Biological invaders have long been hypothesized to exhibit the fast end of the life-history spectrum, with early reproduction and a short lifespan. Here, we examine the rapid evolution of life history within the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis. The species, once used as a biological control agent, is now a worldwide invader. We show that biocontrol populations have evolved a classic fast l...

ABSTRACT The PaEXG2 gene, encoding an exo-beta-1,3-glucanase, was isolated from the biocontrol agent Pichia anomala strain K. PaEXG2 has the capacity for coding an acidic protein of 427 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 45.7 kDa, a calculated pI of 4.7, and one potential N-glycosylation site. PaEXG2 was disrupted by the insertion of the URA3 marker gene, encoding orotidine monoph...

To examine the community-wide effects of introduced biocontrol agents on Kauai Island, Hawaii, we constructed quantitative food webs showing interactions among plants, moths, and moth parasitoids in a native forest. Eighty-three percent of parasitoids reared from native moths were biological control agents, 14% were accidental immigrants, and 3% were native species. Although parasitism by biolo...

In this study, Bacillus subtilis 9407 showed a strong antibacterial activity against Acidovorax citrulli in vitro and 61.7% biocontrol efficacy on melon seedlings 4 days post inoculation under greenhouse conditions. To understand the biocontrol mechanism of B. subtilis 9407, identify the primary antibacterial compound and determine its role in controlling bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), a srfAB d...

Mycoparasitic strains of Trichoderma are applied as commercial biofungicides for control of soilborne plant pathogens. Although the majority of commercial biofungicides are Trichoderma based, chemical pesticides, which are ecological and environmental hazards, still dominate the market. This is because biofungicides are not as effective or consistent as chemical fungicides. Efforts to improve t...

Schizotetranychus nanjingensis Ma & Yuan is a mite pest injurious to the giant bamboo ( Phyllostachys pubscens ) in Fujian, China. The predatory mite Amblyseius longispinosus was explored as a potential biocontrol agent against S. nanjingensis in a series of experiments. Functional response experiments at six different temperatures showed that handling time ( Th ) generally decreased with tempe...

There has been renewed interest in the application of endophytic fungi to control phytopathogenic fungi, which cause significant damage crop health, ultimately leading losses agricultural productivity. Endophytic inhibit pathogens via different modes action—mycoparasitism, competition (for nutrients and ecological niches), antibiosis, induction plant defense—thus demonstrating ability a wide ra...

Investigations on the development of a biocontrol agent against the alarming stored food pest Corcyra cephalonica has witnessed noteworthy growth in current years from mainly physiological studies, to tackling fundamental queries concerning the underlying mode of action. Chitinase from Trichoderma viride, which has inauspicious effects on feeding behavior, development and biochemical parameters...