In conservation biological control, we seek to make agricultural systems more hospitable to natural enemies, in an attempt to increase enemy abundance and diversity. However, it is unclear whether the effectiveness of biological control actually increases with growing natural enemy diversity, in communities including many species of generalist predators. Studies have shown that suppression of h...

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known in various cropping systems to increase plant growth and vigor, as well as induce resistance to pathogens and pests. A commercial soil amendment containing a mixture of two species of Bacillus PGPR (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) was evaluated for impact on germination and initial growth of bell pepper plants, efficacy aga...

Study of mechanisms responsible for regulating populations of living organisms is essential for a better comprehension of the structure of biological communities and evolutionary forces in nature. Aphids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) comprise a large and economically important group of phytophagous insects distributed worldwide. Previous studies determined that density-dependent mechanisms play ...

Aphidius transcaspicus Telenga, a mealy plum aphid (Hyalopterus pruni Geoffroy) parasitoid from the Mediterranean, was recently introduced into Hawaii for control of invasive aphids. Under laboratory conditions the parasitoid successfully attacked several important aphid pests in Hawaii, including the melon aphid Aphis gossypii Glover, the banana aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa (Coquerel), the gr...

The green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), a plant pest, and gray mold disease, caused by Botrytis cinerea, affect vegetables and fruit crops all over the world. To control this aphid and mold, farmers typically rely on the use of chemical insecticides or fungicides. However, intensive use of these chemicals over many years has led to the development of resistance. To overcome this problem, there ...

Aphids are sap-feeding plant pests and harbor the endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola, which is essential for their fecundity and survival. During plant penetration and feeding, aphids secrete saliva that contains proteins predicted to alter plant defenses and metabolism. Plants recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns and induce pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). No aphid-associated molecul...

Quinolactacide isolated from Penicillium citrinum F 1539 was synthesized and evaluated for its insecticidal activities. The key steps of the total synthesis were an acyl migration reaction of the enol ester intermediate and dehydrogenation of tetrahydroquinolactacide with manganese dioxide. The synthesized quinolactacide showed 100% and 42% mortality against the green peach aphid (Myzus persica...

In Arabidopsis thaliana, PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4 (PAD4) functions as a key player in modulating defence against the phloem sap-feeding aphid Myzus persicae (Sülzer), more commonly known as the green peach aphid (GPA), an important pest of a wide variety of plants. PAD4 controls antibiosis and antixenosis against the GPA. In addition, PAD4 deters aphid feeding from sieve elements on Arabidopsis....