Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) released two beautiful Lilium varieties in 2020. In the same year the farmers in Gazipur district reported a set of disease symptoms on these flowers and alerted the Plant Pathology Division of BARI. Subsequent investigation confirmed the symptoms as Botrytis gray mold (BGM), caused by Botrytis cinerea. The pathogen identity was confirmed through ITS gene sequencing. A series of in vitro and in planta experiments conducted to understand the symptoms, the optimal growth condition for the pathogen, potential resistant Lilium genotypes, effective chemical treatments and potential of biological control agents to combat the disease. B. cinerea exhibited the highest growth in V8 media (88.55 mm) at pH6 (85.32 mm) and temperature between 20 and 25 °C (89.56 mm), and pH6 (85.32 mm). Screening revealed that five oriental-originated genotypes provided lower disease incidence (31.66-41.66 %), and were categorized as moderately resistant to resistant in disease reaction. Six fungicides successfully reduced mycelial growth in vitro. Moreover, Ipridione provided the lowest % disease incidence (27.11) and % disease severity (5.33) in the in planta nethouse experiment. Therefore, this fungicide was recommended to the farmers initially. Additionally, two fungal biocontrol agents Epicoccum nigrum EJS002 and Trichoderma ThC003, demonstrated effectiveness in reducing leaf lesion size over control in a detach leaf assessment technique. In conclusion, this study presents BGM of Lilium as a farmers issue for the first time in Bangladesh. It also provides valuable insights into its management, recommending specific chemical fungicides for farmers to use, and two fungal antagonists (E. nigrum EJS002 and Trichoderma ThC003) as potential disease control agent.

Phytopathogenic Ganoderma species pose a significant threat to global plant health, resulting in estimated annual economic losses exceeding USD (US Dollars) 68 billion in the agriculture and forestry sectors worldwide. To combat this pervasive menace effectively, a comprehensive understanding of the biology, ecology, and plant infection mechanisms of these pathogens is imperative. This comprehensive review critically examines various aspects of Ganoderma spp., including their intricate life cycle, their disease mechanisms, and the multifaceted environmental factors influencing their spread. Recent studies have quantified the economic impact of Ganoderma infections, revealing staggering yield losses ranging from 20% to 80% across various crops. In particular, oil palm plantations suffer devastating losses, with an estimated annual reduction in yield exceeding 50 million metric tons. Moreover, this review elucidates the dynamic interactions between Ganoderma and host plants, delineating the pathogen\'s colonization strategies and its elicitation of intricate plant defense responses. This comprehensive analysis underscores the imperative for adopting an integrated approach to Ganoderma disease management. By synergistically harnessing cultural practices, biological control, and chemical treatments and by deploying resistant plant varieties, substantial strides can be made in mitigating Ganoderma infestations. Furthermore, a collaborative effort involving scientists, breeders, and growers is paramount in the development and implementation of sustainable strategies against this pernicious plant pathogen. Through rigorous scientific inquiry and evidence-based practices, we can strive towards safeguarding global plant health and mitigating the dire economic consequences inflicted by Ganoderma infections.

Border crops can increase beneficial insect biodiversity within agricultural fields by supplementing insects with food and nesting resources. However, the effectiveness of border crops relies on insect movement between adjacent habitats and some insects might consider habitat boundaries as barriers. Therefore, understanding insect movement between habitats is needed to determine the effectiveness of border crops for ecosystem services such as pest control within agricultural habitats. Our objective was to compare ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) movement across soybean plots that were bordered by corn and grassland habitat to determine whether habitat boundaries were considered barriers of movement to predatory beetles. Using a grid of pitfall traps within these habitats, we conducted a mark, release, and recapture experiment to track and evaluate ground beetle movement patterns. We found that ground beetles stayed in the habitat of their release and that movement between habitats, despite the type of bordering habitat or type of edge, was uncommon. We also found that long-distance movement was rare as most beetles moved less than 5 m (regardless of release or recaptured habitat) and movement was perpendicular to habitat edges. These results suggest that any edge habitat, including agricultural-agricultural boundaries and natural-agricultural boundaries, are likely barriers to ground beetle movement. Therefore, in order for border crops to be effective in pest management by ground beetles, making habitat edges more permeable, especially using techniques such as edge softening, could promote cross-habitat movement and ultimately contribute to natural pest control in agricultural systems.

Consistent efficacy is required for entomopathogenic nematodes to gain wider adoption as biocontrol agents. Recently, we demonstrated that when exposed to nematode pheromone blends, entomopathogenic nematodes showed increased dispersal, infectivity, and efficacy under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Prior to this study, the impact of entomopathogenic nematode-pheromone combinations on field efficacy had yet to be studied. Steinernema feltiae is a commercially available entomopathogenic nematode that has been shown to increase mortality in insect pests such as the pecan weevil Curculio caryae. In this study, the pecan weevil was used as a model system to evaluate changes in S. feltiae efficacy when treated with a partially purified ascaroside pheromone blend. Following exposure to the pheromone blend, the efficacy of S. feltiae significantly increased as measured with decreased C. caryae survival despite unfavorable environmental conditions. The results of this study highlight a potential new avenue for using entomopathogenic nematodes in field conditions. With increased efficacy, using entomopathogenic nematodes will reduce reliance on conventional management methods in pecan production, translating into more environmentally acceptable practices.

While the nematicidal effectiveness of mulching against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) is calculated within organic crop protection, underlying mechanisms are not yet fully explored. Laboratory experiments were set up to determine whether mulch-derived substances cause mortality directly, or repel Meloidogyne juveniles from crop rhizosphere. Mortality and area choice tests were conducted with mulch-derived extracts, supported by the measurements on tannic acid content and the pH values of extracts as supplementary examinations. In our study, leaf litter and straw extracts were generally found lethal to the juveniles, which is in line with the results from area preference tests. However, compost extract had no effect on Meloidogyne incognita juveniles. Tannic acid content showed positive correlation with mortality only in the case of straw and sycamore leaf litter extracts. Tannic acid and pH weakly correlated with repellent effect of the applied extracts generally. Our results have inspired further experiments to explore nematicidal components of leaf litters, contributing to the development of a new approach in crop protection based on the repellent effect of these materials.

BACKGROUND: The tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici, is a major pest in tomato crops, causing damage through leaf and stem browning, defoliation and russeting of fruit. Biological control of this mite on tomato plants is difficult. While several phytoseiid mites feed on the pest, they cannot survive, move, or reproduce on tomato plants due to the presence of glandular trichomes. Pronematus ubiquitus has recently been identified as a biocontrol agent of A. lycopersici in tomato crops, but the predator-prey interaction between these two species is not well studied. In this paper, we present a validated logistic regression predator-prey model based on a 3-year study supplemented with additional datasets. Besides the predator and the prey, this model takes into account an extra generalist predator, Macrolophus pygmaeus, and various climate parameters.
RESULTS: The population trend of A. lycopersici is best explained by the presence of the predator P. ubiquitus, the relative humidity and the fact that the crop was lit or unlit using artificial light. P. ubiquitus has proved to be an efficient biocontrol agent of A. lycopersici. For P. ubiquitus the presence of M. pygmaeus, the vapour pressure deficit, the number of light hours and radiation explained the population trend best. For both the predator and the prey density-dependent interactions were identified. Model outcomes are discussed in detail.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides insights into the potential use of P. ubiquitus as a biocontrol agent for A. lycopersici in tomato crops in combination with M. pygmaeus. However, we highlight the importance of considering the presence of other predators and environmental conditions when developing integrated pest management strategies. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

In Brazil, the production of beneficial microorganisms by growers exclusively for their own use is a practice known as \"on-farm production\". Regarding on-farm bioinsecticides, they were initially deployed for pests of perennial and semi-perennial crops in the 1970s but, since 2013, their use has extended to pests of annual crops such as maize, cotton, and soybean. Millions of hectares are currently being treated with these on-farm preparations. Local production reduces costs, meets local needs, and reduces inputs of environmentally damaging chemical pesticides, facilitating establishment of more sustainable agroecosystems. Critics argue that without implementation of stringent quality control measures there is the risk that the on-farm preparations: (1) are contaminated with microbes which may include human pathogens or (2) contain very little active ingredient, impacting on field efficacy. The on-farm fermentation of bacterial insecticides predominates, especially that of Bacillus thuringiensis targeting lepidopteran pests. However, there has been a rapid growth in the past 5 years in the production of entomopathogenic fungi, mostly for the control of sap-sucking insects such as whitefly (Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)) and the corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis (DeLong and Wolcott)). In contrast, on-farm production of insect viruses has seen limited growth. Most of the ca. 5 million rural producers in Brazil own small or medium size properties and, although the vast majority still do not practice on-farm production of biopesticides, the topic has aroused interest among them. Many growers who adopt this practice usually use non-sterile containers as fermenters, resulting in poor-quality preparations, and cases of failure have been reported. On the other hand, some informal reports suggest on-farm preparations may be efficacious even when contaminated, what could be explained, at least partially, by the insecticidal secondary metabolites secreted by the pool of microorganisms in the liquid culture media. Indeed, there is insufficient information on efficacy and mode of action of these microbial biopesticides. It is usually the large farms, some with > 20,000 ha of continuous cultivated lands, that produce biopesticides with low levels of contamination, as many of them possess advanced production facilities and have access to specialized knowledge and trained staff. Uptake of on-farm biopesticides is expected to continue but the rate of adoption will depend on factors such as the selection of safe, virulent microbial strains and implementation of sound quality control measures (compliance with emerging Brazilian regulations and international standards). The challenges and opportunities of on-farm bioinsecticides are presented and discussed.

In this study, samples of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were collected from Al-Safa district in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. The presence of Wolbachia bacteria in mosquitoes was confirmed by PCR technique and they were reared and propagated in the laboratory. Comparative studies were conducted between Wolbachia-infected A. Aegypti and the Wolbachia-uninfected laboratory strain in terms of their ability to withstand drought, resist two types of insecticides and the activities of pesticide detoxification enzymes. The Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti strain proved less able to withstand the drought period, as the egg-hatching rate of the Wolbachia-uninfected strain was greater than that of the Wolbachia-infected strain after one, two and three months of dry periods. Compared to the Wolbachia-uninfected strain, the Wolbachia-infected strain demonstrated a relatively greater resistance to tested pesticides, namely Baton 100EC and Fendure 25EC which may be attributed to the higher levels of the detoxification enzymes glutathione-S-transferase and catalase and the lower levels of esterase and acetylcholine esterase.

The aim of this study was to evaluate and select entomopathogenic fungi that produces insecticidal compounds for the control of adults of Anastrepha obliqua Macquart (Diptera: tephritidae) that are the main pest of mango (Mangifera indica L. Bark) in Colombia. Nine entomopathogenic fungi isolates were evaluated, five belonging to the genus Metarhizium and four belonging to the genus Beauveria. One strain of the species Metarhizium robertsii with insecticidal activity was selected. By column fractionation, an active fraction was obtained, which caused mortalities higher than 90% after 48 h of exposure. Through HPLC it was determined that the active fraction is composed of more than 22 metabolites. Identification of the metabolites by UHPLC MS/MS revealed the presence of destruxin in E, D, A and B groups (destruxin E-diol, destruxin D, destruxin D1, destruxin D2, destruxin A2, destruxin A, destruxin A3, dihydrodestruxin A, desmB, destruxin B2, destruxin B and destruxin B1). The evaluation of the insecticidal capacity of the organic fractions obtained by HPLC indicated that the extract obtained from the isolate M. robertsii had a compound with high activity on adults of A. obliqua (destruxin A) causing massive mortality of up to 100%, after 48 h of the treatment administration. Furthermore, two other compounds with medium activity were found (destruxin A2 and destruxin B), showing mortalities between 60.0 and 81.3%, respectively. The extract of the isolate MT008 of M. robertsii showed higher insecticidal activity and a potential source for the control of A. obliqua.

BACKGROUND: Biomphalaria alexandrina snails, as transitional hosts of schistosomiasis, plays an essential part in spread of the illness. Control of these snails by the substance molluscicides antagonistically influences the oceanic climate, causing poisonous and cancer-causing consequences for non-target life forms.
OBJECTIVE: Looking for new naturally safe substances can be used for treatment of schistosomiasis disease with minimal side effects on environment and plants, fish wealth and did not affect on human vital functions.
METHODS: Fifty fungal species were used to evaluate their activity against Biomphalaria alexandrina. Study the effect of fungal extract on vital functions of Biomphalaria alexandrina and fish wealth. Purification of active substances and identification of their chemical structures. Results Cladosporium nigrellum and Penicillium aurantiogresium metabolites were effective against B. alexandrina snails, the effects of promising fungal extracts sub-lethal concentrations (IC10 & IC25) on the levels of steroid sex hormones, liver enzymes, total protein, lipids, albumin and glucose were determined. Chemical analyses of this filtrate resulted in the separation of a compound effective against snails; it was identified. Protein electrophoresis showed that fungal filtrate affects the protein pattern of snails\' haemolymph. Little or no mortality of Daphnia pulex individuals was observed after their exposure to sub lethal concentrations of each treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Certain compounds from fungal cultures could be safely used for biological control of Biomphalaria alexandrina snails.