Yanhui Lu's research while affiliated with Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and other places

Simple Summary Different nutritional supplements can differentially affect the reproductive performance of parasitoid wasps, and selection of optimal diets can increase parasitoid quality, increasing their effectiveness as biological control agents. Binodoxys communis (Gahan) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is the main parasitoid attacking Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphidae) in Xinjiang, China. In this study we tested the effects of fructose, glucose, sucrose, trehalose, maltose, melezitose, and sorbitol on the longevity, parasitism ability, parasitism behavior, and flight ability of B. communis. We found that, compared with other sugars, B. communis fed on glucose, sucrose, or fructose had significantly greatly longevity and parasitism ability. Also, parasitoids that were fed these sugars interacted with A. gossypii more frequently during parasitization and had an enhanced ability. The above information helps in the evaluation of nutritional supplements, both to improve the parasitoid’s reproductive performance and its effectiveness as a biological control agent. Abstract Alterative nutritional foods consumed by adult parasitoids play an important role in their fitness and ability to control pests because of food scarcity in many crops. While adult parasitoids feed on various sugars, they vary in their nutritional value for parasitoids. We assessed the effects of seven sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose, trehalose, maltose, melezitose, and sorbitol) on the longevity, parasitism ability, parasitism behavior, and flight ability of B. communis, an important parasitoid of cotton aphids. We found that access to glucose, sucrose, or fructose, increased B. communis adult longevity more than the other sugars offered. All sugars except trehalose increased the parasitism rate to more than 50% compared to the starved control (only provided with water). We then compared parasitoid behaviors of wasps fed glucose, sucrose, or fructose to that of the starved control (with access only to water) and found that those fed B. communis spent more time either examining or attacking aphids than parasitoids in the control group, which spent more time walking or resting. Also, consumption of glucose, sucrose, or fructose also significantly improved the flight ability (the total flight distance, flight time, and average flight speed) of B. communis.

BACKGROUND Agricultural land‐use change is an important driver of pest population dynamics, and can alter source–sink dynamics and the concentration‐dilution effects of the landscape. Understanding the effects of land use on pests at both landscape and regional levels is essential for the development of sustainable pest management strategies given the large changes occurring in cropping systems in China. At the landscape level, we investigated the impacts of landscape composition and edge density on pheromone trap catch of codling moth (Cydia pomonella) in apple orchards, in Aksu, Xinjiang, China. At the regional scale, we conducted a meta‐analysis using data from studies performed across the Aksu area in recent decades, to assess the relationship between trends in codling moth abundance and the area of apple cultivation. RESULTS Both extensive planting of apple and large areas of annual crops in the landscape increased the abundance of codling moth, whereas the presence of secondary host plants (peach, pear, walnut, plum, and apricot) had a negative effect. Seminatural habitats and landscape edge density did not significantly affect codling moth abundance. The responses of different generations of codling moth to landscape factors were varied. At the regional level, codling moth occurrence was positively correlated with the expansion of apple production areas. CONCLUSION Expansion of apple cultivation increases the abundance of codling moth in agricultural landscapes. We recommend decreasing the area devoted to monocultures of apple when designing agricultural landscapes and increasing plantings of secondary host crops to dilute and reduce the abundance of codling moth. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used to control Lepidopteran pests by inducing inherited sterility. The noctuid moth Xestia c-nigrum is a polyphagous pest whose subterranean larvae severely injure cereals and some vegetables. The goals of this study were to assess the impact of X-ray irradiation on the development and survival of X. c-nigrum and use the data to select suitable sterilizing doses for potential future use in pest management. Batches of male pupae were exposed to 0 (control), 10, 30, 50, 100, 200, 300, or 400 Gy of X-rays, approximately 24 h before adult emergence. Exposure of late-stage pupae to 10–200 Gy of radiation had no significant effect on adult emergence, but all doses (10–400 Gy) reduced adult longevity, the number of spermatophores in mated females, and the number of eggs laid per female in the irradiated parental generation compared with the controls. Exposure to 10 and 30 Gy had no significant effects in the F1 generation on 1) the rate of egg hatch, 2) the duration of larval or pupal development, or 3) adult longevity. However, exposure to 50 Gy reduced the rate of egg hatch in the F1 generation, and when male pupae were exposed to 100 Gy only 1% of the F1 eggs hatched. Also at 100 Gy, the developmental durations of larvae and pupae were significantly prolonged, and longevity of adult moths was reduced. There were no significant differences between the control group and any treatments in 1) the sex ratio of the F1 adults, 2) the duration of F1 pre-oviposition or oviposition periods, or 3) the number of eggs laid per F1 female. Our findings indicate that a dose of 100 Gy can effectively slow pest development and reduce larval survival in the F1 generation. In addition, F1 adults from lines treated with 100 Gy were able to mate and lay eggs, but all F2 eggs failed to hatch. Our results suggest that use of X-ray irradiation has potential to control this polyphagous pest at the regional level.