B. J. R. Philogène

Field responses of certain forest Coleoptera to conifer monoterpenes and ethanol

Field experiments using baited sticky stovepipe traps and Lindgren multiple funnel traps were done near Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, to determine the effects of conifer monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene, limonene, camphene and carene) and ethanol on the number of beetles captured. Several species of conifer-feeding beetles were attracted to the monoterpenes or to monoterpenes and ethanol, including species in the families Cerambycidae (Asemum striatum, Acmaeops proteus, Xylotrechus undulatus, Monochamus scutellatus), Curculionidae (Pissodes strobi, Hylobius pales), and Scolytidae (Dryocetes autographus, Ips grandicollis). Species of Buprestidae generally did not respond to the monoterpenes or to ethanol. Species of Cleridae (Thanasimus dubius, Enoclerus nigripes rufiventris, Enoclerus nigrifrons gerhardi) which are predators of conifer bark beetles were attracted to the monoterpenes. Synergism between monoterpenes and ethanol was evident forM. scutellatus, H. pales, andD. autographus. While α-pinene was the most potent attractant for most beetle species, monoterpenes other than α-pinene synergized attraction to ethanol forD. autographus. Attraction of beetles to commercial turpentine and ethanol did not differ significantly from attraction to a pure monoterpene blend and ethanol.

Insecticidal defenses of Piperaceae from the neotropics.

Insecticidal and growth-reducing properties of extracts of 14 species of American neotropical Piperaceae were investigated by inclusion in diets of a polyphagous lepidopteran, the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis. Nutritional indices suggested most extracts acted by postdigestive toxicity.Piper aduncum, P. tuberculatum, andP. decurrens were among the most active species and were subjected to bioassay-guided isolation of the active components. Dillapiol was isolated from the active fraction ofP. aduncum, piperlonguminine was isolated fromP. tuberculatum, and a novel neolignan fromP. decurrens. The results support other studies on Asian and AfricanPiper species, which suggest that lignans and isobutyl amides are the active defence compounds in this family.

A review of Piper spp. (Piperaceae) phytochemistry, insecticidal activity and mode of action

The tropical plant family Piperaceae has provided many past and present civilizations with a source of diverse medicines and food grade spice. The secondary plant compounds that produce these desired qualities function also as chemical defenses for many species in the genus Piper. The compounds with the greatest insecticidal activity are the piperamides. Many studies have shown the effectiveness of Piper spp. extracts for the control of stored products pests and recently studies from our laboratory group have tested the extracts of Piper. nigrum, P. guineense and P. tuberculatum against insect pests of the home and garden. These results and those from investigations that examined the biochemical and molecular modes of action of the piperamides singly or in combination will be the focus of this review. The conclusions of our current work with Piperaceae are that Piper extracts offer a unique and useful source of biopesticide material for controlling small-scale insect out-breaks and reducing the likelihood of resistance development when applied as a synergist with other botanical insecticides such as pyrethrum.

Dehydrodimers of Ferulic Acid in Maize Grain Pericarp and Aleurone: Resistance Factors to Fusarium graminearum.

ABSTRACT The relationship between the primary cell wall phenolic acids, dehydrodimers of ferulic acid, and maize grain resistance to Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of gibberella ear rot, was investigated. Concentrations of dehydrodimers of ferulic acid were determined in the pericarp and aleurone tissues of five inbreds and two hybrids of varying susceptibility and in a segregating population from a cross between a resistant and susceptible inbred. Significant negative correlations were found between disease severity and diferulic acid content. Even stronger correlations were observed between diferulic acid and the fungal steroid ergosterol, which is an indicator of fungal biomass in infected plant tissue. These results were consistent over two consecutive field seasons, which differed significantly for temperature and rainfall during pollination, the most susceptible stage of ear development. No correlation was found between the levels of these phenolics and deoxynivalenol levels. This is the first report of in vivo evidence that the dehydrodimers of ferulic acid content in pericarp and aleurone tissues may play a role in genotypic resistance of maize to gibberella ear rot.

Insecticide synergists: Role, importance, and perspectives

Synergists have been used commercially for about 50 years and have contributed significantly to improve the efficacy of insecticides, particularly when problems of resistance have arisen. In the current article we review the nature, mode of action, role in resistance management, natural occurrence, and significance in research of insecticide synergists. These natural or synthetic chemicals, which increase the lethality and effectiveness of currently available insecticides, are by themselves considered nontoxic. The mode of action of the majority of synergists is to block the metabolic systems that would otherwise break down insecticide molecules. They interfere with the detoxication of insecticides through their action on polysubstrate monooxygenases (PSMOs) and other enzyme systems. The role of synergists in resistance management is related directly to an enzyme-inhibiting action, restoring the susceptibility of insects to the chemical, which would otherwise require higher levels of the toxicant for their control. For this reason synergists are considered straightforward tools for overcoming metabolic resistance, and can also delay the manifestation of resistance. However, the full potential of these compounds may not have been realized in resistance management. Synergists have an important role to play in the ongoing investigation of insecticide toxicity and mode of action and the nature of resistance mechanism. They also can be used in understanding the effects of other xenobiotics in non-target organisms. The search for and the need of new molecules capable of synergizing existing or new pesticides has reactivated the identification and characterization of secondary plant compounds possessing such activity. Plants do possess and utilize synergists to overcome the damage produced by phytophages. This has to be exploited in pest management programs. Hopefully, it will lead to a new perspective on the nature and significance of synergism.

Correlation of phenolic acid content of maize to resistance toSitophilus zeamais, the maize weevil, in CIMMYT'S collections.

The (E)-ferulic acid content of the grain of nine populations of land races of maize derived from CIMMYTs collections was found to be negatively correlated to susceptibility characteristics towards the maize weevilSitophilus zeamais. Correlation coefficients for six susceptibility parameters and (E)-ferulic acid content were significant and ranged from −0.58 to −0.79. A multiple regression analysis by the SAS forward procedure using the primary seed characteristics associated with susceptibility indicated that the ferulic acid content was the only significant factor in explaining variation in at least two susceptibility parameters: the Dobie index and adult preference. In 15 CIMMYT pools, correlations between four susceptibility parameters and (E)-ferulic acid content were also significant (−0.76 to −0.81). The results suggest that phenolic acid content is a leading indicator of grain resistance or susceptibility to insects and may represent a newly identified mechanism of resistance.

Insecticidal activity of Piper tuberculatum Jacq. extracts: synergistic interaction of piperamides

Abstract 1  The insecticidal activity of the neotropical pepper Piper tuberculatum Jacq. and its isolated piperamides was studied. Bioassays with the mosquito Aedes atropalpus L. assessed the relative toxicity of the whole extract of Piper tuberculatum and four of the piperamides, which were isolated and identified, then prepared synthetically. 2  The results confirm that P. tuberculatum leaf extracts are as effective as black pepper seed extract and provide an alternative pepper insecticide from a more convenient source, the leaves. 3  Experiments with piperamides showed that the tertiary and quaternary mixtures have greater‐than‐additive toxicity compared to single compounds or binary mixtures. One of the four amide compounds, 4,5‐dihydropiperlonguminine, was the most acutely toxic in mosquito larvae bioassays. 4  A study of piperamide levels from different P. tuberculatum populations in Costa Rica determined that they were relatively homogeneous. Piper tuberculatum from only one of the five sites had higher levels of one piperamide, 4,5‐dihydropiperine, in both leaf and stem parts. One explanation for differences in the amide concentrations between populations is that one site is ecologically unique compared to the other four.

Role of phenolics in resistance of maize grain to the stored grain insects, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) and Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch.)☆

Abstract Phenolics in maize, Zea mays L., grain were assessed as a possible factor or indicator of resistance to two stored product insect pests. Weight loss of grain of seven maize genotypes due to Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) was found to be strongly and negatively correlated to the phenolic content of maize grain determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) [ r = −0.93, P ( r > −0.93) = 0.01]. Similarly, using 25 Mexican landraces, grain weight loss due to Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was determined to be negatively correlated to total phenolics in the grain [ r = −0.84, P ( r > −0.84) = 0.01] as measured by a new and rapid quantitative imaging technique. The technique employed microspectrofluorimetry to quantify intense fluorescence due to phenolics in milled grain samples or to locate fluorescence in cross sections of whole grains. In whole grains, fluorescence was most intense in the aleurone layer, pericarp and embryo but less intense in the endosperm. These localizations were confirmed by HPLC of extracts of the various tissues.

Light-mediated allelochemical effects of naturally occurring polyacetylenes and thiophenes from asteraceae on herbivorous insects.

Polyacetylenes and their thiophene derivatives, characteristic secondary metabolites of the Asteraceae, were examined for their effects on herbivorous insects. Three thiophenes (a monothiophene, a bithiophene, and α-terthienyl) and four polyacetylenes (phenylheptatriyne, phenylheptadiynene, phenylheptadiyene acetate, and matricaria lactone) were studied for their phototoxicity and light-independent toxicity to (1) a polyphagous lepidopteran,Ostrinia nubilalis, whose host range includes a number of phototoxic Asteraceae, (2) a polyphagous lepidoteran,Euxoa messoria, whose host range includes very few species of Asteraceae, and (3) an oligophagous lepidopteran,Manduca sexta, which is a specialist on Solanaceae. Several compounds were phototoxic toM. sexta andE. messoria even at very low irradiance levels, but behavioral adaptations, including spinning silk and boring into diet, allowedO. nubilalis to avoid photosensitization. Light-independent activity of the compounds to all three species involved feeding deterrence increasing in the orderO. nubilalis, E. messoria, andM. sexta, and longterm metabolic toxicity in the form of impaired nutrient utilization. The biosynthetically derived thiophenes were more toxic than their acetylenic precursors, and toxicity increased with increasing number of thiophene rings. The results are discussed in terms of plant-insect coevolution.

Effect of lignans and other secondary metabolites of the asteraceae on the mono-oxygenase activity of the european corn borer

Abstract Five lignans and two representative allelochemicals from the Asteraceae, a polyacetylene and a sesquiterpene lactone, were assayed in vitro for their activity on the gut microsomal monooxygenases (PSMOs) in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis . At concentrations ranging from 10 −7 to 10 −3 M, diasesartemin, dillapiol, sesamolin, and to a lesser extent cubebin, were inhibitors of the epoxidase activity. Epiyangambin had little effect. Phenylheptatriyne and tenulin stimulated PSMO activity at low concentrations, and were inhibitors at higher concentrations. The significance of PSMO inhibitors for the plant defence system as well as for the insect is discussed.