Progress towards identification of a pheromone of the asparagus beetle, Crioceris asparagi (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae)

The asparagus beetle, Crioceris asparagi L. (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) has become a widespread pest of asparagus, Asparagus officinalis (asparagus). There are no known attractants for C. asparagi and much of its biology is unknown. Volatiles were collected from individual beetles and a candidate pheromone component was detected in collections from some individuals of the first generation but not the second. This compound elicited an electroantennographic response from C. asparagi and the mass spectrum indicated it is a 19-carbon hydrocarbon with four double bonds. Complete structural elucidation and synthesis are in progress

Arthropod Pest Management in Organic Vegetable Greenhouses

We present a comprehensive discussion of pest management in organic greenhouse vegetable production. Greenhouse structures and production practices vary greatly in different regions of the world. In northern Europe and North America, they are closed heated structures because of the long periods of cold weather and biological control is highly developed. In Israel, commercial greenhouses are made of netting or plastic, are not heated because the winters are generally mild in comparison with northern climes and hot in the summers, and biological control is used almost exclusively on some crops. In South America, greenhouses are simple structures covered with plastic material without nets or heating/cooling systems. We limit our discussion to properly closed and ventilated greenhouses, exclusive of structures that are opened for any period during the day or season. Our discussion covers greenhouse structure; the first line of defense, regulatory, and phytosanitary measures; various management methods; and finally specific management of primary pest groups, mites, thrips, hemipterans (aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies), and small Lepidoptera.EEA ConcordiaFil: Weintraub, Phyllis G. Agricultural Research Organization. Gilat Research Center; IsraelFil: Recht, Eitan. Plant Protection and Inspection Services; IsraelFil: Mondaca, Lilach Lily. Sapir Academic Collage; IsraelFil: Harari, Ally R. Agricultural Research Organization. Volcani Center; IsraelFil: Diaz, Beatriz Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia; ArgentinaFil: Bennison, Jude. ADAS Boxworth; Reino Unid

Northern Gannet foraging trip length increases with colony size and decreases with latitude

Density-dependent competition for food influences the foraging behaviour and demography of colonial animals, but how this influence varies across a species’ latitudinal range is poorly understood. Here we used satellite tracking from 21 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus colonies (39% of colonies worldwide, supporting 73% of the global population) during chick-rearing to test how foraging trip characteristics (distance and duration) covary with colony size (138–60 953 breeding pairs) and latitude across 89% of their latitudinal range (46.81–71.23° N). Tracking data for 1118 individuals showed that foraging trip duration and maximum distance both increased with square-root colony size. Foraging effort also varied between years for the same colony, consistent with a link to environmental variability. Trip duration and maximum distance also decreased with latitude, after controlling for colony size. Our results are consistent with density-dependent reduction in prey availability influencing colony size and reveal reduced competition at the poleward range margin. This provides a mechanism for rapid population growth at northern colonies and, therefore, a poleward shift in response to environmental change. Further work is required to understand when and how colonial animals deplete nearby prey, along with the positive and negative effects of social foraging behaviour

The pupation behaviour of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)

The extent to which the western flower thrips pupates on or off the host plant in glasshouse crops determines the effectiveness of ground-based control methods. Glasshouse experiments with water traps, sticky traps and infra-red video recording in crops of cucumber and pot chrysanthemum, when average relative humidities were below 80%, showed that large numbers of second-instar larvae dropped to the ground to pupate. The percentage of larvae dropping rather than remaining on the plant was calculated to be 96–99% in cucumber and 92–99% in pot chrysanthemum. Experiments with water traps showed that most larvae dropped during the evening trapping period from 16.00 to 24.00 h for both crops in the glasshouse. The pattern was similar, but less marked, for pot chrysanthemum in a controlled-temperature laboratory at 25 °C and 80–95% relative humidity. Continuous infra-red video recording in a heavily infested cucumber crop showed there was a marked peak in dropping during a period of about 1–4 h each evening, with peak rates reaching 4,000 to 8,000 larvae m−2 h−1. The time of the peak drop varied between days, suggesting that an environmental cue is involved. Possibilities for exploiting this behaviour for control are discussed

Review and guidance for integrated management of economically significant weeds, pests and diseases in a range of horticultural and other edible field crops.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is widely used to reduce chemical inputs for pest, disease and weed control in many horticultural and arable crops. Strategies include cultural control techniques, monitoring and forecasting methods and the use of bioprotectants (invertebrate biocontrols, semiochemicals, microbials and natural substances). This review highlighted key non-chemical methods that growers are currently using but could be more widely adopted, such as decision support tools and cultural control methods including variety choice and crop hygiene. In addition, the review identified a wide range of crop and pest specific approaches that with further development, may also provide alternative and sustainable solutions. The review identified where more knowledge exchange is needed to facilitate adoption of effective practices and where further research is needed to further understand and develop new strategies

Northern Gannet foraging trip length increases with colony size and decreases with latitude

Peer reviewed: TruePublication status: PublishedFunder: Natural Environment Research Council; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270 Density-dependent competition for food influences the foraging behaviour and demography of colonial animals, but how this influence varies across a species’ latitudinal range is poorly understood. Here we used satellite tracking from 21 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus colonies (39% of colonies worldwide, supporting 73% of the global population) during chick-rearing to test how foraging trip characteristics (distance and duration) covary with colony size (138–60 953 breeding pairs) and latitude across 89% of their latitudinal range (46.81–71.23° N). Tracking data for 1118 individuals showed that foraging trip duration and maximum distance both increased with square-root colony size. Foraging effort also varied between years for the same colony, consistent with a link to environmental variability. Trip duration and maximum distance also decreased with latitude, after controlling for colony size. Our results are consistent with density-dependent reduction in prey availability influencing colony size and reveal reduced competition at the poleward range margin. This provides a mechanism for rapid population growth at northern colonies and, therefore, a poleward shift in response to environmental change. Further work is required to understand when and how colonial animals deplete nearby prey, along with the positive and negative effects of social foraging behaviour. </jats:p