Ecology and management of plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar [Coleoptera :Curculionidae], in apple orchards

Le charançon de la prune (Conotrachelus nénuphar) est un insecte originaire de l'Amérique du Nord. Il s'attaque aux fruits à pépins et à noyaux de l'est des États-Unis et du Canada. Il est un ravageur prépondérant en vergers de pommiers (Maluspumila) au Québec. Au printemps, les adultes se déplacent de leurs sites d'hibernation, localisés principalement dans les boisés, vers les vergers. Avant la nouaison, l'activité de ces insectes est surtout nocturne, mais elle s'étend à toute la journée dès l'apparition des fruits. Les larves quittent le fruit au moment de la chute physiologique, et la pupaison s'effectue dans le sol. La nouvelle génération d'adultes apparaît en août, et se nourrit de fruits jusqu'à l'automne, puis retourne vers les sites d’hibernation. Plusieurs éléments de la bio-écologie du charançon sont méconnus, notamment les relations entre l’insecte et l’hôte, le comportement, la dispersion, le mode de déplacement, la reconnaissance des plantes hôtes et des sites d’hibernation, l’orientation, et les seuils économiques. Il n’existe actuellement aucune méthode fiable pour dépister ce charançon, et aucun moyen biologique de lutte contre ce ravageur. Cependant, des études récentes sur le comportement et l’activité du charançon de la prune en conditions semi-naturelles et naturelles pourraient permettre le développement de stratégies de lutte plus efficaces. Ces travaux sont présentés ici de même qu’une revue des méthodes de lutte (chimique, biologique, génétique, mécanique et culturale) envisageables contre le charançon de la prune.Plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) is a native pest of pome and stone fruit in eastern North America. It is a key pest of apple (Malus pumila) orchards in Quebec. In spring, adults disperse primarily from woodland overwintering sites to apple orchards. Before fruit set, the beetles are mainly nocturnal. As fruits become available for oviposition, adults extend their activity to the daytime. Full grown larvae found in dropped apples in June (June drop) enter the soil to pupate. The summer brood emerges in August, feeds on the remaining fruit throughout the fall and then disperses to suitable overwintering sites. Little is known of its community and host plant relationships, dispersal behavior, factors influencing its mode of locomotion, choice of food sources, overwintering sites, micro-habitat selection, orientation, and action threshold. Commercially available biocontrol agents are not effective, and convenient and reliable monitoring techniques for the timing of sprays have not been developed. However, recent field and insectary studies on the behavior and activity of plum curculio adults may allow us to improve the efficiency of control strategies. These findings are presented here, together with their implications for control of the plum curculio by modifying its habitat, and by better timing and location of sprays and other interventions. This paper also includes brief reviews of biological controls, insect growth regulators, and genetic controls for plum curculio

Relationship Between Age at Menopause, Obesity, and Incident Heart Failure: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background The mechanisms linking menopausal age and heart failure (HF) incidence are controversial. We investigated for heterogeneity by obesity on the relationship between menopausal age and HF incidence. Methods and Results Using postmenopausal women who attended the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Visit 4, we estimated hazard ratios of incident HF associated with menopausal age using Cox proportional hazards models, testing for effect modification by obesity and adjusting for HF risk factors. Women were categorized by menopausal age: <45 years, 45 to 49 years, 50 to 54 years, and ≥55 years. Among 4441 postmenopausal women, aged 63.5±5.5 years, there were 903 incident HF events over a mean follow-up of 16.5 years. The attributable risk of generalized and central obesity for HF incidence was greatest among women who experienced menopause at age ≥55 years: 11.09/1000 person-years and 7.38/1000 person-years, respectively. There were significant interactions of menopausal age with body mass index and waist circumference for HF incidence, Pinteraction 0.02 and 0.001, respectively. The hazard ratios of incident HF for a SD increase in body mass index was elevated in women with menopausal age <45 years [1.39 (1.05-1.84)]; 45-49 years [1.33, (1.06-1.67)]; and ≥55 years [2.02, (1.41-2.89)]. The hazard ratio of incident HF for a SD increase in waist circumference was elevated only in women with menopausal age ≥55 years [2.93, (1.85-4.65)]. Conclusions As obesity worsened, the risk of developing HF became significantly greater when compared with women with lower body mass index and waist circumference, particularly among those who had experienced menopause at age ≥55 years.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Total daily energy expenditure has declined over the past three decades due to declining basal expenditure, not reduced activity expenditure.

Obesity is caused by a prolonged positive energy balance &lt;sup&gt;1,2&lt;/sup&gt; . Whether reduced energy expenditure stemming from reduced activity levels contributes is debated &lt;sup&gt;3,4&lt;/sup&gt; . Here we show that in both sexes, total energy expenditure (TEE) adjusted for body composition and age declined since the late 1980s, while adjusted activity energy expenditure increased over time. We use the International Atomic Energy Agency Doubly Labelled Water database on energy expenditure of adults in the United States and Europe (n = 4,799) to explore patterns in total (TEE: n = 4,799), basal (BEE: n = 1,432) and physical activity energy expenditure (n = 1,432) over time. In males, adjusted BEE decreased significantly, but in females this did not reach significance. A larger dataset of basal metabolic rate (equivalent to BEE) measurements of 9,912 adults across 163 studies spanning 100 years replicates the decline in BEE in both sexes. We conclude that increasing obesity in the United States/Europe has probably not been fuelled by reduced physical activity leading to lowered TEE. We identify here a decline in adjusted BEE as a previously unrecognized factor