A survey of native parasitoids ofHalyomorpha halysin Northern Italy and Switzerland

Introduction: The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys,is an Asian polyphagous species that has become an invasive crop pest in North America and Europe. After its first detection in Switzerland in 2004, it was subsequently found in other European countries such as Italy, where, since 2012, it has rapidly spread in the northern regions, becoming a threat to many crops, especially in pear and peach orchards. Results/Conclusion: Overall, most egg parasitism was due to the generalist parasitoid Anastatus sp. (Eupelmidae) and, at a lower level, to various Scelionidae species (e.g. Trissolcus cultratus). In northern Italy, the amount of parasitized eggs ranged from 3.1% in 2014 to 0.9% in 2015 in Emilia Romagna, and from 0.3% on exposed egg-masses to 21.4% on egg-masses collected in a natural habitat in 2015 in Piedmont. Overall parasitism in Switzerland was 4.4% in 2013

A morphological, biological and molecular approach reveals four cryptic species of Trissolcus Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae), egg parasitoids of Pentatomidae (Hemiptera)

Accurate identification of parasitoids is crucial for biological control of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomrpha halys (Stål). A recent work by Talamas et al. (2017) revised the Palearctic fauna of Trissolcus Ashmead, egg-parasitoids of stink bugs, and treated numerous species as junior synonyms of T. semistriatus (Nees von Esenbeck). In the present paper, we provide a detailed taxonomic history and treatment of T. semistriatus and the species treated as its synonyms by Talamas et al. (2017) based on examination of primary types, molecular analyses and mating experiments. Trissolcus semistriatus, T. belenus (Walker), T. colemani (Crawford), and T. manteroi (Kieffer) are here recognized as valid and a key to species is provided. The identification tools provided here will facilitate the use of Trissolcus wasps as biological control agents and as the subject of ecological studies

First multi-target application of exclusion net in nectarine orchards: Effectiveness against pests and impact on beneficial arthropods, postharvest rots and fruit quality

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in the development of alternative pest control strategies to reduce environmental impact. In this contest, exclusion nets have been evaluated as a sustainable alternative to pesticides. In this study, the use of a photoselective exclusion net was investigated in semi-field conditions as a potential strategy to protect nectarine orchards from different pests (i.e., fruit moths, Halyomorpha halys and Drosophila suzukii) in NW Italy. The presence and abundance of pest populations inside and outside the net, as well as the damage they caused on fruits, were evaluated. Moreover, any possible effects of the net on beneficial arthropods, postharvest rots and fruit quality and nutraceutical parameters were considered. The exclusion net significantly reduced pest populations. At harvest, fruit damage caused by Grapholita molesta and H. halys in netted plots was reduced up to 90% and to 78%, respectively, compared with insecticide-treated plots. The exclusion net allowed the production of healthier fruits with a strong reduction of insecticide treatments (up to seven less) and of their related costs without any negative impact on postharvest rots, neither fruit quality nor nutraceutical properties

Potential of probiotic bacteria for the control of the postharvest disease of strawberry caused by Botritis cinerea.

Abstract: Botrytis cinerea is a phytopathogenic fungus known popularly as gray mold, it is transmitted by air and currently it has caused serious damage to strawberry crop, impacting the culture in all development stages. The disease occurs after penetration of the fungus in the plant tissues through wounds, caused during handling or collecting. One of the most common alternatives used to control the pathogen is the use of synthetic fungicides, presenting itself as the causal agent of environmental damage and human health. Aiming to reduce this problem, the search for new strategies that have less impact on the environment has been identified as a priority, currently the biological control is emerging in agricultural systems as one of the most viable alternatives. Among the microorganisms that can act as biocontrol agents, probiotic bacteria are a favorable alternative for the control of various fungal diseases, besides, exercise beneficial effects for humans giving properties to endogenous microbiota. According to this study aims to search the biological control of the fungus Botrytis cinerea from probiotic bacteria. It was conducted in vitro inhibition test, using 35 strains of probiotic bacteria against phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea; 4 strains which showed effects on Botrytis cinerea causing a slower growth compared to the control plate, showing a competition for nutrients or space which is another possible mechanism of inhibition of phytopathogenic fungus of the study in question. The selected strains were characterized by FAME technique (fatty acids) and 16s rRNA sequencing. More detailed studies are needed to give evidence of such inhibition mechanisms, and the inhibitory effect that such bacteria may have in vivo

Antifungal activity of the isolated from caatinga actinobacteria in control of Pythium aphanidermatum.

The Caatinga is a biome located in a semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. It consists of various ecosystems, presented a unique environmental system of this country. Because it is an environment with unique characteristics, recent studies have revealed the private wealth of this biome in terms of microbial biodiversity. Microorganisms found in this habitat may present specific mechanisms to ensure their survival in this environment that provides extreme conditions, such as temperature changes, intense solar radiation and hydrous stress. Because of these different mechanisms used by different microorganisms, becomes an enabling environment to search for new enzymes and bioactive substances produced by these organisms can present different biotechnological applications. Among all microbial diversity, the group of actinobacteria is of great importance, because they are responsible for producing most of the known antibiotics and present as great producers of enzymes with various industrial applications. One possible application of compounds produced by this organism is the phytogenic fungi combat, such as rot caused in roots of plants by the fungus Pythium aphanidermatum. This study aimed to search actinobacteria from Caatinga biome with metabolic potential to work in the biological control of Pythium aphanidermatum fungus. With Caatinga soil samples, they were isolated actinomycetes differences in morphologies and subjected to extraction metabolites produced from solid culture medium. The extracts were tested on the P. aphanidermatum fungus diffused by drive test. From the isolation were recovered a total of 272 strains of actinomycetes, of this total 47% of the isolates showed in vitro activity against the pathogen Pythium aphanidermatum. The results showing the great potential that actinobacteria may present as control agents against root rot. However, more detailed studies are needed to prove such results