Establishment of a cell line derived from embryos of the potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller)

Une lignée cellulaire a été obtenue à partir d'embryocultures de #Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller), le principal ravageur de la pomme de terre dans les régions tropicales et sub-tropicales. La lignée cellulaire, nommée ORS-Pop-93, cultivée en milieu Grace modifié, a une population hétérogène de cellules arrondies et allongées très adhérentes. Le temps de doublement des cellules est de 40 h. La lignée a été subcultivée plus de 40 fois. Le profil polypeptidique est différent de celui d'autres lignées de lépidoptères. La lignée est permissive à la polyhédrose nucléaire de #Autographa californica. (Résumé d'auteur

The global naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database

This dataset provides the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database, ver-sion 1.2. Glo NAF represents a data compendium on th e occurrence and identit y of naturalizedalien vascular plant taxa across geographic regions (e.g. countries, states, provinces, districts,islands) around the globe. The dataset includes 13,939 taxa and covers 1,029 regions (including381 islands). The dataset is based on 210 data sources. For each ta x on-b y-region combination, wepr ovide information on whether the tax on is consider ed to be naturalized in the specific region(i.e. has established self-sustaining popula tions in the wild). Non-native taxa are marked as“alien”, when it is not clear whether they are naturalized. To facilitate alignment with other plantdatabases, we pro v ide f or each taxon the name as given in the original data source and the stan-dardized taxon and family names used by The Plant List Version 1.1 (http://www.theplantlist.org/). We pro vide an ESRI shapefile including polygons f or each region and informa tion on whetherit is an island or a mainland region, the country and the Taxonomic Databases Working Group(TDWG) regions it is part of (TDWG levels 1–4). We also provide several variables that can beused to filter the data according to quality and completeness of alien taxon lists, which varyamong the combinations of regions and da ta sources. A pre vious version of the GloNAF dataset(version 1.1) has already been used in several studies on, for example, historical spatial flows oftaxa between continents and geographical patterns and determinants of naturalization across dif-ferent taxonomic groups. We intend the updated and expanded GloNAF version presented hereto be a global resource useful for studying plant inv asions and changes in biodiversity from regio-nal to global scales. We release these data into the public domain under a Crea ti ve CommonsZer o license waiver (https://creati v ecommons.org/share-y our -work/public-domain/cc0/). Wheny ou use the da ta in your publication, we request that y ou cite this da ta paper. If GloN AF is amajor part of the data analyzed in your study, you should consider inviting the GloNAF coreteam (see Metadata S1: Originators in the Overall project description) as collaborators. If youplan to use the GloNAF dataset, we encourage y ou to contact the GloNAF core team to checkwhether there have been recent updates of the dataset, and whether similar analyses are already ongoing

Discovery of the First Insect Nidovirus, a Missing Evolutionary Link in the Emergence of the Largest RNA Virus Genomes

Nidoviruses with large genomes (26.3–31.7 kb; ‘large nidoviruses’), including Coronaviridae and Roniviridae, are the most complex positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA+) viruses. Based on genome size, they are far separated from all other ssRNA+ viruses (below 19.6 kb), including the distantly related Arteriviridae (12.7–15.7 kb; ‘small nidoviruses’). Exceptionally for ssRNA+ viruses, large nidoviruses encode a 3′-5′exoribonuclease (ExoN) that was implicated in controlling RNA replication fidelity. Its acquisition may have given rise to the ancestor of large nidoviruses, a hypothesis for which we here provide evolutionary support using comparative genomics involving the newly discovered first insect-borne nidovirus. This Nam Dinh virus (NDiV), named after a Vietnamese province, was isolated from mosquitoes and is yet to be linked to any pathology. The genome of this enveloped 60–80 nm virus is 20,192 nt and has a nidovirus-like polycistronic organization including two large, partially overlapping open reading frames (ORF) 1a and 1b followed by several smaller 3′-proximal ORFs. Peptide sequencing assigned three virion proteins to ORFs 2a, 2b, and 3, which are expressed from two 3′-coterminal subgenomic RNAs. The NDiV ORF1a/ORF1b frameshifting signal and various replicative proteins were tentatively mapped to canonical positions in the nidovirus genome. They include six nidovirus-wide conserved replicase domains, as well as the ExoN and 2′-O-methyltransferase that are specific to large nidoviruses. NDiV ORF1b also encodes a putative N7-methyltransferase, identified in a subset of large nidoviruses, but not the uridylate-specific endonuclease that – in deviation from the current paradigm - is present exclusively in the currently known vertebrate nidoviruses. Rooted phylogenetic inference by Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods indicates that NDiV clusters with roniviruses and that its branch diverged from large nidoviruses early after they split from small nidoviruses. Together these characteristics identify NDiV as the prototype of a new nidovirus family and a missing link in the transition from small to large nidoviruses

CONTROL BIOLÓGICO DEL “cogollero del maíz” Spodoptera frugiperda, (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) CON EL BACULOVIRUS SfVPN, EN IQUITOS-PERU

Con el propósito de encontrar una alternativa al control químico del “cogollero del maíz” Spodoptera frugiperda, principal plaga para el cultivo del maíz (Zea mays), se estudió la posibilidad de utilizar como controlador biológico de esta plaga, al baculovirus SfVPN (Virus de Poliedrosis Nuclear de Spodoptera frugiperda). Utilizando larvas del 3er estadío se comprobó que es un eficiente controlador biológico, determinándose que la dosis letal media fue de 49,653 cuerpos de inclusión (CI)/ larva, con un promedio de tiempo letal medio (TL50) de 6.5 ± 0.5 días. Asímismo, el número de CI del SfVPN producidos por una larva de 5to estadío fue de 5.4X108 CI/larva, y de 6to estadío fue de 7.3X108 CI/larva, constituyéndose estos estadíos enbuenas productoras de virus para formulaciones de insecticidas biológicos. Se propone, por tanto, el empleo del SfVPN como una buena alternativa para el control de Spodoptera frugiperda

A cypovirus from the South American oil-palm pest Norape argyrrhorea and its potential as a microbial control agent

Norape argyrrhorea, Hubner (Lep.: Megalopygidae), is becoming the most important defoliator for oil-palm plantations in Peru (South America). Apart from direct damage, feeding of the larvae also causes wounds that provide sites for entry for a complex of phytopathogenic fungi. Chemical control of N. argyrrhorea is costly and results in the parallel reduction of the populations of several predator and parasitoid insect species that previously limited proliferation of this pest. For this reason, alternative control methods are being investigated. A previously undescribed occluded virus has been found responsible for fast and massive mortality among wild populations of the pest. Based on morphology, protein analysis and nucleic acids, this virus named NoarCPV, belongs to the family Reoviridae. Results of the first applications of NoarCPV in an oil-palm plantation demonstrated rapid mortality to population densities below damage thresholds

Susceptibility of different potato moths species to a same granulosis virus

National audienc

Producción viral y tasas de aplicación del granulovirus usado para el control biológico de las polillas de la papa Phthorimaea operculella y Tecia solanivora (Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae)

Las polillas de la papa Phthorimaea operculella y Tecia solanivora se distribuyen ampliamente en América Latina. Forman parte del grupo de insectos más perjudiciales para el cultivo y almacenamiento de papa en países en desarrollo. Recién, T. solanivora entró a Canarias y amenaza nuevas zonas paperas. Un mismo virus de granulosis (denominado Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus o PhopGV) es un agente eficaz para controlar ambas especies, por lo que es considerado como el componente principal de los programas de manejo integrado (MIP) desarrollados para controlar estas plagas. El presente trabajo trata de la cuantificación de la producción del virus en larvas de las dos especies, así como de la dosificación de la formulación viral que constituye el bio-plaguicida. Primeramente, se estableció que una solución viral con una absorbencia de 1 DO450 contenía 679, 9 ± 53,9 x 106 CI (cuerpos de inclusión)/ml y que un CI pesaba aprox. 65 x 10-3 pg. Luego, se determinó que la producción de CI por unidad de peso es casi el doble en P. operculella (2,35 ± 1,26 x 109 CI/mg) que en T. solanivora pero que la diferencia de tamaño entre especies hace que la cantidad de CI recuperada por larva no es estadísticamente diferente entre ambas polillas. Finalmente, se estimaron que las tasas de aplicación del PhopGV utilizado en los programas de bio-control llegan a 1, 5 x 1011 CI/tonelada de tubérculos en almacén tradicional y 3 x 1012 CI/ha en el campo

Establishment of a cell line derived from embryos of the potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (zeller)

International audienc

Establishement of a cell line derived from embryos of the potato tuber moth Phthorimaea opercullela (Zeller)

International audienc