A Review of the Botany, Volatile Composition, Biochemical and Molecular Aspects, and Traditional Uses of Laurus nobilis

Laurus nobilis L. is an aromatic medicinal plant widely cultivated in many world regions. L. nobilis has been increasingly acknowledged over the years as it provides an essential contribution to the food and pharmaceutical industries and cultural integrity. The commercial value of this species derives from its essential oil, whose application might be extended to various industries. The chemical composition of the essential oil depends on environmental conditions, location, and season during which the plants are collected, drying methods, extraction, and analytical conditions. The characterization and chemotyping of L. nobilis essential oil are extremely important because the changes in composition can affect biological activities. Several aspects of the plant's secondary metabolism, particularly volatile production in L. nobilis, are still unknown. However, understanding the molecular basis of flavor and aroma production is not an easy task to accomplish. Nevertheless, the time-limited efforts for conservation and the unavailability of knowledge about genetic diversity are probably the major reasons for the lack of breeding programs in L. nobilis. The present review gathers the scientific evidence on the research carried out on Laurus nobilis L., considering its cultivation, volatile composition, biochemical and molecular aspects, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities

Natural enemies of the South American moth, Tuta absoluta, in Europe, North Africa and Middle East, and their potential use in pest control strategies

The South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is an invasive Neotropical pest. After its first detection in Europe, it rapidly invaded more than 30 Western Palaearctic countries becoming a serious agricultural threat to tomato production in both protected and open-field crops. Among the pest control tactics against exotic pests, biological control using indigenous natural enemies is one of the most promising. Here, available data on the Afro-Eurasian natural enemies of T. absoluta are compiled. Then, their potential for inclusion in sustainable pest control packages is discussed providing relevant examples. Collections were conducted in 12 countries, both in open-field and protected susceptible crops, as well as in wild flora and/or using infested sentinel plants. More than 70 arthropod species, 20 % predators and 80 % parasitoids, were recorded attacking the new pest so far. Among the recovered indigenous natural enemies, only few parasitoid species, namely, some eulophid and braconid wasps, and especially mirid predators, have promising potential to be included in effective and environmentally friendly management strategies for the pest in the newly invaded areas. Finally, a brief outlook of the future research and applications of indigenous T. absoluta biological control agents are provided

Genetic mapping of Cacopsylla pyri resistance in an interspecific pear (Pyrus spp.) population

Cacopsylla pyri (pear psylla) is one of the most serious pests of pear (Pyrus spp.) in Europe. It can cause high yield losses, and its control has become difficult since it has developed resistance to a wide range of pesticides. Pear breeders are developing new cultivars resistant to pear psyllids, and Asian species, such as Pyrus ussuriensis and Pyrus × bretschneideri, are good sources of resistance. Antixenosis and antibiosis resistance to psylla were both identified in pear; they may differ in the biological mechanism and probably have different genetic backgrounds. We crossed interspecific P. × bretschneideri × Pyrus communis hybrid PEAR3, resistant to pear psylla, with the susceptible European pear cultivar ‘Moonglow’ to obtain an F1 population for the genetic mapping of the resistance. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis was carried out for antibiosis by measuring the number of surviving nymphs and the nymphal development, using a novel phenotyping protocol and a saturated genetic map made of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and microsatellite (simple sequence repeats (SSR)) markers. A stable QTL was detected on linkage group (LG) 8 of PEAR3 (R 2 = 17.2–39.1 %). In addition, QTLs were detected on LG5 (R 2 = 10.8 %) of PEAR3 and on LG15 of ‘Moonglow’ (R 2 = 13.7 %