The capacity of 3 stored product insect species to vector microbes after increasing dispersal periods.

Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), and Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are 3 important stored product pests of maize, but there has been little work evaluating how they vector microbes. While there has been some work assessing the microbial ecology of S.

Effects of synergists on the efficacy of long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting against Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae).

Long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting (LLIN) has been used to deliver pyrethroids for management of stored product insect pests in food facilities. However, the development of resistance to pyrethroids in stored product pests is a widespread and urgent problem, which threatens the efficacy of commercially available LLINs. A potential approach for enhancing LLIN efficacy is the use of insecticide synergists to inhibit detoxification enzymes and exacerbate the effects of pyrethroids.

Effects of nutrition on recovery, mortality, and mobility of adult Tribolium castaneum after exposure to long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting.

Background: Long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting (LLIN) has been used to deliver contact insecticides as an integrated pest management tool for stored product insect pests in food facilities. Although the presence of food is known to improve insect recovery after exposure, it is not clear whether food nutritional quality plays a role. Here, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum adults were exposed to two commercially available LLINs, Carifend (active ingredient α-cypermethrin) and D-Terrence (deltamethrin), then transferred to Petri dishes with foods with varying nutritional quality (e.

Developing a Multi-Spectral NIR LED-Based Instrument for the Detection of Pesticide Residues Containing Chlorpyrifos-Methyl in Rough, Brown, and Milled Rice.

A recent study showed the potential of the DA Perten 7200 NIR Spectrometer in detecting chlorpyrifos-methyl pesticide residue in rough, brown, and milled rice. However, this instrument is still lab-based and generally suited for point-of-sale testing. To provide a field-deployable version of this technique, an existing light emitting diode (LED)-based instrument that provides discrete NIR wavelength illumination and reflectance spectra over the range of 850-1550 nm was tested.

Microbial vectoring capacity by internal- and external-infesting stored product insects after varying dispersal periods between novel food patches: An underestimated risk.

Understanding the ability of internal- and external-infesting stored product insects to vector microbes is important for estimating the relative risk that insects pose to postharvest commodities as they move between habitat patches and in the landscape. Thus, the aim of the current study was to evaluate and compare the microbial growth in novel food patches at different dispersal periods by different populations of (e.g.

Flight capacity and behavior of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in response to kairomonal and pheromonal stimuli.

Flight behavior is an important component to understand in the context of pest management. However, because of their small size, little is known about the flight capacity of most stored-product insects, and when a flight has been assessed, it usually consists of a propensity for initiating flight. Despite a priori expectations of the importance of flight for moths, there are no data about the flight capacity and little on the flight behavior of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Phenylpropanoids Following Wounding and Infection of Sweet Sorghum Lines Differing in Responses to Stalk Pathogens.

Sweet sorghum () lines M81-E and Colman were previously shown to differ in responses to and , stalk rot pathogens that can reduce the yields and quality of biomass and extracted sugars. Inoculated tissues were compared for transcriptomic, phenolic metabolite, and enzymatic activity during disease development 3 and 13 days after inoculation (DAI). At 13 DAI, M81-E had shorter mean lesion lengths than Colman when inoculated with either pathogen.

Divergent Metabolic Changes in Rhizomes of Lowland and Upland Switchgrass () from Early Season through Dormancy Onset.

High-biomass-yielding southerly adapted switchgrasses ( L.) frequently suffer from unpredictable winter hardiness at more northerly sites arising from damage to rhizomes that prevent effective spring regrowth. Previously, changes occurring over the growing season in rhizomes sampled from a cold-adapted tetraploid upland cultivar, Summer, demonstrated a role for abscisic acid (ABA), starch accumulation, and transcriptional reprogramming as drivers of dormancy onset and potential keys to rhizome health during winter dormancy.

Attraction, mobility, and preference by Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) to microbially-mediated volatile emissions by two species of fungi in stored grain.

Insects and microbes are known to interact in a variety of ways at food facilities, compounding damage. However, little research has explicated how specific common fungal species affect the behavior of the cosmopolitan secondary stored product pest, Lasioderma serricorne. Enhanced knowledge about attraction to microbially-produced volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) may be used to manipulate insect behavior.

Characterization of Iflavirus in the Red Flour Beetle, (Coleoptera; Tenebrionidae).

Iflavirus is a group of viruses distributed mainly in arthropod species. We surveyed () in different laboratory strains and in Sequence Read Archives (SRA) in GenBank. is highly specific to only and is not found in seven other Tenebrionid species, including the closely related species .

Development and Immature Mortality of the Sawtoothed Grain Beetle (Coleoptera: Silvanidae), on Different Sorghum Fractions and Different Temperatures.

Developmental ability of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) was examined on six different sorghum milling fractions: Bran, Shorts, Cgrits, Fgrits, Red dogs, Flour, and also on a standard diet of Oat Flakes. For this purpose, a 1-day-old egg was placed in a vial containing 1 g of one of the sorghum fractions and exposed to three temperatures: 25, 30, or 32°C.

Gene editing of the ABC Transporter/White locus using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis in the Indian Meal Moth.

ATP binding cassette (ABC) proteins are involved in transport of substrates across membranes including eye pigments. Mutations of ABC transporter white, brown and scarlet genes of Drosophila and other insects result in visible eye color phenotypes. White locus was identified in a genome assembly of Plodia interpunctella and was found to extend for 16,670 bp comprising 13 exons.

Interactions of the Intracellular Bacterium with Its Host, the House Dust Mite , Based on Gene Expression Data.

is inhabited by an intracellular bacterium, Using correlations between host and symbiont gene expression profiles, we identified several important molecular pathways that potentially regulate/facilitate their interactions. The expression of genes collectively explained 95% of the variation in the expression of mite genes assigned to pathways for phagocytosis, apoptosis, the MAPK signaling cascade, endocytosis, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathway, the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathway, lysozyme, and the Toll/Imd pathway. In addition, expression of mite genes explained 76% of the variability in gene expression.

Pathogen and drought stress affect cell wall and phytohormone signaling to shape host responses in a sorghum COMT bmr12 mutant.

Background: As effects of global climate change intensify, the interaction of biotic and abiotic stresses increasingly threatens current agricultural practices. The secondary cell wall is a vanguard of resistance to these stresses. Fusarium thapsinum (Fusarium stalk rot) and Macrophomina phaseolina (charcoal rot) cause internal damage to the stalks of the drought tolerant C4 grass, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.

Comparative analyses of transcriptional responses of Dectes texanus LeConte (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) larvae fed on three different host plants and artificial diet.

Dectes texanus is an important coleopteran pest of soybeans and cultivated sunflowers in the Midwestern United States that causes yield losses by girdling stems of their host plants. Although sunflower and giant ragweed are primary hosts of D. texanus, they began colonizing soybeans approximately 50 years ago and no reliable management method has been established to prevent or reduce losses by this pest.

Towards developing areawide semiochemical-mediated, behaviorally-based integrated pest management programs for stored product insects.

With less emphasis on fumigation after harvest, due to the phase-out of methyl bromide and increasing phosphine resistance, diversified postharvest integrated pest management (IPM) programs are needed. Here, we synthesize knowledge on semiochemical-mediated, behaviorally-based tactics, wherein semiochemicals are deployed to manipulate pest behavior to protect commodities. We note that beyond monitoring, commercial use is limited to mating disruption targeting mostly moths.

Effectiveness of long-lasting insecticide netting on Tribolium castaneum is modulated by multiple exposures, biotic, and abiotic factors.

Background: Prevention is the first line of defense in mitigating losses of post-harvest crops. Long-lasting insecticide treated (LLIN) could be used in food facilities to expose insects to insecticide at different areas within a facility. Prior research has shown that single short exposures reduce movement and longer exposures increase mortality for stored-product insect pests, but we do not know how multiple short duration exposures and biotic and abiotic conditions affect insects exposed to LLIN.

Aphid-Responsive Defense Networks in Hybrid Switchgrass.

Aphid herbivory elicits plant defense-related networks that are influenced by host genetics. Plants of the upland switchgrass ( ) cultivar Summer can be a suitable host for greenbug aphids (; GB), and yellow sugarcane aphids (, YSA), whereas the lowland cultivar Kanlow exhibited multi-species resistance that curtails aphid reproduction. However, stabilized hybrids of Summer (♀) x Kanlow (♂) (SxK) with improved agronomics can be damaged by both aphids.

Artificial Selection to a Nonlethal Cold Stress in Trogoderma variabile Shows Associations With Chronic Cold Stress and Body Size.

Extreme temperature has been used as an alternative to chemical treatments for stored product pests for years. Resistance to heat or cold treatments has not been documented in stored product insects, but repeated use of ineffective treatments could lead to adaptive tolerance. Trogoderma variabile (Dermestidae) is a common pest of stored products, and the larval stage is highly resistant to cold and destructive.

Temperature-Mediated Competition Between the Invasive Larger Grain Borer (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and the Cosmopolitan Maize Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Interspecific competition between agricultural pests may affect the species that can establish, and may also affect food production. Prostephanus truncatus (Horn), the larger grain borer, is endemic to Central America, but invaded Africa with disastrous consequences for maize production. Its main competitor is Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, the maize weevil, which is cosmopolitan.

The evolution and genomic basis of beetle diversity.

The order Coleoptera (beetles) is arguably the most speciose group of animals, but the evolutionary history of beetles, including the impacts of plant feeding (herbivory) on beetle diversification, remain poorly understood. We inferred the phylogeny of beetles using 4,818 genes for 146 species, estimated timing and rates of beetle diversification using 89 genes for 521 species representing all major lineages and traced the evolution of beetle genes enabling symbiont-independent digestion of lignocellulose using 154 genomes or transcriptomes. Phylogenomic analyses of these uniquely comprehensive datasets resolved previously controversial beetle relationships, dated the origin of Coleoptera to the Carboniferous, and supported the codiversification of beetles and angiosperms.

Transcriptome Response of Female Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) to Early Infection with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (EHDV-2).

Female biting midges are vectors of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), which causes morbidity and mortality in wild and domesticated ruminants. The aims in this study were to identify key changes in female midge transcriptome profiles occurring during early infection with EHDV-2. Midges were fed either negative control bloodmeals or bloodmeals containing EHDV-2 and transcriptomes were acquired at 36 h through deep sequencing.

Wheat streak mosaic virus alters the transcriptome of its vector, wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer), to enhance mite development and population expansion.

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV; genus Tritimovirus; family Potyviridae) is an economically important wheat virus that is transmitted by the wheat curl mite (WCM; Aceria tosichella Keifer) in a persistent manner. Virus-vector coevolution may potentially influence vector gene expression to prolong viral association and thus increase virus transmission efficiency and spread. To understand the transcriptomic responses of WCM to WSMV, RNA sequencing was performed to assemble and analyse transcriptomes of WSMV viruliferous and aviruliferous mites.