| 1. |
- Porcel Vilches, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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Organic management in apple orchards: Higher impacts on biological control than on pollination
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 55, s. 2779-2789
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. Intensive agricultural management negatively affects both natural enemies of pests and pollinators. Such management also has the potential to adversely affect the ecosystem services that these communities confer. Organic management has been proposed as an alternative method to mitigate such problems by restoring the services provided by arthropod communities.2. We evaluated the effect of organic management on two ecosystem services provided by arthropods in apple orchards: pollination and biological control. We used relative decrease in colonies to assess biological control of the major apple aphid pest, and measured pollination through fruit set, number of seeds per apple and pollinator visitation. Additionally, we monitored the organisms responsible for pollination and biological control services and established the impact of pollination on apple quality.3. Our results show a strong effect of organic management on biological control and on the temporal dynamic of natural enemy-pest interactions. Parameters such as aphid colony suppression, first and repeated occurrence of natural enemies, natural enemy species evenness and natural enemy abundance were significantly higher in organic compared to conventional orchards. Predatory bugs were the natural enemies best-affected by organic management and played a key role in early predation of aphids preventing colony growth.4. In this instance, pollination was not influenced by organic management. It is likely due to the temporal scale at which this service is delivered, a scale that differs greatly from biological control, combined with differences in the dispersal capacity of the organisms involved. Fruit weight, calcium, potassium and magnesium content were positively affected by pollination success.5. Synthesis and applications. We found that organic management in apple orchards preserves the local natural enemy community, and specifically predatory bug populations, essential for early aphid colony suppression. Our results suggest that, in conventional orchards, local management options that decrease or even eliminate pesticide use early in the season would increase the biological control of aphids. This would lead to reduction in apple damage at harvest. Our results on pollination success indicate that the implementation of organic management at orchard scale does not enhance pollination services for apple growers.
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| 2. |
- Porcel Vilches, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of resident vegetation cover on abundance and diversity of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on olive trees
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Pest Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1612-4758 .- 1612-4766. ; 90, s. 195-206
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understorey habitats are optimal ecological structures for natural enemy enhancement in fruit orchards. A large-scale experiment was carried out to establish the effect of resident vegetation cover (VC) on green lacewings as compared to bare soil, the dominant soil management strategy used in Spanish olive orchards. Lacewings were sampled using baited McPhail traps for adults, and suction was used to collect adults and larvae from olive canopies. Additionally, we monitored the presence of the lacewing's main target pest, olive moth eggs, as well as VC composition and density. McPhail trapping showed higher Chrysopidae abundances in VC plots during two consecutive years even though flowering plants represented 29.7 % of the total. Multivariate analysis identified Chrysoperla carnea s.l. and Pseudomallada prasinus as contributing to differences in abundance. VC slightly increased capture diversity; however, no specific link between any Chrysopidae species and VC was detected. No differences were observed in individuals collected through suction in 2009, which could be attributed to low sampling efficiency. In 2010, when sampling was increased considerably, higher adult and larval abundances were recorded in VC only with respect to C. carnea s.l. A delay was detected between McPhail captures and suction collection peaks. The fact that VC promoted higher abundance detected earlier through trapping, and later on olive canopies through suction, coinciding with P. oleae presence, suggests that resident VC may contribute to a build-up of green lacewing populations moving onto the crop at the time of the pest attack.
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| 3. |
- Birkhofer, Klaus, et al.
(författare)
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Methods to identify the prey of invertebrate predators in terrestrial field studies
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 7:6, s. 1942-1953
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Predation is an interaction during which an organism kills and feeds on another organism. Past and current interest in studying predation in terrestrial habitats has yielded a number of methods to assess invertebrate predation events in terrestrial ecosystems. We provide a decision tree to select appropriate methods for individual studies. For each method, we then present a short introduction, key examples for applications, advantages and disadvantages, and an outlook to future refinements. Video and, to a lesser extent, live observations are recommended in studies that address behavioral aspects of predator-prey interactions or focus on per capita predation rates. Cage studies are only appropriate for small predator species, but often suffer from a bias via cage effects. The use of prey baits or analyses of prey remains are cheaper than other methods and have the potential to provide per capita predation estimates. These advantages often come at the cost of low taxonomic specificity. Molecular methods provide reliable estimates at a fine level of taxonomic resolution and are free of observer bias for predator species of any size. However, the current PCR-based methods lack the ability to estimate predation rates for individual predators and are more expensive than other methods. Molecular and stable isotope analyses are best suited to address systems that include a range of predator and prey species. Our review of methods strongly suggests that while in many cases individual methods are sufficient to study specific questions, combinations of methods hold a high potential to provide more holistic insights into predation events. This review presents an overview of methods to researchers that are new to the field or to particular aspects of predation ecology and provides recommendations toward the subset of suitable methods to identify the prey of invertebrate predators in terrestrial field research.
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| 4. |
- Natuluku Ondiaka, Sopher, et al.
(författare)
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Sunflower as a trap crop for the European tarnished plant bug (Lygus rugulipennis)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Entomology. - : Wiley. - 0931-2048 .- 1439-0418. ; 140, s. 453-461
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis (Heteroptera: Miridae), inflicts serious damage to glasshouse crops, including cucumber, in which it causes distorted foliage, dead growing points and malformed fruits. In a research involving commercial growers, we tested the possibility of using a trap crop to control L.rugulipennis. We screened the attraction of sunflower and lucerne as trap crops using an olfactometer. Adults (females and males) were more attracted to the odour of either flowering sunflower or lucerne than flowering cucumber. In a glasshouse trial, potted flowering sunflowers were evaluated as a trap crop placed at the ends of each cucumber row. Although the trap crop showed much higher attractiveness than the cucumber crop, this effect was not sufficient to provide an acceptable level of control according to the commercial growers. The growers suggested developing artificial sunflower odour as a more efficient lure for removal trapping. As a first step in this development, we tested the attraction of the headspace odour collected from sunflower in olfactometer trials. Sunflower headspace attracted a higher number of adults compared to a blank or a flowering cucumber. The sunflower odour was analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass-spectrometry to determine compounds possibly involved in L.rugulipennis attraction. The chemical analysis of the plant odour showed a well-defined differentiation between sunflower and cucumber, with a number of monoterpenes released exclusively by sunflower. This, plus an emission rate from sunflower being at least four times more abundant, opens the possibility of using synthetic sunflower volatiles to attract L.rugulipennis within a cucumber background.
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| 5. |
- Nilsson, Ulf, et al.
(författare)
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Habitat manipulation – as a pest management tool in vegetable and fruit cropping systems, with the focus on insects and mites
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Today, there is increasing interest among Swedish growers in biological diversity within the agricultural landscape. Many scientific studies have highlighted the services performed by beneficial organisms, which can help to improve the quantity and quality of crops. One tremendously important ecosystem service is biological control of pest insects and mites. The question is what growers can actually do to increase the abundance and diversity of natural enemies and whether this will have an impact on the pest population and, more importantly, on yield and quality of the crop. Another question is whether biodiversity is always positive for growers or whether there are negative aspects that should be dealt with. These relevant questions are addressed in the present report, the aim of which is to enlarge the current knowledge base on how to improve conditions for natural enemies, so-called habitat manipulation, within annual vegetable crops and perennial apple cropping systems. However, our aim was not to conduct a complete review of all available literature, but instead to select studies that may be of particular value for advisors and growers. We also chose to include the outcomes of a workshop on increasing diversity in apple orchards and interviews with advisors and vegetable growers to investigate the attitude and state of knowledge on habitat manipulation in Sweden today. We focus on natural enemies, arthropod pests and practices applied at field scale, and therefore exclude applications developed for greenhouse crops. Our hope is that advisors and interested growers in particular will find this report relevant and rewarding.
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| 6. |
- Porcel Vilchez, Mario
(författare)
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Analysis of the pathogenic potential of nosocomial Pseudomonas putida strains
- 2015
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-302X. ; 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pseudomonas putida strains are ubiquitous in soil and water but have also been reported as opportunistic human pathogens capable of causing nosocomial infections. In this study we describe the multilocus sequence typing of four P putida strains (HB13667, HB8234, HB4184, and HB3267) isolated from in-patients at the Besancon Hospital (France). The four isolates (in particular HB3267) were resistant to a number of antibiotics. The pathogenicity and virulence potential of the strains was tested ex vivo and in vivo using different biological models: human tissue culture, mammalian tissues, and insect larvae. Our results showed a significant variability in the ability of the four strains to damage the host; HB13667 did not exhibit any pathogenic traits, HB4184 caused damage only ex vivo in human tissue cultures, and HB8234 had a deleterious effect in tissue culture and in vivo on rat skin, but not in insect larvae. Interestingly, strain HB3267 caused damage in all the model systems studied. The putative evolution of these strains in medical environments is discussed.
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| 7. |
- Porcel Vilchez, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing the efficacy of a multispecies pheromone dispenser for the control of tortricids in apple orchards: a three-year evaluation
- 2016
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Ingår i: IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. - 1027-3115. ; 112, s. 37-39
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We tested the possibility of using a single device for the pheromone disruption of a number of lepidopteran pests of apple in Sweden. Experiments were carried out in single conventional orchards of different size equipped with plant hedges and surrounded by variable landscapes. An increasing inhibition of the male flying activity by the synthetic airborne pheromone was measured over the three-year period for the majority of the tested species. The reduction in the larval activity of the corresponding species varied in accordance with the management and the surrounding of the orchard. Experiments in field cages showed a significant interference effect of the synthetic pheromone formulation on location of calling females by released males. The release of each component from the device was continuous over the entire flight period of the monitored species with a partial residual release in the following season. According to our results, we recommend the use of the tested device as a tool to reduce the field population of lepidopteran pests as well as to diminish the load of chemical insecticides in orchards. Due to the variability of the results in relation to single orchard features, field scouting needs to be considered as a necessary support to growers.
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| 8. |
- Porcel Vilchez, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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Farmers' management of functional biodiversity goes beyond pest management in organic European apple orchards
- 2019
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Ingår i: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-8809 .- 1873-2305. ; 284
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Supporting functional biodiversity (FB), which provides natural pest regulation, is an environmentally sound and promising approach to reduce pesticide use in perennial cultures such as apple, especially in organic farming. However, little is known about farmers' practices and motivations to implement techniques that favor FB, especially whether or not they really expect anything from FB in terms of pest regulation. In fact, FB-supporting techniques (FB-techniques) are massively questioned by practitioners due to inadequate information about their effectiveness. An interview survey was performed in eight European countries(i) to describe farmers' practices and identify promising FB-techniques: (ii) to better understand their perceptions of and values associated with FB; and (iii) to identify potential drivers of (non-) adoption. Fifty-five advisors and 125 orchard managers with various degrees of experience and convictions about FB were interviewed and a total of 24 different FB-techniques which can be assigned to three different categories (ecological infrastructures, farming practices and redesign techniques) were described. Some were well-established measures (e.g., hedges and bird houses), while others were more marginal and more recent (e.g., animal introduction and compost). On average, farmers combined more than four techniques that had been implemented over a period of 13 years, especially during their establishment or conversion period. In general, it was difficult for farmers to evaluate the effectiveness of individual FB-techniques on pest regulation. They considered FB-techniques as a whole, targeting multiple species, and valued multiple ecosystem services in addition to pest regulation. The techniques implemented and their associated values differed among farmers who adopted various approaches towards FB. Three different approaches were defined: passive, active and integrated. Their appraisal of FB is even more complex because it may change with time and experience. These findings provide empirical evidence that the practical implementation of promising techniques remains a challenge, considering the diversity of situations and evaluation criteria. Increased cooperation between researchers, farmers and advisors should more effectively target research, advisory support and communication to meet farmers' needs and perceptions.
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| 9. |
- Porcel Vilchez, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of agricultural management on canopy-dwelling predatory and herbivorous arthropod communities in Swedish apple orchards
- 2016
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Ingår i: IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. - 1027-3115. ; 112, s. 79-82
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Local agricultural management, and in particular pesticide usage, is a major driver of many arthropod communities in agroecosystems. For example, it is known to cause a significant impact on pest's natural enemies abundance and diversity. The aim of our study was to establish the effect of agricultural management on the community of predatory and phytophagous canopy-dwelling arthropods in Swedish apple orchards. Arthropods were sampled from the tree canopy in organic and conventional orchards using a field insect aspirator. We compared the composition at family level of the two functional groups considered (predators and herbivores) using multivariate analysis. Significant differences were obtained for the predatory community between organic and conventional orchards. Principal component analysis showed a clear clustering of conventional farms mainly associated to lower abundances of predatory mirids, anthocorids, ladybirds, dustywings and spiders. Furthermore, there was a higher variation in the predatory arthropod community in organic compared to conventional orchards. No differences were observed for the herbivore community collected in suction samples between management schemes suggesting a different response pattern to orchard management compared to the predatory community during the 2013 growing season.
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| 10. |
- Porcel Vilchez, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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Mating disruption of Spilonota ocellana and other apple orchard tortricids using a multispecies reservoir dispenser
- 2015
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Ingår i: Pest Management Science. - : Wiley. - 1526-498X .- 1526-4998. ; 71, s. 562-570
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A new mating disruption formulation for population control of a wide range of tortricid pests, including Spitonota ocellana, was tested in Swedish apple orchards during 2012 - 2013. Owing to the characteristics of the local agricultural landscape, mating disruption was evaluated in isolated orchards rather than through an area-wide approach. Parameters such as trap shutdown, communication disruption in field cages, damage level and dispenser emission were measured as efficacy indicators.RESULTS: The test formulation reduced the catches in monitoring traps for the entire range of the tested species. In field cages, communication between sexes was disrupted for both Adoxophyes orana and Cydia pomonella. The fruit damage caused by leafrollers (including S. ocarina) was reduced by the treatment. The device showed a constant release of all components for the entire flight activity period of these pests.CONCLUSION: Single-orchard experiments showed a significant effect on field populations of the leafroller species complex. While promising, in light of the variability of the result, field scouting may be required to enable practitioners to estimate the density of the pests and avoid possible unexpected attacks. Additional experiments are needed to evaluate the efficacy of the product against C. pomonella. (C) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Roquer-Beni, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Management-dependent effects of pollinator functional diversity on apple pollination services : A response-effect trait approach
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 58:12, s. 2843-2853
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Functional traits mediate the response of communities to disturbances (response traits) and their contribution to ecosystem functions (effect traits). To predict how anthropogenic disturbances influence ecosystem services requires a dual approach including both trait concepts. Here, we used a response–effect trait conceptual framework to understand how local and landscape features affect pollinator functional diversity and pollination services in apple orchards.We worked in 110 apple orchards across four European regions. Orchards differed in management practices. Low-intensity (LI) orchards were certified organic or followed close-to-organic practices. High-intensity (HI) orchards followed integrated pest management practices. Within each management type, orchards encompassed a range of local (flower diversity, agri-environmental structures) and landscape features (orchard and pollinator-friendly habitat cover). We measured pollinator visitation rates and calculated trait composition metrics based on 10 pollinator traits. We used initial fruit set as a measure of pollination service.Some pollinator traits (body size and hairiness) were negatively related to orchard cover and positively affected by pollinator-friendly habitat cover. Bee functional diversity was lower in HI orchards and decreased with increased landscape orchard cover. Pollination service was not associated with any particular trait but increased with pollinator trait diversity in LI orchards. As a result, LI orchards with high pollinator trait diversity reached levels of pollination service similar to those of HI orchards.Synthesis and applications. Pollinator functional diversity enables pollinator communities to respond to agricultural intensification and to increase pollination function. Our results show that efforts to promote biodiversity provide greater returns in low-intensity than in high-intensity orchards. The fact that low-intensity orchards with high pollinator functional diversity reach levels of pollination services similar to those of high-intensity orchards provides a compelling argument for the conversion of high-intensity into low-intensity farms.
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| 13. |
- Stephan, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Weeds within willow short-rotation coppices alter the arthropod community and improve biological control of the blue willow beetle
- 2016
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Ingår i: BioControl. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1386-6141 .- 1573-8248. ; 61, s. 103-114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Outbreaks of the blue willow beetle Phratora vulgatissima (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomeli- dae) threaten the yield of willow plantations that rely on biological control by natural enemies. Here we show that weed presence increases herbivore and predator/parasitoid diversity on willow shoots and causes increased predation on P. vulgatissima eggs compared to shoots within plots without weeds. We argue that, in addition to higher abundance, the community shift in favour of egg consumers and additive predator effects causes the higher predation pressure. This increase (*35 %) was apparent despite more alternative prey. Neither the willow genotype on which the predator-prey interaction occurred nor the clutch size affected egg predation levels. Our results support root's enemy hypothesis and suggest that intensive weed control might counteract biological control in willow plantations. However, at least during the establishing phase of the plantation, increased biocontrol probably does not compensate for yield losses caused by competing weeds.
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| 14. |
- Swiergiel, Weronika, et al.
(författare)
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Soil application of Beauveria bassiana GHA against apple sawfly, Hoplocampa testudinea (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae): Field mortality and fungal persistence
- 2016
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Ingår i: Insect Science. - : Wiley. - 1672-9609 .- 1744-7917. ; 23, s. 854-868
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Low impact alternatives to synthetic insecticides for the control of apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea Klug) are scarce encumbering pest management in organic apple orchards. We investigated the soil persistence and field efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (BotaniGard) against apple sawfly under common organic orchard practices. We also assessed the efficacy of B. bassiana GHA and Metarhizium brunneum Petch (indigenous strain) against sawfly in the laboratory. Larvae treated with either fungus in the laboratory died faster than control larvae and displayed 49.4%-68.4% mycosis. In the field, B. bassiana density remained high in the week after application, during larval descent to the soil. Fungal density decreased to 25% at 49 d after application and to 0.4% after 55 weeks. Molecular markers revealed that the majority of fungal isolates recovered comprised the applied B. bassiana strain GHA. Larvae pupating in soil cages in the orchard for 49 d displayed 17% mycosis. The high efficacy under laboratory conditions was not seen in the field. B. bassiana application resulted in densities above the upper natural background level during the growing season, but reversion to background levels occurred within a year. It remains to be investigated whether this has a detrimental effect on nontarget organisms. Additional work is needed to bridge the knowledge gap between laboratory and field efficacy in orchards.
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| 15. |
- Tasin, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Applied chemical ecology; filling the volatile gap
- 2013
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Ingår i: IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. - 1027-3115. ; 91, s. 155-157
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The use of plant volatiles in integrated pest management (IPM) programs is a challenging topic. Often, much of the knowledge on the mechanisms behind insect host-plant location via volatiles remains confined to the laboratory. A gap is reported when transferring the knowledge gained in laboratory into a natural setting. Our talk offers an example of a combined approach with laboratory and field bioassays to develop an IPM system based on plant volatiles. We predicted that the background odour of the crop and the way of delivery of plant volatiles could be key factors in closing this gap. We tested this hypothesis on the system of Argyresthia conjugella, the apple fruit moth, and its host-plants (Sorbus aucuparia and Malus domestica). Results showed that the delivery system as well as the volatile background had a great influence on attraction of plant volatile lures. Both were relevant to successfully transfer the preliminary data obtained in the laboratory into a field setting. By taking these factors into consideration, a monitoring lure to track the apple fruit moth migration from rowan to apple was developed.
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| 16. |
- Tasin, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Six pests at once: field evaluation of a new multipurpose dispenser for mating disruption of codling moth and leafrollers
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new mating disruption formulation, containing codling moth Cydia pomonella and leafrollers (including eye-spotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana) pheromone components was tested in apple orchards during 2012. Parameters such as communication disruption in field cages, monitoring trap shutdown and damage at harvest were considered as efficacy indicators. The new product significantly reduced the rate of communication disruption for a tested leafroller (Adoxophyes orana) and for the codling moth. The permeation of the orchards with the test formulation significantly decreased the number of catches in monitoring traps, both for leafrollers and codling moth. The level of damage caused by leafrollers was significantly lowered in pheromone-treated compared to untreated plots. Due to very low population levels in 2012, no significant effect on codling moth damage could be detected. Additional field experiments are needed to assess the efficacy of this blend on the target pests.
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| 17. |
- Tasin, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Six pests at once: field evaluation of a new multipurpose dispenser for mating disruption of codling moth and leafrollers
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new mating disruption formulation, containing codling moth Cydia pomonella and leafrollers (including eye-spotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana) pheromone components was tested in apple orchards during 2012. Parameters such as communication disruption in field cages, monitoring trap shutdown and damage at harvest were considered as efficacy indicators. The new product significantly reduced the rate of communication disruption for a tested leafroller (Adoxophyes orana) and for the codling moth. The permeation of the orchards with the test formulation significantly decreased the number of catches in monitoring traps, both for leafrollers and codling moth. The level of damage caused by leafrollers was significantly lowered in pheromone-treated compared to untreated plots. Due to very low population levels in 2012, no significant effect on codling moth damage could be detected. Additional field experiments are needed to assess the efficacy of this blend on the target pests.
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