cells, compared with the original inoculum of 10(6)-10(7) cells per seed. Corresponding cell numbers of MA250 on chemically treated and untreated seedlings were below the detection limit. This study shows that SCAR marker OPA2-73 is a specific and sensitive tool for monitoring the biocontrol microorganism MA250 in environmental samples. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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