JIA "Insect Biocontrol and Ecology" theme article

This issue features articles related to insect biocontrol and ecological research published by JIA in 2020-2021. All articles are available on the ScienceDirect platform, click on the title of the article to view the full text.

Optimization of the sex pheromone-based method for trapping field populations of Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) in South China

Application and optimization of potato tuber moth sex attraction technology in potato/tobacco planting areas in southern China

In this study, the aim of this study was to optimize the application technology of potato tuber moth attractants from factors such as the dose of the core, the medium and material of the core, and the density and height of the trap application, so as to improve the monitoring and early warning of pheromones on potato tubers and the application level of field prevention and control. Experimental results show that the amount of cork trapper composed of corn oil and red PVC tube is the highest, which can reach 11.73 ± 1.90/trap/day; the optimal dose of sex pheromone is 100 micrograms, and the high dose of sex pheromone will inhibit its trapping effect; the suspension density of the trap does not affect the amount of moths, it is recommended to set up 2-3 traps per acre of land; the most preferred suspension height is not higher than the position of the plant canopy. This study provides an important reference for the development of sex trap technology for the monitoring and control of potato tubers.

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Cite this article:

YAN Jun-jie, MEI Xiang-dong, FENG Jia-wen, LIN Zhi-xu, Stuart REITZ, MENG Rui-xia, GAO Yu-lin. 2021. Optimization of the sex pheromone-based method for trapping field populations of Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) in South China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(10): 2727–2733.

Potential influence of carbohydrate and amino acid intake by adults on the population dynamics of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Effects of dietary sugars and amino acids on adult species of rice longitudinal leaf borer and on population dynamics

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of sugars and amino acids on the reproductive and population parameters of adult rice longitudinal leaf borer. The results showed that eating sugars and amino acids could significantly affect adult survival and reproduction. After taking different kinds of sugar solutions (sucrose, fructose, glucose), the lifespan and fecundity of adult worms increase significantly, and the rate of ovarian development is accelerated. The increase in the fecundity of adult worms after taking sugar solutions is mainly due to the prolongation of the spawning period and the increase in egg production on a daily basis. Compared with the intake of pure water, the internal growth rate of rice longitudinal leaf borer population increased from 0.103 to 0.138 after taking sugar solution. There was no significant effect on the lifespan, egg production and ovarian development of adult rice longitudinal leaf borer. Sugar supplementation has a promoting effect on the propagation and population dynamics of adult rice longitudinal leaf borer, so the potential promotion effect of nectar on pest populations should be fully considered in the application of flowering plants for ecological regulation of pests.

LI Chuan-ming, XU Jian, LIU Qin, HAN Guang-jie, XU Bin, YANG Yi-zhong, LIU Xian-jin. 2021. Potential influence of carbohydrate and amino acid intake by adults on the population dynamics of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(7): 1889-1897.

Egg tanning improves the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutant locust production by enhancing defense ability after microinjection

Tanned eggs enhance defenses to improve CRISPR/Cas9's efficiency in constructing mutant locusts

Mutation efficiency and hatching rate are two key factors influencing the construction of gene-edited insects. During CRISPR/Cas9-mediated dsLmRNase2-/-mutant locust construction, we found that injecting tanned eggs that were in contact with the oocyst for 20 min was more efficient at obtaining mutant locusts than fresh eggs that had not been tanned. However, the efficiency with which the dsLmRNase2 mutation produced by tanned and unladenized eggs is inherited to G1 generation is similar. In addition, there was no significant difference in the effective mutation rates of normally developed and untanized G0 eggs and adults, suggesting that tanning did not affect CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation efficiency. At the same time, we found that the locust syncytial division period is longer than the tanning time, providing enough time window for microinjection of tanned eggs and unladenized eggs to complete efficient gene editing. We further found that the infection rate after microinjection of tanned eggs showed a higher hatching rate. Compression resistance and ultrastructural analysis showed that tanned eggs have a compressed egg shell that is able to withstand higher external pressures. In summary, tanned eggs have stronger defense capabilities to improve hatching rates and maintain higher genomic mutation efficiency, providing an optimized technical approach for the development of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated locust mutant construction.

ZHANG Ting-ting, WEN Ting-mei, YUE Yang, YAN Qiang, DU Er-xia, FAN San-hong, Siegfried ROTH, LI Sheng, ZHANG Jian-zhen, ZHANG Xue-yao, ZHANG Min. 2021. Egg tanning improves the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutant locust production by enhancing defense ability after microinjection. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(10): 2716–2726.

Effect of a near-zero magnetic field on development and flight of oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata)

Effect of near-zero magnetic field on armyworm growth, development and flight

In this study, the normal geomagnetic field (about 50 μT) was used as a control condition, and the near-zero magnetic field (&lt;500 nT) was used as a control condition to observe the behavior effect of near-zero magnetic field on armyworms. The near-zero magnetic field is generated by the Helmholtz coil system. The results showed that the near-zero magnetic field significantly prolonged the developmental period of armyworm larvae and pupae, increased the lifespan of male moths, reduced pupal weight, female egg laying and the expression level of oyporotein gene (Vg), and the near-zero magnetic field had a negative impact on the mating rate of armyworm adult worms. In addition, the autonomous flight activity of the armyworm at night decreased under the near-zero magnetic field, indicating that the near-zero magnetic field may affect the flight rhythm of the armyworm. The decrease in magnetic field strength may have a negative impact on the growth and development, reproduction and flight activities of the armyworm, which in turn affects the migration activity of the armyworm.

YAN Meng-meng, ZHANG Lei, CHENG Yun-xia, Thomas W. SAPPINGTON, PAN Wei-dong, JIANG Xing-fu. 2021. Effect of a near-zero magnetic field on development and flight of oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata). Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(5): 1336–1345.

InvasionDB: A genome and gene database of invasive alien species

Database platform for comprehensive analysis of genome and genetic data of invasive alien species

Invasive alien species are species that have been introduced into areas beyond their area of origin and have caused serious harm to the local economy, biodiversity and ecological environment. Identifying invasive genetic mechanisms is essential to develop eco-friendly approaches to preventing and controlling invasive alien species, while revealing the genomic characteristics of alien species can help accurately predict their invasive potential. However, although a large number of invasive alien species' genomes have been sequenced, these data are fragmented and lack a comprehensive platform for the management and analysis of the genomes of invasive alien species. Therefore, through literature research and database search, we collected omics-related data of invasive alien species that have completed genome sequencing, and built the ImaginationDB database. The database contains genomic and transcriptome data for 131 invasive alien species (100 invasive animals and 31 invasive plant species), of which 76 species have genomes that are annotated in detail and provide genetic function (including Pfam, KEGG and NR annotation information) queries, sequence alignment and genome visualization, as well as full data download capabilities. To provide more invasive information, we further analyzed 19 gene families associated with invasive insects, as well as non-coding RNAs (including 135494 miRNAs, 89294 rRNAs, and 2671941 tRNAs). Therefore, InvasionDB is of great guiding significance for studying the invasiveness of invasive alien species from the genomic level and developing new prevention and control technologies.

HUANG Cong, LANG Kun, QIAN Wan-qiang, WANG Shu-ping, CAO Xiao-mei, HE Rui, ZHAN An-ran, CHEN Meng-yao, YANG Nian-wan, LI Fei. 2021. InvasionDB: A genome and gene database of invasive alien species. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(1): 191–200.

How does the arthropod–plant system respond to abrupt and gradual increases in atmospheric CO2?

How does the "arthropod-plant" system respond to increasing and surge atmospheric CO2 concentrations?

The current domestic and foreign studies are mainly based on the effect of the surge in atmospheric CO2 concentration on the "arthropod and plant" system, which is compared with the actual increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration in nature year by year, and the results of domestic and foreign studies may overestimate the impact of atmospheric CO2 concentration mutations on the "arthropod-plant" system. This article focuses on the different responses of the "arthropod-plant" system to the surge and gradual increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. The authors suggest that long-term studies of increasing CO2 concentrations on "arthropod-plant" systems for multiple generations are needed to better elucidate the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations on arthropod-plant systems.

ZHENG Xiao-xu, WU Gang. 2020. How does the arthropod–plant system respond to abrupt and gradual increases in atmospheric CO2? Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 19(4): 1159–1161.

Overwintering parasitism is positively associated with population density in diapausing larvae of Chilo suppressalis

The parasitization rate of overwintering diapause larvae of dimorphic borer is positively correlated with population density

This study systematically investigated the parasitic wasps of the overwintering larvae of dimorphic borer and hypothesized that the key parasitic wasps played an important regulatory role in inhibiting the overwintering population base of dimorph borer. During two consecutive wintering periods in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, the natural parasitic rate of parasitic wasps and the number of potentially dominant parasitic wasps of the overwintering larvae of dimorphic borer were systematically investigated. In the winter of 2016, the overwintering diapause larvae of dimorphic borer were collected from 15 different counties and districts to assess the parasite rate. The results showed that the parasitic rate and dominant parasitic wasp species of parasitic wasps on overwintering dimorphic borer larvae differed significantly on different sampling dates and sampling locations. Overwintering diapause larvae are parasitized mainly by Cotesia chilonis of the dimorphic borer plate velvet cocoon bee, while relatively few are parasitized by the Chinese blunt-lipped bee Eriborus sinicus and the rice borer small-bellied cocoon bee Microgaster russata. Regression analysis showed that the parasitization rate of overwintering dimorphic borer larvae was positively correlated with the larval population density. The results of this paper demonstrate the potential of dominant parasitic wasps in inhibiting the population base of overwintering larvae of dimorphic borer, and can provide reference for the comprehensive management of pest overwintering populations.

HUANG Xiao-long, JIANG Ting, WU Zhen-ping, ZHANG Wan-na, XIAO Hai-jun. 2020. Overwintering parasitism is positively associated with population density in diapausing larvae of Chilo suppressalis. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 19(3): 785–792.

Effects of Paranosema locustae (Microsporidia) on the development and morphological phase transformation of Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) through modulation of the neurotransmitter taurine

Locust microspores influence development and morphology by regulating the content of the neurotransmitter taurine in locusts

In this paper, biochemical analysis methods were used to explore the effects of insect pathogenic microorganism locust microspores on the content of taurine, a neurotransmitter of locusts. Compared with healthy locusts, the taurine content in the disease-susceptible locusts was significantly reduced, but the F/C value (the ratio of the length of the hind feet to the width of the head of the locusts) increased significantly. At the same time, after supplementation with 2 μg taurine, the F/C value of the diseased locust was not significantly different from that of the healthy locust, and the results showed that taurine supplementation could inhibit the morphology of the locust caused by microspores. Microspores can also cause prolonged development and weight loss in locusts, but these changes are not affected after taurine supplementation. The above results provide a new idea for revealing the mechanism by which locust microspores affect the host locust.

LI Ao-mei, YIN Yue, ZHANG Yu-xin, ZHANG Liu, ZHANG Kai-qi, SHEN Jie, TAN Shu-qian, SHI Wang-peng. 2020. Effects of Paranosema locustae (Microsporidia) on the development and morphological phase transformation of Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) through modulation of the neurotransmitter taurine. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 19(1): 204–210.

Attraction of bruchid beetles Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) to host plant volatiles

The lure effect of host plant volatiles on mung bean elephants

Based on the results of the study that the mated mung bean elephant female has significant positive tendency to benzaldehyde and 2-hexenal, it is speculated that the specific concentration and proportion of volatile components of the host plant have a regulatory effect on the positioning of the mung bean elephant. Therefore, this paper intends to explore the synergistic attraction effect of the volatile mixture of host plants on indoor and field mung bean elephants. In this experiment, the volatiles of mung bean pods were collected by dynamic headspace acquisition method, and the main volatile components of pods were identified by combining gas chromatography-mass spectrometry GC-MS. The effect of different proportions and concentrations of benzaldehyde and 2-hexenal mixtures on the positioning host of mung bean elephants was tested by Y-type olfactory. Room experiments have shown that 300 μG μL-1 of 2-hexenal and 180 μg of μL-1 benzaldehyde mixture have a synergistic lure effect on adult mung bean elephants, with a lure rate of 82.35%. Field experiments showed that the number of adult mung bean elephants trapped by the mixture was significantly higher than that of the control treatment, and the number of females trapped was higher than that of males. The above results show that 300 μG μL-1 2-hexenal and 180 μg μL-1 benzaldehyde mixture can be used for monitoring and control of mung bean elephant populations in the field.

WANG Hong-min, BAI Peng-hua, ZHANG Jing, ZHANG Xue-min, HUI Qin, ZHENG Hai-xia, ZHANG Xian-hong. 2020. Attraction of bruchid beetles Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) to host plant volatiles. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 19(12): 3035–3044.

Journal of Integrative Agriculture (JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES), JIA is an English academic journal jointly sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Chinese Agricultural Society and hosted by the Institute of Agricultural Information. Founded in 2002, it is a monthly magazine with the editor-in-chief wan Jianmin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. JIA focuses on publishing reviews, research papers, briefings and reviews of the frontier hot fields of international agricultural science, such as crop science, horticulture, plant protection, animal science, animal medicine, resource environment, food science, agricultural economics and management, etc., all of which are published on the OA of the Echelon-ScienceDirect (SD) platform. The 2020 SCI impact factor of 2.848 is located in the Q1 area of the JCR Comprehensive Agricultural Discipline of Clarivate, and ranks in the second region of the Agricultural and Forestry Journals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. From 2019 to 2023, it was funded by the "China Science and Technology Journals Excellence Action Plan" key journal project of seven ministries and commissions including the China Association for Science and Technology.