Electrocution and containment methods to reduce the activity of red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Ol.)

Aim of study: To evaluate the susceptibility of the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus to electric discharges, to eventually use this application in synergy with other methods as part of an integrated control strategy.Area of study: Worldwide.Material and methods: Three different electric voltage intensities were applied to R. ferrugineus to investigate the insect’s susceptibility in both adult and larval stages. The transmission and diffusion of electricity within a portion of the palm tree was tested. In addition, the suitability of containment materials for handling and transportation of plant residues was tested.Main results: The results of adult test showed that the total number of eggs laid per mating couple and the number of larvae born were about 1.5 times higher in the control compared to the electrified samples. The duration of the electric discharge on larvae had a small impact on the mortality rate, while the electric voltage showed a strong impact on mortality (87% for 10 V and 99% for 15 V). The presence of a significant electric current was observed in a viable portion of stem (distance from the source of electricity 10 cm) providing a direct current with 250 V tension. Among the materials tested for the transportation of palm residues, the aluminium net sheet showed the best results in the containment of both larval and adult individuals.Research highlights: Electrocution has proven to be a system which can help in the control of red palm weevil reducing the use of synthetic chemicals

Combining irradiation and biological control against brown marmorated stink bug: are sterile eggs a suitable substrate for the egg parasitoid Trissolcus Japonicus?

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is a phytophagous invasive pest native to south-eastern Asia, and it is now distributed worldwide. This species is considered to be one of the most damaging insect pests in North America and in Europe. In agriculture, the predominant approach to managing BMSB is based on the use of insecticides, specifically pyrethroids and neonicotinoids. Unfortunately, the biology of the species and its facility to develop mechanisms of resistance to available pesticides has induced farmers and scientists to develop different, least-toxic, and more effective strategies of control. In a territorial area-wide approach, the use of a classical biological control program in combination with other least-toxic strategies has been given prominent consideration. Following exploratory surveys in the native range, attention has focused on Trissolcus japonicus, a small scelionid egg parasitoid wasp that is able to oviposit and complete its larval development in a single egg of H. halys. A common method for detecting egg parasitoids in the native range involves the placement of so-called 'sentinel' egg masses of the pest in the environment for a short period, which are then returned to the laboratory to determine if any of them are parasitized. Outside of the area of origin, the use of fertile sentinel eggs of the alien species may lead to the further release of the pest species; an alternative is to use sterile sentinel eggs to record the presence of new indigenous egg parasitoids or to detect the dispersal of alien species (in this case, T. japonicus) released in a new environment to control the target insect pest species. This study evaluated the performance of three types of sterile sentinel eggs as a suitable substrate for the oviposition and larval development of the egg parasitoid T. japonicus in a context of combining classical biological control with a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) approac

Concorso per il recupero della Caserma Zucchi e del Parco del Popolo a Reggio Emilia. Selezionato per la seconda fase.

La richiesta di concorso era quella di redigere il piano particolareggiato dell'area del Parco del Popolo e della Caserma Zucchi adiacente al perimetro dove sorgevano le mura urbane. Nella proposta l'antico tracciato delle mura viene messo in evidenza diventando percorso di margine. L'ex caserma Zucchi viene interamente ristrutturata e destinata a funzioni museali

Un parco urbano per Reggio Emilia. Progetto selezionato per la seconda fase.

La richiesta di concorso era quella di redigere il piano particolareggiato dell'area del Parco del Popolo e della Caserma Zucchi adiacente al perimetro dove sorgevano le mura urbane. Nella proposta l'antico tracciato delle mura viene messo in evidenza diventando percorso di margine. L'ex caserma Zucchi viene interamente ristrutturata e estinata a funzioni museali

Impact of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) Ceratitis capitata on different peach cultivars: The possible role of peach volatile compounds

The relationship between susceptibility of different peach cultivars (cvs) to the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, and the volatile composition of ripe fruit of each cv has been investigated, since understanding the fruit-insect interaction mechanism is crucial for developing control strategies for such a pest. Volatile compounds were analyzed by SPME–GC–MS in three cvs highly susceptible to medfly attack (Fair Time, Flaminia, Sicilia Piatta), and in two less susceptible cvs (Percoca Romagnola 7 and Doctor Davis). Among the volatile compounds detected, 88 could be identified. The main differences found in the volatile composition of the cvs, concerned the relative abundance of esters. The least susceptible cvs, above all Percoca Romagnola 7, contained the higher amounts of hexenyl, hexyl, 3-methylbutyl, butyl and 2-methylpropyl esters; among these, some C6 derivatives detected, such as (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, are known to act as priming agents, enhancing plant defence response to insects. Instead, a lower relative content of methyl esters, such as methyl hexanoate and methyl octanoate, known to act as medfly pheromone and attractant respectively, was found in the least susceptible cvs

Using Gamma Irradiation to Predict Sperm Competition Mechanism in <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): Insights for a Future Management Strategy

The stink bug, Bagrada hilaris, is a pest of mainly Brassicaceae crops. It is native to Africa and Asia and was recently reported as invasive in the southwestern part of the USA and in South America. There are no mitigation programs in place that do not involve pesticides. Therefore, much attention has recently been paid to the study of this species in order to identify sustainable and effective control strategies, such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). In order to evaluate the suitability of the SIT on this pest, the mechanism of post-copulatory sperm competition was investigated. This is a polyandrous species, and it is thus important to understand whether irradiated males are able to compete with wild, e.g., non-irradiated, males for sperm competition after matings. Sperm competition was studied by sequentially mating a healthy virgin female first with a non-irradiated male, and then with a γ-irradiated (Co-60) one, and again in the opposite order. Males were irradiated at three different doses: 60, 80, and 100 Gy. The fecundity and fertility of the females, in the two orders of mating, were scored in order to perform an initial assessment of the success of sperm competition with a P2 index. Sperm from the non-irradiated male were utilized at the lowest irradiation doses (60 and 80 Gy), whereas the irradiated sperm were preferentially utilized at the highest dose (100 Gy). Bagrada hilaris exhibited high variability in P2 indexes, indicating a sperm-mixing mechanism

Electrocution and containment methods to reduce the activity of red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Ol.)

Aim of study: To evaluate the susceptibility of the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus to electric discharges, to eventually use this application in synergy with other methods as part of an integrated control strategy.Area of study: Worldwide.Material and methods: Three different electric voltage intensities were applied to R. ferrugineus to investigate the insect’s susceptibility in both adult and larval stages. The transmission and diffusion of electricity within a portion of the palm tree was tested. In addition, the suitability of containment materials for handling and transportation of plant residues was tested.Main results: The results of adult test showed that the total number of eggs laid per mating couple and the number of larvae born were about 1.5 times higher in the control compared to the electrified samples. The duration of the electric discharge on larvae had a small impact on the mortality rate, while the electric voltage showed a strong impact on mortality (87% for 10 V and 99% for 15 V). The presence of a significant electric current was observed in a viable portion of stem (distance from the source of electricity 10 cm) providing a direct current with 250 V tension. Among the materials tested for the transportation of palm residues, the aluminium net sheet showed the best results in the containment of both larval and adult individuals.Research highlights: Electrocution has proven to be a system which can help in the control of red palm weevil reducing the use of synthetic chemicals

Effects of Gamma Irradiation on the Fecundity, Fertility, and Longevity of the Invasive Stink Bug Pest Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

The bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, is an invasive insect pest in the family Brassicaceae that causes economically important damage to crops. It was originally present in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and was reported as invasive in the southwestern part of the US, in Chile, and on a few islands in the Mediterranean Basin. In its native range,&nbsp;B. hilaris is controlled by several egg parasitoid species that are under consideration as potential biological control agents. This research evaluated the impact of gamma irradiation on life history parameters, e.g., the fecundity, fertility, and longevity of B. hilaris, as a critical step towards assessing the feasibility of using the sterile insect technique against this recent invasive pest. Newly emerged adults of a laboratory colony originally collected from the island of Pantelleria (Italy) were gamma-irradiated. Life history parameters were evaluated at nine different doses, ranging from 16 Gy to 140 Gy. The minimal dose to approach full sterility was 100 Gy. Irradiation up to a maximum of 140 Gy apparently did not negatively impact the longevity of the adults. Even if both genders are sensitive to irradiation, the decline in fecundity for irradiated females could be exploited to release irradiated males safely to apply the SIT in combination with classical biological control. The data presented here allow us to consider, for the first time, the irradiation of bagrada adults as a suitable and feasible technique that could contribute to guaranteeing a safe approach to control this important pest species in agro-ecosystems. More research is warranted on the competitive fitness of irradiated males to better understand mating behavior as well as elucidate the possible mechanisms of sperm selection by polyandric B. hilaris females

Contemporary antithrombotic strategies in patients with acute coronary syndromes managed without revascularization: Insights fromthe EYESHOT study

Aims Patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) whoare managed without coronary revascularization represent a mixed and understudied population that seems to receive suboptimal pharmacological treatment. Methods and results We assessed patterns of antithrombotic therapies employed during the hospitalization and in-hospital clinical events of medically managed patients withACS enrolled in the prospective, multicentre, nationwideEYESHOT(EmploYEd antithrombotic therapies in patients with acute coronary Syndromes HOspitalized in Italian cardiac care units) registry.Among the 2585 consecutive ACS patients enrolled in EYESHOT, 783 (30.3%) did not receive any revascularization during hospital admission. Of these, 478 (61.0%) underwent coronary angiography (CA), whereas 305 (39.0%) did not. The median GRACE and CRUSADE risk scores were significantly higher among patients who did not undergo CA compared with those who did (180 vs. 145, P, 0.0001 and 50 vs. 33, P, 0.0001, respectively). Antithrombotic therapies employed during hospitalization significantly differ between patients who received CA and those who did not with unfractioned heparin and novel P2Y12 inhibitors more frequently used in the first group, and low-molecular-weight heparins and clopidogrel in the latter group. During the index hospitalization, patients who did not receive CA presented a higher incidence of ischaemic cerebrovascular events and of mortality compared with those who underwent CA (1.6 vs. 0.2%, P = 0.04 and 7.9 vs. 2.7%, P = 0.0009, respectively). Conclusion Almost one-third of ACS patients are managed without revascularization during the index hospitalization. In this population, a lower use of recommended antiplatelet therapy and worse clinical outcome were observed in those who did not undergo CA when compared with those who did