On a Magical Mystery Tour of Green Insecticide Research: Current Issues and Challenges

The Editorial outlines recent research advances in green insecticide research. Particular attention is devoted to studies shedding light on the modes of action and non-target toxicity of natural substances of plant origin. Research focusing on the development of new formulations (including those relating to nano-objects) to magnify the effectiveness and stability of green insecticides in the field represents key advances. Herein, a carefully reviewed selection of cutting edge articles about green pesticide development recently published in Molecules is presented. The impact of sub-lethal doses of green insecticides on insect behavioral traits is still overlooked, representing a timely challenge for further research

Pathogens manipulating tick behavior—through a glass, darkly

Pathogens can manipulate the phenotypic traits of their hosts and vectors, maximizing their own fitness. Among the phenotypic traits that can be modified, manipulating vector behavior represents one of the most fascinating facets. How pathogens infection affects behavioral traits of key insect vectors has been extensively investigated. Major examples include Plasmodium, Leishmania and Trypanosoma spp. manipulating the behavior of mosquitoes, sand flies and kissing bugs, respectively. However, research on how pathogens can modify tick behavior is patchy. This review focuses on current knowledge about the behavioral changes triggered by Anaplasma, Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, Rickettsia and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection in tick vectors, analyzing their potential adaptive significance. As a general trend, being infected by Borrelia and TBEV boosts tick mobility (both questing and walking activity). Borrelia and Anaplasma infection magnifies Ixodes desiccation resistance, triggering physiological changes (Borrelia: higher fat reserves; Anaplasma: synthesis of heat shock proteins). Anaplasma infection also improves cold resistance in infected ticks through synthesis of an antifreeze glycoprotein. Being infected by Anaplasma, Borrelia and Babesia leads to increased tick survival. Borrelia, Babesia and Bartonella infection facilitates blood engorgement. In the last section, current challenges for future studies are outlined

Arthropod-Borne Disease Control at a Glance: What's New on Drug Development?

Discovering and validating effective drugs to manage arthropod-borne diseases (ABD) is a timely and important research challenge with major impacts on real-world control programs at the time of quick resistance development in the targeted pathogens. This editorial highlights major research advances in the development of drugs for the control of vector-borne diseases, with a significant focus on malaria, Chagas disease, dengue, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and Zika. Broad reviews providing new insights on ABD recently published in Molecules have also been covered in "The Editors' pick" section

Lysenko and the screwworm fly—when politics interferes with science and public health

In the One Health scenario, a deep understanding of the dynamics potentially threatening the development and implementation of useful pest and vector management tools is of key importance. The New World screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is characterized by a wide host range. It acts as an important agent of myiasis in humans and warm-blooded animals in the Neotropics, and has been eliminated from a wide region through genetic methods. Of note, Serebrovsky had already proposed in 1940 the principles of autocidal control by the translocation of segments between two chromosomes, but his work was negated by Lysenko, based on the negation of Mendelian genetics. This entomological case study emphasizes the danger of politics interfering with science, a still contemporary hot issue. The negation of global warming or current pandemics are further examples of this noxious influence

The European grape berry moth, Eupoecilia ambiguella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae): Current knowledge and management challenges

The European grape berry moth, Eupoecilia ambiguella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), since its first identification in 1796, was defined as a key pest for European viticulture despite its polyphagy. Although between the late 1800s and early 1900s its presence and spread in Europe was of concern, to date its populations are low and limited to cooler and wetter areas, leading to a decline in its importance. In the present work, we reviewed its global distribution as well as its morphology, biology, and ecology. Considering the monitoring and management of this pest, the present review summarised insecticidal, agronomic, and cultural control strategies. Moreover, given the need to reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment, humans, and non-target species, we focused on control strategies relying on pheromones and biological control agents (e.g. predators and parasitoids) involved in conservation biological control

Insights into Entomopathogenic Nematode Behavior by Using AI Techniques to Advance Sustainable Pest Control

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are organisms that are often mass-produced as biological control agents (BCAs) to mitigate pesticide-related hazards and foster environmental sustainability. Enhancing our understanding of EPNs biology and their interactions with hosts is crucial for refining the use of EPNs in integrated pest management. This study pioneers an interdisciplinary approach, integrating engineering, and entomology, to investigate the behavior of Steinernema carpocapsae EPN. Employing a novel blend of deep learning and optical flow analysis, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) effectively recognizes how nematodes react to host-borne stimuli. Achieving remarkable precision (1) and an overall accuracy of 0.938, the model elucidates EPN behaviors in a prototyped microfluidic platform reproducing a host-environment context. The integration of optical flow analysis highlights an increased motor activity in EPNs when exposed to stimuli, adding novel information on their dynamic responses. This versatile methodology represents a significant advancement in detecting and understanding EPNs responses to diverse stimuli, fostering their use as advanced BCAs in sustainable pest control and environmental management

Structural characterization of carboxyatractyloside and acaricidal activity of natural ent-kaurene diterpenoids isolated from Chamaeleon gummifer against Tetranychus urticae

Plant-borne secondary metabolites are attracting high interest for their potential use in agricultural applications, with special reference to the control of arthropod pests. In the present work, the structural elucidation of glycosylated diterpenoid carboxyatractyloside (2) isolated from the roots of Chamaeleon gummifer Cass. (Asteraceae) is reported by means of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. Complete identification occurred thanks to one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments, assigning the single protons and carbons, and the stereochemistry by the NOESY correlations. Carboxyatractyloside (2), together with two ent-kaurenes atractyloside (1) and atractyligenin (3), extracted from the roots of C. gummifer, have been tested for their acaricidal and oviposition inhibition activity against the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) Notably, compounds 1–3 were toxic to T. urticae, leading to significant mortality, oviposition inhibition, reduced hatchability of eggs, and natality inhibition. However, at the lowest dose (12.5 μg cm− 2) compound 2 was the most effective, leading to mortality > 60% after 5 days exposure, inhibiting oviposition by > 70% and egg hatching by 33%; it also reduced natality by 80%. Overall, these compounds represent valuable candidates to develop novel acaricides for crop protection. Further research on how to develop stable formulations for field use, as well as on non-target effects of these compounds on pollinators and mite biocontrol agents, is ongoing

Optimization of Pyro-gasification of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs)

This work focuses on the optimization of pyro-gasification process of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) with the aim of recovering carbon fibers (CFs) with properties suitable for the production of new more sustainable composites with high performances. In particular, the pyro-gasification process is carried out on cured CFRPs panels based on both epoxy (EC) and vinyl ester (VC) matrices, which are the two most used resins for CFRPs. The matrix degradation is evaluated via sample's weight loss measurement and the recovered CFs obtained after different time of treatment are analyzed to identify convenient pyro-gasification conditions to avoid damaging of the recovered CFs. The obtained results highlight the importance of the thickness of the composites to be treated for the identification of the more suitable pyro-gasification conditions