Yield and Response of First and Ratoon Crops of Eggplant (Solanum melongena) to the Eggplant Fruit and Shoot Borer (Leucinodes orbonalis) under an Integrated Pest Management System

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a highly valued crop with an average production of 10 t·ha–1 and contributes to nearly PhP2 billion in the Philippine economy using conventional farming methods. An integrated pest management system was designed to control the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB) for increased productivity with reduction on harmful pesticide inputs. Under a split plot in randomized complete block design, two eggplant varieties, i.e., hybrid Banate King F1 (BK) and open-pollinated Dumaguete Long Purple (DLP), were tested under four different pesticide treatments, namely, (1) control–no pesticide, (2) organic–Bird’s chilli extract, (3) synthetic–spinosad + flubendiamide, and (4) combination–Bird’s chilli extract + spinosad + flubendiamide. After data was obtained, the first crops were ratooned and tested under the same IPM system. Data on yield and EFSB damage of the ratoon crops were compared with the first crop as influenced by eggplant variety and pesticide treatment. All plants were grown on plots covered with polyethylene mulch sheets under a uniform fertilization and fungicide regimen. Multiple cropping with regular field sanitation and inspection were also incorporated in the IPM system. Results indicate that BK is a superior variety over DLP with a gross yield of about 40 t·ha–1 and a marketable yield of about 20 t·ha–1 in 22 harvests. Ratoon crops produced lower yield than first crops with only 2 t·ha–1 in 12 harvests. Among the pesticide treatments, synthetic or combination treatments are superior over the control (no pesticide) or organic treatments. Use of open-pollinated DLP and chilli spray is inferior to hybrid and synthetic or combination sprays. Chilli spray also tends to nullify the effectiveness of synthetic pesticides when used in combination. The designed IPM system produced higher yield than conventional methods, but all treatments only provided moderate control over EFSB damage with average yield losses of about 50% in first crops and about 60% in ratoon crops

Multilateral benefit-sharing from digital sequence information will support both science and biodiversity conservation

Open access to sequence data is a cornerstone of biology and biodiversity research, but has created tension under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Policy decisions could compromise research and development, unless a practical multilateral solution is implemented.This workwas funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) WiLDSI 031B0862 (A.H.S., J.O., and J.F.) and Horizon Europe EVA-GLOBAL 871029 (A.H.S.). I.K.M. was supported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

Data from: Assessing potential impact of Bt eggplants on non-target arthropods in the Philippines

Studies on potential adverse effects of genetically engineered crops are part of an environmental risk assessment that is required prior to the commercial release of these crops. Of particular concern are non-target organisms (NTOs) that provide important ecosystem services. Here, we report on studies conducted in the Philippines over three cropping seasons with Bt eggplants expressing Cry1Ac for control of the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB), Leucinodes orbonalis, to examine potential effects on field abundance, community composition, structure and biodiversity of NTO’s, particularly non-target arthropod (NTA) communities. We document that many arthropod taxa are associated with Bt eggplants and their non-Bt comparators and that the number of taxa and their densities varied within season and across trials. However, we found few significant differences in seasonal mean densities of arthropod taxa between Bt and non-Bt eggplants. As expected, a lower abundance of lepidopteran pests was detected in Bt eggplants. Higher abundance of a few non-target herbivores was detected in non-Bt eggplants as were a few non-target beneficials that might control them. Principal Response Curve (PRC) analyses showed no statistically significant impact of Bt eggplants on overall arthropod communities through time in any season. Furthermore, we found no significant adverse impacts of Bt eggplants on species abundance, diversity and community dynamics, particularly for beneficial NTAs. These results support our previous studies documenting that Bt eggplants can effectively and selectively control the main pest of eggplant in Asia, the EFSB. The present study adds that it can do so without adverse effects on NTAs. Thus, Bt eggplants can be a foundational component for controlling EFSB in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program and dramatically reduce dependence on conventional insecticides

Assessing Potential Impact of Bt Eggplants on Non-Target Arthropods in the Philippines

<div><p>Studies on potential adverse effects of genetically engineered crops are part of an environmental risk assessment that is required prior to the commercial release of these crops. Of particular concern are non-target organisms (NTOs) that provide important ecosystem services. Here, we report on studies conducted in the Philippines over three cropping seasons with Bt eggplants expressing Cry1Ac for control of the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB), <i>Leucinodes orbonalis</i>, to examine potential effects on field abundance, community composition, structure and biodiversity of NTO’s, particularly non-target arthropod (NTA) communities. We document that many arthropod taxa are associated with Bt eggplants and their non-Bt comparators and that the number of taxa and their densities varied within season and across trials. However, we found few significant differences in seasonal mean densities of arthropod taxa between Bt and non-Bt eggplants. As expected, a lower abundance of lepidopteran pests was detected in Bt eggplants. Higher abundance of a few non-target herbivores was detected in non-Bt eggplants as were a few non-target beneficials that might control them. Principal Response Curve (PRC) analyses showed no statistically significant impact of Bt eggplants on overall arthropod communities through time in any season. Furthermore, we found no significant adverse impacts of Bt eggplants on species abundance, diversity and community dynamics, particularly for beneficial NTAs. These results support our previous studies documenting that Bt eggplants can effectively and selectively control the main pest of eggplant in Asia, the EFSB. The present study adds that it can do so without adverse effects on NTAs. Thus, Bt eggplants can be a foundational component for controlling EFSB in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program and dramatically reduce dependence on conventional insecticides.</p></div

Characteristics of Principal Response Curves (PRC) for non-target arthropod communities in Bt and non-Bt eggplants.

<p>Characteristics of Principal Response Curves (PRC) for non-target arthropod communities in Bt and non-Bt eggplants.</p

Bt eggplant and NTOs in the Philippines_DataFile

The raw data file contains the total abundance data of NTAs obtained from confined field trials of Bt and non-Bt eggplants in Pangasinan, Philippines from 2010 - 2012. The raw data is in MS Excel file ready for statistical analysis contained in five sheets, namely: (1) CanopyNTA_Trial1, (2) CanopyNTA_Trial2, (3) CanopyNTA_Trial3, (4) SoilNTA_Trial1, and (5) SoilNTA_Trial2

Other descriptors of non-target arthropod (NTA) communities in Bt and non-Bt eggplants.

<p>(A) Shannon’s diversity index and (B) Shannon’s evenness index; <i>P</i> value indicates significance between indices (not significant, <i>P</i>> 0.05). (B) Rank abundance plots; Spearman rank correlation coefficient (<i>r</i>) indicates a very strong positive correlation between Bt and non-Bt eggplants. Y axis is log₁₀ scale.</p

Species density of arthropods in the soil planted to Bt and non-Bt eggplants.

<p>Trials 1 and 2, CY 2010–2011. Common letters above the bars indicate no significant differences among the densities. Note different scales on y-axis.</p

Principal response curve patterns and species weight of non-target arthropod (NTA) communities in Bt and non-Bt eggplants.

<p>Vertical axis represents the difference in community structure between Bt and non-Bt eggplants expressed as regression coefficient (<i>Cdt</i>) of the PRC model. The <i>P</i> value indicates significance of the PRC over time based on restricted Monte Carlo permutation test. The species weight (<i>b</i>_<i>k</i>) can be regarded as affinity of the taxon to the principal response. Only species with weights less than -0.05 or greater than 0.5 are shown.</p

Composition of non-target arthropod (NTA) communities in Bt and non-Bt eggplants.

<p>(a) All (or Total) NTAs communities; (b) Herbivores; (c) Predators; (d) Parasitoids and Pollinators</p