Survival rate and development of larvae Elaeidobius kamerunicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on artificial diets

The weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was introduced within the oil palm industry in Malaysia to improve the yield of the oil palm production. However, there were reduction of pollination towards the oil palm plantation by the E. kamerunicus. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an artificial diet for E. kamerunicus to maintain larvae and compare the development under laboratory conditions in different artificial diets. Four types of artificial diets have been prepared where diet a and diet b used ingredients such as yeast, wheat, corn flour, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, for bacteriology, distilled water, methyl-4-hydroxibenzoate and chloramphenicol. Diet c and diet d were formulated by yeast, wheat flour, corn flour, honey, milk powder and glycerol. An additional diet which contained oil palm male flowers were introduced in diet b and d. The pupation and survival rate of E. kamerunicus between the four diets under laboratory conditions were recorded. The results showed that diet d produced the highest pupation and emerged adults compared to other diets with 56% of both pupation and emerged adults out of total 25 larvae. The survival rate curved (y=mx+c) of larvae E. kamerunicus showed the least slope with m value equal to -1.2242 which showed highest survival rate of the larvae

Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Repel Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)

The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bb) is used to control the red palm weevil (RPW) Rhyncophorus ferrugineus (Oliver). Beuveria bassiana can infect and kill all developmental stages of RPW. We found that a solid formulate of B. bassiana isolate 203 (Bb203; CBS 121097), obtained from naturally infected RPW adults, repels RPW females. Fungi, and entomopathogens in particular, can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs from Bb203 were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS identified more than 15 VOCs in B. bassiana not present in uninoculated (control) formulate. Both ethenyl benzene and benzothiazole B. bassiana VOCs can repel RPW females. Our findings suggest that B. bassiana and its VOCs can be used for sustainable management of RPW. They could act complementarily to avoid RPW infestation in palms.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation AGL2015-66833-R project, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education. Project was also partially supported by MUSA project (727624). The results of this paper have been filed for a Spanish Patent (P201631534)

Insect pests of vegetables in Malaysia and their management using entomopathogenic fungi

The domestic economy in Malaysia is dominated by agriculture, which accounts for about 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and contributed more than 23% of the total export earnings. Vegetable comprises about 15% of the daily food intake of the Malaysian population. Vegetables in Malaysia are mostly produced by smallholder farmers and this industry provides millions of employments for the peoples, especially the rural dwellers. Insect pest is one of the major constraints of vegetable production in Malaysia. During growth, different species of insect pests such as armyworms, caterpillars, beetles, aphids, whiteflies, mites, and thrips cause serious damage to different vegetable crops, which reduce yield and make it unsuitable for human consumption. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been internationally recognized approach to pest control. IPM programme for insect pest of vegetable include, cultural control, physical control, mechanical control, biological control (parasitoids, predators, and entomopathogens), Plant Resistance to insects (PRI), and chemical control. Comparably, entomopathogenic fungi has demonstrated advantageous performance in infecting hosts directly through the integument. This paper aims to review some of the available literature on the IPM of insect pests of vegetables in Malaysia with more emphasis on insect pathogenic fungi as a contribution to components of IPM

Evaluation of artificial diet on growth development of Elaeidobius kamerunicus faust (Coleoptera : Curculionidae)

The rearing of Elaeidobius kamerunicus is difficult as it required the anthesis male inflorescence of oil palm as the breeding and feeding ground for the weevils. To date, utilisation artificial diets for rearing of E. kamerunicus has not been extensively studied. Thus, the objectives of this study were to compare growth development of the larvae using adopted artificial diet formulations and the natural rearing of E. kamerunicus besides determining the nutritional component of the natural food (male inflorescence of oil palm at anthesis). Three artificial diet types adopted from the diet of Anthonomus tenebrosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Anthonomus grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were compared with the natural food source towards the growth development of E. kamerunicus. The proximate composition of the natural food source obtained from the field was determined. The findings showed that overall mortality was significantly different for diet types evaluated (P < 0.01). The natural feed caused shorter life cycle of the larvae (10.85±0.34 days). Sex ratio of 0.54 with higher number of female adult was also recorded on natural feed while the artificial diet caused total mortality on the larvae. Nutritional study of the male spikelet at anthesis shown it has 75% moisture content, 20% carbohydrate, 4% protein and less than 1% fat. The formulated artificial diets were found to have lesser essential nutrients to support the growth of larvae. This study provided new knowledge in the formulation of artificial diets and the importance of macronutrient composition on the growth of E. kamerunicus

Combination of zerumbone and cisplatin to treat cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in female BALB/c mice.

Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that zerumbone (ZER) possesses anticancer properties. The main objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the combination of ZER and cisplatin (CIS) to treat cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in vivo. Microculture tetrazolium assay and immunohistochemistry of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen were used to study the antitumor effect of ZER.Prenatally exposed female BALB/c micewere used as a model. The progenies with CIN were injected peritoneally with isotonic sodium chloride solution (positive control), CIS, ZER,and a combination of both compounds. All treated and untreated mice were humanely killed, and serum and cervix were obtained for interleukin 6 analysis and histopathologic studies using hematoxylin and eosin staining, respectively. Zerumbone has revealed an antitumor effect on human cervical cancer cells and downregulates immunoexpression of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (P < 0.05). In vivo study indicates that ZER at 16 mg/kg and CIS at 10 mg/kg have a regressing effect on CIN. The combination of ZER and CIS also showed similar effectiveness in regressing CIN. Our results indicate that the combination of ZER and CIS has modulated the serum level of interleukin 6 when compared with that in mice treated with isotonic sodium chloride solution (P < 0.05). The effectiveness of combining ZER and CIS could be further explored as a new therapeutic intervention of early precancerous stages of carcinogenesis before the invasive stage begins

Effect of temperature on germination, radial growth, and sporulation of the new isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae and their virulence to Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Metarhizium anisopliae is a potential entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) to control insect pests in Malaysia, yet little is known about the temperature influence on its growth and efficacy. The average daily temperature in Malaysia is between 21 °C and 32 °C, with some parts of Cameron Highland in Peninsular Malaysia experiencing temperatures as low as 14 °C. Therefore, for effective field application, the most effective EPF isolates should be tolerant to the temperature of the country. Here we conducted a laboratory experiment to determine the effects of average daily temperatures in Malaysia (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) on conidial germination, radial growth, and conidial density of seven new isolates of M. anisopliae. However, at 25 and 30°C, the three isolates (Ma-2, Ma-9, and Ma-15) produced the highest number of conidia and were therefore selected for virulence test against the second instar of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. The percentage mortality of the three isolates ranged between 36.1% and 97.7% across different temperatures for 7 days post-treatment. The isolates Ma-15 caused the highest percentage mortality of 97.7% and the shortest LT50 and LT90 values (1.68 and 3.98 days, respectively), at 30 °C incubation temperature. This study confirms that the growth and virulence of Malaysian isolates of M. anisopliae are strongly influenced by temperature and could be used as promising candidates for biocontrol of B. tabaci on vegetables planted in a tropical climate such as that of low land and highland in Malaysia, although extensive field and semi-field bioassays, as well as the development of ideal formulation, are still required

Acoustic Signal Applications in Detection and Management of Rhynchophorus spp. in Fruit-Crops and Ornamental Palms

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) is an economically important, internally feeding pest of ornamental and fruit-producing palms in many subtropical regions. A related weevil, Rhynchophorus cruentatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), is an internally feeding palm pest in the southeastern USA. Acoustic methods for detection of early instars hidden in palms in field environments have been investigated for both species. Acoustic methods also have been used to examine the effectiveness of physical, biological, and other control treatments. This report addresses several physical, physiological, and behavioral factors that influence the spectral and temporal patterns of sounds produced by palm weevil larvae under different laboratory and field experiment conditions, which must be considered carefully in interpreting larval sound production. Such factors include the leakage of fluid from the palm tree tissues into tunnels scraped out by larvae as they move and feed within the tree trunk, as well as occurrences of molting between periods of feeding activity, and frequency-dependent damping that distorts signals as the distance between insects and sensors increases. Methods are discussed that combine effects of environmental, physiological, and behavioral variability to facilitate reliable interpretations of Rhynchophorus and other insect larval acoustic activity in hidden environments.Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) es una plaga económicamente importante que se alimenta internamente de palmeras ornamentales y frutícolas en muchas regiones subtropicales. Un gorgojo relacionado, Rhynchophorus cruentatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), es una plaga de la palma que se alimenta internamente en el sureste de los EE. UU. Métodos acústicos para la detección de estadios tempranos escondidos en palmas en ambientes de campo han sido investigados para ambas especies. Los métodos acústicos también se han utilizado para examinar la efectividad de los tratamientos físicos, biológicos y otros tratamientos de control. Este informe aborda varios factores físicos, fisiológicos y de comportamiento que influyen en los patrones espectrales y temporales de los sonidos producidos por las larvas del gorgojo de la palma en diferentes condiciones de laboratorio y experimentos de campo, que deben considerarse cuidadosamente al interpretar la producción del sonido larval. Tales factores incluyen la fuga de líquido de los tejidos de la palmera hacia túneles raspados por las larvas a medida que se mueven y se alimentan dentro del tronco del árbol, así como las ocurrencias de las mudas entre los períodos de actividad de alimentación y la amortiguación dependiente de la frecuencia que distorsiona las señales al aumentar la distancia entre los insectos y los sensores aumenta. Se discuten los métodos que combinan los efectos de la variabilidad ambiental, fisiológica y de comportamiento para facilitar interpretaciones confiables de la actividad acústica de larvas de Rhynchophorus y otros insectos en ambientes ocultos.We thank the Laboratory of Plant Pathology, University of Alicante, Glen Biotech S. L., the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Municipality of Elche, The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education for funding assistance

Pengesanan dan pencirian akustik anai-anai Coptotermes sp. pada pokok palma manila, Adonidia merrillii

Anai-anai dari spesies Coptotermes sp. merupakan serangga perosak bagi tanaman hiasan dan boleh menyebabkan kerosakan yang serius jika tiada pengesanan awal dan rawatan dilakukan. Pengesanan akustik mempunyai potensi untuk mengesan kehadiran anai-anai terhadap pokok Palma Manila, Adonidia merrillii, sebelum kerosakan yang lebih teruk terjadi. Dalam kajian ini, pengesanan akustik dijalankan melalui penggunaan sensor-preamplifier module. Aktiviti dan pencirian aktiviti akustik akibat pergerakan anai-anai dilakukan melalui purata masa impuls dikaji bagi anai-anai spesies ini termasuklah pencirian temporal dan spektral akustik. Hasil pengesanan akustik pada sepuluh pokok Palma Manila menunjukkan bahawa bilangan pokok yang diserang anai-anai lebih dari pengesanan visual. Aktiviti akustik akibat pergerakan anai-anai dan purata masa impuls dikaji bagi anai-anai spesies ini. Tiada perbezaan yang signifikan (P>0.05) bagi hubungan antara bilangan individu anai-anai dengan purata aktiviti (P=0.132) dan purata masa impuls (P=0.160). Analisis ciri-ciri temporal menunjukkan purata masa impuls bagi spesies Coptotermes ini adalah antara 0.0047 s dan 0.0055 s. Ciri-ciri spektral memberi hasil frekuensi dominan terletak antara 4 kHz dan 8 kHz dengan julat frekuensi antara 1 kHz dan 3 kHz. Ciri-ciri profil temporal dan spektral ini menunjukkan bahawa pengesanan akustik mampu mengesan kehadiran anai-anai melalui pencirian profil akustik