Biological abilities of storage pests required for the successful penetration of food packages or seeds: Presentation

Storage pests cause enormous damage to stored seed commodities and packaged food. Most of the work published on pest risk assessment concentrates mainly on the effects of “pest –package” or “pest-seed” interactions: i.e. if some species is able (or not able) to penetrate in a sound kernel or package. Based on such “YES-NO outcomes”, the particular stored product pest species is then categorized to either as a “primary” or “secondary” seed feeder; or “penetrator” or “invader” of packages. However, less research attention is paid to the functional explanations of the observed interaction-outcomes. This work therefore deals with comparison of morphological adaptation in various species storage insects with regards to their penetration abilities. For this analysis our original data as well as data from literature were used. As the most important morphological (pre-) adaptations, modulating penetrative/invasive success of storage insect pests, have been recognized: (i) shape and hardness of mandibles, (ii) size and strength of mandibular muscles, (iii) morphology of tarsi enabling climbing and/or firm stance on smooth surfaces. In addition to the morphological adaptations the specific genetically pre-programmed behavioural patterns and abilities may also play a significant role. It will be demonstrated that the above morphological abilities must be taken into account while establishing standard methods of testing of various packages in terms of their sensitivity to penetration/invasion by various species s of storage pests.Storage pests cause enormous damage to stored seed commodities and packaged food. Most of the work published on pest risk assessment concentrates mainly on the effects of “pest –package” or “pest-seed” interactions: i.e. if some species is able (or not able) to penetrate in a sound kernel or package. Based on such “YES-NO outcomes”, the particular stored product pest species is then categorized to either as a “primary” or “secondary” seed feeder; or “penetrator” or “invader” of packages. However, less research attention is paid to the functional explanations of the observed interaction-outcomes. This work therefore deals with comparison of morphological adaptation in various species storage insects with regards to their penetration abilities. For this analysis our original data as well as data from literature were used. As the most important morphological (pre-) adaptations, modulating penetrative/invasive success of storage insect pests, have been recognized: (i) shape and hardness of mandibles, (ii) size and strength of mandibular muscles, (iii) morphology of tarsi enabling climbing and/or firm stance on smooth surfaces. In addition to the morphological adaptations the specific genetically pre-programmed behavioural patterns and abilities may also play a significant role. It will be demonstrated that the above morphological abilities must be taken into account while establishing standard methods of testing of various packages in terms of their sensitivity to penetration/invasion by various species s of storage pests

From stored-product psocids to the other pests: the developments, problems and prospects on research and application of molecular identification: Presentation

Psocids, beetles, moths and mites are regarded as the common kinds of stored-product pests in the world. The rapid and correct identification of stored-product pests is significant for quarantine, monitoring and control purposes. Molecular methods and techniques have been studied and applied for stored-product pest identification. Based on collection and analysis of literature in the last decade, this paper reviews the developments, questions and prospects for molecular identification of stored-product pests. As a representative model, the molecular methods and techniques for species identification of stored-product psocid pests were developed and applied systematically based on international collaboration involving China, Czech Republic, the United States and other countries. More than 10 studies on stored-product psocids related to RFLP, DNA barcoding, PCR, real-time PCR and gene chip have been published during this decade. Subsequently, DNA barcoding, PCR and real-time PCR techniques for the identification of common species of Tribolium and Cryptolestes pests of stored products have been reported by the same international team. Recently, a web system called Grain Pests DNA Barcode Identification System (GPDBIS) has been established in China using SOL SERVER and C#. Like a marathon that requires persistence, we should do our best to continue to promote research and application of molecular identification of stored-product pests with more international collaboration.Psocids, beetles, moths and mites are regarded as the common kinds of stored-product pests in the world. The rapid and correct identification of stored-product pests is significant for quarantine, monitoring and control purposes. Molecular methods and techniques have been studied and applied for stored-product pest identification. Based on collection and analysis of literature in the last decade, this paper reviews the developments, questions and prospects for molecular identification of stored-product pests. As a representative model, the molecular methods and techniques for species identification of stored-product psocid pests were developed and applied systematically based on international collaboration involving China, Czech Republic, the United States and other countries. More than 10 studies on stored-product psocids related to RFLP, DNA barcoding, PCR, real-time PCR and gene chip have been published during this decade. Subsequently, DNA barcoding, PCR and real-time PCR techniques for the identification of common species of Tribolium and Cryptolestes pests of stored products have been reported by the same international team. Recently, a web system called Grain Pests DNA Barcode Identification System (GPDBIS) has been established in China using SOL SERVER and C#. Like a marathon that requires persistence, we should do our best to continue to promote research and application of molecular identification of stored-product pests with more international collaboration

Agregacni chovani a casoprostorova disperse synantropnich svabu (Blattodea). Mechanizmy a prakticke implikace.

Summary in EnglishAvailable from STL, Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi

First Case of Dual Size Asymmetry in an Identical Arthropod Organ: Different Asymmetries of the Combative (Sexual) and Cutting (Non-Sexual) Parts of Mandibles in the Horned Stored-Product Beetle <i>Gnatocerus cornutus</i> (Fabricius, 1798)

Although it is known that separate insect body structures may be asymmetrical within one species, the different functional asymmetries within a single organ as a result of differential selective regimes have not been described. Based on microscopic measurements and SEM photography, we examined the size, shape and asymmetry of the mandibular structures of males and females of the sexually dimorphic broad-horned flour beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus (Tenebrionidae, Coleoptera). It was found that sexual dimorphism only manifests in certain outgrowth parts (horns) of male mandibles, while the remaining cutting parts of the mandibles hold identical morphologies for both sexes. A more interesting finding&#8212;since this is the first published case of dual functionally selected asymmetry in an identical arthropod organ&#8212;was that the cutting part of the male mandible exhibited directional asymmetry, whereas the outgrowth horn part of the mandible showed a high degree of symmetry. Moreover, there was no relationship between the size and asymmetry of horns. The results indicate different regulatory mechanisms of sexually selected combative horns and the food-functional, more conservative (constrained by hard food and adult long life) cutting parts of mandibles

Efficacy of Eight Anticoagulant Food Baits in House Mouse (Mus musculus): Comparison of Choice and No-Choice Laboratory Testing Approaches

House mouse (Mus musculus) is a cosmopolitan pest in agricultural facilities, commodity stores and rural and urban environments. It is regularly controlled by anticoagulant-based baits. Since the number of registered active ingredients is limited, the producers are trying to develop new formulations with increased tamper-resistance, attractiveness and palatability. Reliable and economical methods for laboratory screening/testing are needed. Therefore, this work compared simple no-choice with more economically demanding choice feeding tests for laboratory evaluation of efficacy of rodenticide anticoagulant-based preparations in wild populations of house mouse. We analyzed mice survival and bait intake of the various rodenticide commercial preparations differing in a toxic active substance (warfarin, bromadiolone, brodifacoum, difethialone) and nontoxic food lure components. In most cases, we found insignificant differences in survival of house mice treated with eight test baits within the no-choice and choice feeding tests. We rejected the tested hypothesis that there would be significant differences in all tested preparations for two different testing approaches

Comparison of mandible morphology of two stored product bostrichid beetles, Rhyzopertha dominica and Prostephanus truncatus: Poster

Insect mandibles are most frequently encountered fragments in processed foods. Thanks to their sclerotised and darkly pigmented nature, they usually remain intact in foods and are relatively easily detectable. Moreover, because of their complexity and variety of shapes, stored product beetle mandibles may be useful in species determination. The present work deals with a comparative morphology of two stored product bostrichid beetles, Rhyzopertha dominica and Prostephanus truncatus. The mandibles were studied using by light and scanning electron microscopy and their morphological details, overall appearance and size are provided.Insect mandibles are most frequently encountered fragments in processed foods. Thanks to their sclerotised and darkly pigmented nature, they usually remain intact in foods and are relatively easily detectable. Moreover, because of their complexity and variety of shapes, stored product beetle mandibles may be useful in species determination. The present work deals with a comparative morphology of two stored product bostrichid beetles, Rhyzopertha dominica and Prostephanus truncatus. The mandibles were studied using by light and scanning electron microscopy and their morphological details, overall appearance and size are provided

Global establishment risk of stored products beetles: Poster

Stored-product beetles were regarded as some of the most important stored-product pests in the world. Predicting which one in hundreds of potential invasive stored-product beetles is the most likely to invade a region presents a significant challenge. A global presence/absence dataset, including 201 economically significant stored beetles in 143 countries/regions, was analysed using a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) to categorize regions based on similarities in species assemblages. This method is able to rank these stored-product beetles based on risk of establishment indices (values between 0 and 1). From the six countries/regions selected from each continent, we can have an overview of the global invasive risk of this group of beetles. We also found that those countries geographically close were clustered together by the SOM analysis because they have similar beetle assemblages and therefore represent greater threats to each other as sources of invasive stored-product beetles.Stored-product beetles were regarded as some of the most important stored-product pests in the world. Predicting which one in hundreds of potential invasive stored-product beetles is the most likely to invade a region presents a significant challenge. A global presence/absence dataset, including 201 economically significant stored beetles in 143 countries/regions, was analysed using a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) to categorize regions based on similarities in species assemblages. This method is able to rank these stored-product beetles based on risk of establishment indices (values between 0 and 1). From the six countries/regions selected from each continent, we can have an overview of the global invasive risk of this group of beetles. We also found that those countries geographically close were clustered together by the SOM analysis because they have similar beetle assemblages and therefore represent greater threats to each other as sources of invasive stored-product beetles

Evaluation of Phosphine Resistance in Populations of Sitophilus oryzae, Oryzaephilus surinamensis and Rhyzopertha dominica in the Czech Republic

Phosphine is globally the most widely adopted fumigant for the control of storage pests. Recently, an increase in the frequency of stored-product pest resistance has been observed with significant geographical and interspecific variations. In this context, there are available data for the occurrence of resistant populations from America, Asia, Africa, and Australia, but there are few data in the case of Europe. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate phosphine efficacy in important beetle pests of stored products, i.e., Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) sampled from the Czech Republic, using a rapid diagnostic test that is based on the speed to knockdown after exposure. Apart from the standard laboratory populations, which were used as the controls, we tested 56 field populations of these three species, collected in Czech farm grain stores. The survey revealed that 57.1% of the tested field populations were classified as phosphine-susceptible, based on the knockdown method used. However, profound variations among species and populations were recorded. The species with the highest percentage of resistant populations was R. dominica (71.4% of the populations; resistance coefficient 0.5&ndash;4.1), followed by S. oryzae (57.1% of the populations; resistance coefficient 0.8&ndash;6.9), and O. surinamensis (9.5% of the populations; resistance coefficient 0.5&ndash;2.9). Regarding the intra-population variability in response to phosphine (slope of the knockdown time regression), the laboratory and slightly resistant populations of all species were homogenous, whereas the most resistant populations were strongly heterogeneous. Our data show that the occurrence of resistance in the Czech Republic is relatively widespread and covers a wide range of species, necessitating the need for the adoption of an action plan for resistance mitigation