Rorippa indica, a wild crucifer, has been previously reported as the first identified plant in the germplasm of Brassicaceae known to be tolerant towards the mustard aphid Lipaphis erysimi Kaltenbach. We herein report the full-length cloning, expression, purification and characterization of a novel R. indica defensin (RiD) and its efficacy against L. erysimi. Structural analysis through homolog...

In a continuing effort to develop novel β-carbolines endowed with better insecticidal activity, a simple high-yielding method for the synthesis of harmine compounds starting from L-tryptophan has been developed and a series of 1,3-substituted β-carboline derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicity against insect cultured Sf9 cell line in vitro and insecticidal activit...

The contamination of agroecosystems due to the presence of trace elements in commonly used agricultural materials is a serious issue. The most contaminated material is usually sewage sludge, and the sustainable use of this material within agriculture is a major concern. This study addresses a key issue in this respect, the fate of trace metals applied to soil in food chains. The work particular...

The activity of eleven enzymes involved in development, ageing and in metabolism of xenobiotics in insects, was investigated under the influence of 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), in the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach) (Rhynchota Aphididae), after treating the 2 instar nymphs for 13, 25 and 37 h. Studies of two hydrolases and one group transfer enzyme revealed significant e...

Aphids are major insect pests for crops, causing damage by direct feeding and transmission of plant diseases. This paper was completed to discover and characterize a novel insecticidal metabolite against aphids from soil actinobacteria. An insecticidal activity assay was used to screen 180 bacterial strains from soil samples against mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi. The bacterial strain H008 sho...

We present here the first complete genomic Aphid lethal paralysis virus (ALPV) sequence isolated from cucumber plant RNA from East Timor. We compare it with two complete ALPV genome sequences from China, and one each from Israel, South Africa, and the United States. It most closely resembled the Chinese isolate LGH genome.