Biological Control最新文献

{"title":"Compatibility of biocontrol agents with host plant resistance for management of the South American tomato pinworm Phthorimaea absoluta","authors":"Ayomide Joseph Zannou ,&nbsp;Judit Arnó ,&nbsp;Jörg Romeis ,&nbsp;Jana Collatz","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105772","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105772","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrating host plant resistance with biocontrol agents represents a promising strategy for sustainable management of <em>Phthorimaea</em> (<em>Tuta</em>) <em>absoluta</em> (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), an invasive pest that poses a significant global threat to tomato production. However, morphological resistance traits, secondary metabolites, and plant volatiles in tomato may have adverse effects on natural enemies, thereby influencing the overall efficacy of pest control. This study evaluated the performance of three natural enemies across six tomato genotypes exhibiting various levels of resistance to <em>P. absoluta</em>. First, we evaluated the performance of the parasitoid <em>Trichogramma achaeae</em> on eggs, derived from moths reared on the different tomato genotypes, both in isolation and when presented on respective tomato leaflets. Second, we assessed the performance of the parasitoid <em>Necremnus tutae</em> on tomato genotypes that hosted <em>P. absoluta</em> larvae. And finally, we investigated the predatory capacity of the mirid <em>Macrolophus pygmaeus</em> on tomatoes hosting eggs and larvae of <em>P. absoluta</em>, all derived from moths reared on these genotypes, as well as the survival of predator nymphs on the different tomato genotypes, both with and without <em>P. absoluta</em> eggs. The <em>P. absoluta</em>-susceptible tomatoes, the resistant domesticated Corona F1 and the resistant wild tomato species <em>Solanum neorickii</em> had no significant impact on the parasitism and emergence rates of both parasitoids, or on the predatory efficacy and survival of predator nymphs. In contrast, the resistant wild <em>Solanum arcanum</em> negatively affected the performance of both parasitoids, reduced predatory efficacy and survival of first-instar nymphs, and increased the development time of predator nymphs. Our findings indicate that the resistant genotypes Corona F1 and <em>S. neorickii</em> appears to be compatible with all the natural enemies, whereas <em>S. arcanum</em> appears incompatible.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105772"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"RNAi-mediated suppression of toll-like receptor NlToll1 enhances Nilaparvata lugens susceptibility to entomopathogenic fungal infection","authors":"Zhu-Long Shao ,&nbsp;Chen-Ping Lan ,&nbsp;Xiao-Ping Yu ,&nbsp;Zheng-Liang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105771","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105771","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The brown planthopper (BPH), <em>Nilaparvata lugens</em>, is the most devastating insect pest of rice. Biological control with fungal entomopathogens is an attractive alternative to chemical pesticides for controlling BPH. However, the efficacy of fungal bioagents is often limited by the immune defense responses of host insects. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of crucial pattern recognition proteins that are responsible for the immunologic recognition of invading pathogen in insects. Here, we demonstrated that the suppression of a key TLR-encoding gene <em>NlToll1</em> in BPH through RNA interference (RNAi) could significantly improve the insecticidal efficacy of an entomopathogenic fungus <em>Metarhizium anisopliae</em>. The open reading frame (ORF) of <em>NlToll1</em> was 3351 bp in length encoding a 126.7 kDa protein with a typical intracellular Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, two transmembrane domains and 14 extracellular leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of <em>NlToll1</em> had obvious spatiotemporal preferences and strongly induced by topical infection with <em>M. anisopliae</em>. Silencing of <em>NlToll1</em> using RNAi led to a significantly reduced survival rate and an increased susceptibility of BPH fifth-instar nymphs to fungal infection, which might be partially owing to the immunosuppressive effects by repressing expression of antimicrobial peptide genes and the dysbiosis of gut bacterial community caused by <em>NlToll1</em> silencing. Our results manifested that the combination use of RNAi and fungal entomopathogens would be an effective avenue for exploiting pesticide-free BPH management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105771"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards sustainable vector control: Innovative substrate identification for developing eco-friendly, cost-effective, and highly potent biopesticides","authors":"Fatma Benjeddou ,&nbsp;Ines Mnif ,&nbsp;Marie Rossignol ,&nbsp;Dhouha Ghribi ,&nbsp;Slim Tounsi ,&nbsp;Fabrice Chandre ,&nbsp;Raida Zribi-Zghal","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105768","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105768","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The unavailability of biological insecticides for mosquitoes’ control in Tunisia and their high cost make chemical pesticides the most used solution. In the present study, the development of a bio-sourced media based on agriculture by-product and free biological material was conducted for the generation of commercially valuable biopesticide from BUPM98 <em>Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis</em> strain. Through the physico-chemical characterization of the spineless <em>Opuntia ficus-indica</em> cladodes flour (SFI flour), an important total organic carbon<!--> <!-->rate (18.92 %) was detected. Thus, SFI flour was used as a potential carbon source for <em>B. thuringiensis</em> cells growth and delta-endotoxin production. A bio-sourced media based on diluted sea water, SFI flour and soybean meal, was optimized for BUPM98 delta-endotoxin production through the response surface methodology. The adjusted medium improved the production by 58 % compared to the reference medium. Moreover, an additional improvement of 22.85 % in delta-endotoxin synthesis was achieved through cultivating BUPM98 in 1 L shake flasks with baffles under optimal conditions. This enabled the biopesticides production in the novel medium (FPOM-SFI) to reach 2405.5 ± 45 mg/L. Interestingly, the FPOM-SFI(BUPM98) achieved a more than threefold activity than VectoBac®12AS. In fact, it revealed LC₅₀ values of 0.0039 mg/L and 0.0041 mg/L, against <em>Aedes aegypti</em> and <em>Anophele gambiae</em> larvae, respectively. These findings underscore the substantial potential of the BUPM98 based bio-pesticide produced in an almost bio-sourced medium for mosquito management in Tunisia as well as in North African countries, as an economical and eco-friendly alternative of chemical insecticides. FPOM-SFI(BUPM98) could be a sustainable and affordable pest control solution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105768"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soybean domestication and lead stress on plant–herbivore–parasitoid interactions","authors":"Yating Liu ,&nbsp;Luhan Li ,&nbsp;Shangyang Li ,&nbsp;Jiahao Xu ,&nbsp;Zhaoyi Feng ,&nbsp;Zhe Wang ,&nbsp;Liya Zeng ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105770","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105770","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant domestication and soil heavy metal pollution alter plant–insect interactions and influence bottom-up and top-down effects. However, their combined effect on plants, herbivores, and parasitoids remains unclear. Here, we selected three soybean genotypes, namely wild N23312, landrace N28386, and cultivated Xiangdou 33, from the same region and examined the combined effects of soybean genotype and lead (Pb) on soybeans, the herbivore <em>Spodoptera litura</em>, and its parasitoid <em>Meteorus pulchricornis</em>. The effects of soybean genotype, Pb, and their combination significantly affected soybean nutrition and defense compounds, as well as the fitness of <em>S. litura</em> and <em>M. pulchricornis</em>, along with parasitoid host selection. Pb stress decreased soybean soluble protein and sugar contents, increased trypsin inhibitor and leaf Pb contents, and extended the developmental period of <em>S. litura</em> while simultaneously reducing its survival and body weight. Pb stress reduced <em>M. pulchricornis</em> cocoon weight, adult longevity, hind tibial length, and offspring fecundity and extended the parasitoid developmental period. Pb stress primed soybean plant defenses and the effects varied significantly among soybean genotypes. The wild genotype was affected the most, followed by the landrace and cultivated genotypes, which negatively affected <em>S. litura</em> and <em>M. pulchricornis</em>. <em>Meteorus pulchricornis</em> exhibited a preference for <em>S. litura</em> larvae in Pb-stressed soybeans, with preference ranking from wild to landrace to cultivated genotypes. The findings enhance our understanding of the ecological mechanisms underlying plant–insect interactions under domestication and environmental stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105770"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Critical nymphal stages of Orius laevigatus for suboptimal feeding with pollen: Regulated deficit feeding","authors":"María del Carmen Reche ,&nbsp;Amador Rodríguez-Gómez ,&nbsp;Virginia Balanza ,&nbsp;Ana Belén Abelaira ,&nbsp;Pablo Bielza","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105767","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105767","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Augmentative biological control has proven to be highly effective in numerous greenhouse crops, largely due to the use of omnivorous predators. <em>Orius laevigatus</em> (Fieber) is a key natural enemy against thrips, and for practical application, this predator is mass-reared in biofactories, where the optimal artificial diet consists of <em>Ephestia kuehniella</em> eggs, a costly resource. However, <em>Orius</em> is known to complete its development on pollen, although the quality of the individuals produced is generally lower. This led us to question whether there are less critical developmental stages which feeding could be reduced without negatively impacting performance, naming it as “regulated deficit feeding”. To test this, we examined how partially substituting <em>Ephestia</em> eggs with pollen at specific developmental stages would affect insect development and rearing cost. Additionally, we investigated whether supplementing suboptimal amounts of <em>Ephestia</em> eggs with pollen throughout the entire nymphal period could improve overall development. Moreover, we carried out this study comparing two standard commercial populations of <em>O. laevigatus</em> with two genetically improved strains for better performance feeding on pollen. Two periods were established for nymphal development: from N1 to N3 and from N4 to N5. The period from N1 to N3 was the most critical for suboptimal feeding, leading to reduced survival, body size and female fecundity. Feeding with <em>Ephestia</em> eggs in this critical period (N1-N3) but with pollen in the less critical (N4-N5) reduced the cost of rearing to 30–70% of that of the optimal diet, without impacting biological parameters except body size, especially in the artificially selected populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105767"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced efficacy of pheromone-treated entomopathogenic nematodes against whiteflies in foliar applications with a gel adjuvant","authors":"Jermaine D. Perier ,&nbsp;Fatma Kaplan ,&nbsp;Steven Hobbs ,&nbsp;Edwin E. Lewis ,&nbsp;Alvin M. Simmons ,&nbsp;Michael D. Toews ,&nbsp;David I. Shapiro-Ilan","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105766","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105766","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The whitefly, <em>Bemisia tabaci,</em> has a diverse host range that includes many economically important crops. Plant damage and crop loss resulting from infestations of this insect pest averages &gt;$140 million (USD) annually in the southeast U.S. and requires different management approaches. Entomopathogenic nematodes are biological control agents targeting insect pests. The entomopathogenic nematode <em>Steinernema feltiae</em> is particularly virulent against <em>B. tabaci</em> and several other insect pests with aboveground life stages. However, unpredictable efficacy limits the use of entomopathogenic nematodes in aboveground/ foliar pest management strategies. Ascaroside pheromone extracts have been shown to significantly improve the efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes under field conditions that challenge their survival and efficacy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of ascaroside pheromones on <em>Steinernema feltiae</em> in foliar applications against <em>B. tabaci</em>. Cotton plants were selected as hosts for whiteflies, and 5 ml solutions of nematodes (with and without other treatments) were used for foliar applications. Evaluations occurring through laboratory and cage trials were sampled across seven days. Exposure to the pheromone treatment resulted in higher <em>S. feltiae</em> efficacy as marked by higher <em>B. tabaci</em> adult mortality up to 79.98 % and reduced <em>B. tabaci</em> nymph survival down to 5.92 %. In earlier aboveground trials using entomopathogenic nematodes, Barricade® (a gel) facilitated higher efficacy by reducing the risk of desiccation. Barricade® was included in foliar applications for comparison and the gel improved entomopathogenic nematodes’ efficacy in foliar applications. This study highlights a new avenue for the foliar application of entomopathogenic nematodes with enhanced efficacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105766"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143823656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antifungal activity of Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus against aerial and soilborne grapevine pathogens: varying efficiencies and non-target effects","authors":"Ignacio Vicente-Díez,&nbsp;Jorge Dueñas-Hernani,&nbsp;Raquel Campos-Herrera","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The extensive use of fungicides raises significant environmental and health concerns, including biodiversity loss and risks to agricultural workers, while the emergence of new fungal diseases exacerbates reliance on these chemical agents. Recent research highlights the potential of <em>Xenorhabdus</em> and <em>Photorhabdus</em>, symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), as alternative biocontrol agents against soilborne and aerial fungal pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of EPN-symbiotic bacteria and their by-products against selected fungi and their potential non-target effects on biocontrol agents used in vineyards as a model agroecosystem. Specifically, this study investigated (<em>i</em>) the antifungal effect of <em>Xenorhabdus nematophila</em> cultured in three different nutrient media (Tryptone Soya Broth- TSB-, Nutrient Broth –NB, and Luria-Bertani –LB-) and under varying fermentation durations (3 and 10 days) against <em>Botrytis cinerea</em>; (<em>ii</em>) the antifungal activity of <em>X. nematophila</em> and <em>Photorhabdus laumondii</em> subsp. <em>laumondii</em> against the soilborne pathogen <em>Armillaria mellea</em>; and (<em>iii</em>) the antibacterial activity of <em>X. nematophila, X. bovienii, P. laumondii</em> subsp. <em>laumondii</em> and <em>Photorhabdus luminescens</em> subsp<em>. kayaii</em> by-products against <em>Bacillus</em> spp., including strains used as commercial biocontrol products. Our results demonstrated that <em>X. nematophila</em> cultured in TSB and NB produced the highest inhibition of <em>B. cinerea</em>, with inhibitory effects ranging from 63.5 % to 74.3 %, depending significantly on the fermentation duration. For <em>A. mellea</em>, both cell-free supernatants (CFS) and unfiltered ferments (UFs) from <em>X. nematophila</em> and <em>P. laumondii</em> subsp. <em>laumondii</em> significantly reduced colony numbers and colonized areas, with UFs exhibiting superior efficacy. Non-target effect assays revealed selective antibacterial activity, with significant inhibition observed only against <em>Bacillus thuringiensis</em> var. <em>kurstaki</em> ABTS-351, while no effect was detected against <em>B. thuringiensis</em> PB-54 or <em>B. amyloliquefaciens</em> QST-713. These findings highlight the dual potential of <em>Xenorhabdus</em> and <em>Photorhabdus</em> bacteria as biocontrol agents for fungal pathogens and for promoting selective microbial interactions. However, further studies are needed to optimize their efficacy and assess potential non-target effects in integrated pest management in vineyards and other agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105759"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143821129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Suppressive effects of Levilactobacillus brevis on Fusarium-plant disease and its potential contribution to environmentally friendly agriculture","authors":"Yoshiko Nakashima ,&nbsp;Norihito Yamauchi ,&nbsp;Hirotatsu Murano","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105758","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105758","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To harmonize with sustainable practices, chemical pesticide use is being reduced globally, and more farmers are adopting environmentally friendly agricultural methods. In this context, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have garnered increasing attention as potential biocontrol agents, biostimulants, and biofertilizers; however, the mechanisms underlying their effects remain unclear. <em>Levilactobacillus brevis</em> KB290, a heterofermentative bacterium that produces acetic and lactic acids, and <em>Lacticaseibacillus paracasei</em> KB182-SBR1202, a homofermentative bacterium that produces only lactic acid via which it suppresses <em>Fusarium</em> growth, both <em>in vitro</em> and in natural soil, are being explored for their inhibitory mechanisms. At concentrations of 10¹ and 10⁶ CFU<!--> <!-->mL⁻¹, <em>L. brevis</em> reduced <em>Fusarium</em> growth by 36 % and 100 %, respectively, whereas at concentrations of 10⁶ CFU mL⁻¹ <em>L. paracasei</em> only reduced <em>Fusarium</em> growth by 14 %. To understand the inhibitory mechanism, LAB were cultured in liquid media and organic acid concentrations were measured. <em>L. paracasei</em> produced only lactic acid, whereas <em>L. brevis</em> produced lactic and acetic acids. The IC₅₀s for lactic and acetic acids were 18.4 mM and 9.72 mM, respectively. Acetic acid completely inhibited <em>Fusarium</em> growth, whereas lactic acid did not achieve complete inhibition at 100 mM. This suggests that acetic acid production is a key factor in <em>Fusarium</em> suppression. Application of <em>L. brevis</em> to <em>Fusarium</em>-contaminated soil suppressed <em>Fusarium</em> disease in Japanese mustard spinach (Komatsuna) for up to 14 days. Collectively, these findings suggest that <em>L. brevis</em> has the potential to effectively suppress <em>Fusarium</em> disease without the need for chemical pesticides, thereby supporting environmentally friendly agricultural practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105758"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143777659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climatic suitability and potential distribution of earleaf acacia and its candidate biological control agent Trichilogaster sp","authors":"Sara S. MacDonald ,&nbsp;Emily J. Le Falchier ,&nbsp;Lindsay P. Campbell ,&nbsp;Ryan Zonneveld ,&nbsp;Carey R. Minteer","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105757","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105757","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Acacia auriculiformis</em> A. Cunn. ex Benth. (Fabaceae), commonly known as earleaf acacia (ELA), is an invasive evergreen tree introduced to the USA from its native subtropical forests in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. Since its introduction to the United States in the 1930s, ELA has spread across Florida and Hawaii, and it has the potential to invade further climatically suitable regions. This study utilizes ecological niche modeling (ENM) to predict the potential distribution of ELA across the Caribbean, Central America, and North America, and assess the climatic suitability of Florida for the candidate biological control agent, <em>Trichilogaster</em> sp. nov., a gall-forming wasp. Earleaf acacia occurrence data were sourced from surveys and databases and <em>Trichilogaster</em> sp. nov. occurrence data were sourced from native range surveys. Ecological niche models were created using the ‘maxnet’ algorithm in the ‘ENMEval’ R package with appropriate environmental variables. The results indicate that a variety of regions across the Americas, including Florida and Louisiana in the United States, as well as Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama have climates suitable for ELA. For <em>Trichilogaster</em> sp. nov., the model forecasts suitable climatic conditions in southern Florida and along the east coast of the USA. Both models exhibit high predictive accuracy, with AUC values above 0.9. This study emphasizes the need for continued monitoring and management of ELA and evaluates areas in Florida predicted to have suitable climatic conditions for <em>Trichilogaster</em> sp. nov<em>.</em> If it is approved for release as a biocontrol agent in Florida. Our findings contribute to understanding the potential distribution of ELA in North America and offers insights into potential management strategies using its co-evolved natural enemy <em>Trichilogaster</em> sp. nov as a biological control agent.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 105757"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143823655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential interactions of larval and pupal drosophila parasitoids and their implications for biological control of Drosophila suzukii","authors":"Fabrizio Lisi ,&nbsp;D. Valle Rogers ,&nbsp;Emily E. Henry ,&nbsp;Brian N. Hogg ,&nbsp;Antonio Biondi ,&nbsp;Xingeng Wang ,&nbsp;Kent M. Daane","doi":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The parasitoid guilds attacking <em>Drosophila</em> spp. consist primarily of larval and pupal parasitoids. Most larval parasitoids are koinobiont and do not kill their hosts until they form pupae within puparia. Thus, a host parasitized by a larval parasitoid could be attacked subsequently by a pupal parasitoid via multi-parasitism or hyperparasitism. <em>Ganaspis kimorum</em> is a key larval parasitoid that has recently been introduced into Europe and the US as a classical biological control agent against <em>Drosophila suzukii</em>. <em>Pachycrepoideus vindemiae</em> and <em>Trichopria drosophilae</em> are two cosmopolitan pupal drosophila parasitoids that may affect the performance of <em>G. kimorum</em>. This study investigated potential interactions of <em>P. vindemiae</em> and <em>T. drosophilae</em> with <em>G. kimorum</em> in <em>D. suzukii</em> puparia and with <em>Leptopilina heterotoma</em> (a common larval parasitoid of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>) in <em>D. melanogaster</em> puparia. Both no-choice and choice tests were conducted to determine the pupal parasitoids’ preference to attack unparasitized or parasitized puparia containing a third instar larva of the larval parasitoid, which becomes ectoparasitic and can be easily recognized via puparium. No-choice tests demonstrated that both pupal parasitoids could parasitize puparia previously parasitized by either larval parasitoid, but only <em>P. vindemiae</em> successfully developed from multiparasitized puparia, with a significant reduction in female offspring. In choice tests, both pupal parasitoids preferred unparasitized over parasitized puparia, although no differences in the progeny sex-ratio were observed. Stereomicroscopic observations of multiparasitized <em>D. suzukii</em> puparia suggest that <em>P. vindemiae</em> would outcompete the ectoparasitic <em>G. kimorum</em> through physiological host suppression. These findings provide new insights into the potential interactions between larval and pupal drosophila parasitoids and their implications for biological control of <em>D. suzukii.</em></div></div>","PeriodicalId":8880,"journal":{"name":"Biological Control","volume":"204 ","pages":"Article 105756"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}