Ferit Turanli

Potato Expressing Beetle-Specific Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Aa Toxin Reduces Performance of a Moth

Expression of the Bacillus thuringiensis beetle-specific toxin Cry3Aa, which renders a genetically modified potato cultivar resistant to the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata, exerts a deleterious effect on the polyphagous moth Spodoptera littoralis. The caterpillars of S. littoralis feed less and produce smaller pupae on the genetically modified cultivar (NewLeaf Superior) than on the parental nontransgenic cultivar (Superior). The conversion efficiencies of total dry matter, combustion heat, carbon, and nitrogen from leaves to insect biomass are similar on both cultivars. In spite of similar food utilization and a relatively small difference in the body mass at pupation, female adults that developed from caterpillars fed on NewLeaf Superior lay a mean of 309 eggs compared to a mean of 713 eggs deposited by females that developed from caterpillars fed on Superior. Because of this difference and a simultaneous reduction in fertility (egg hatchability) from 78 to 48%, a pair of adults that fed as larvae on NewLeaf Superior produces only 148 larvae, whereas a pair of adults that fed as larvae on Superior produces 556 larvae. We suggest that small amounts of Cry3Aa that accumulate in insect tissue and persist until the adult stage are responsible for the decline in reproduction.

First Record of Cassida pusilla Waltl, 1835 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) in Turkey

Cassida L., 1758, with 428 described species, is the most speciose genus within the subfamily Cassidinae (Borowiec and Świętojańska 2011). Eighty-seven species are recorded from Europe and the Mediterranean subregion (Borowiec and Sekerka 2010). Kismali and Sassi (1994) published a list of Turkish Cassidinae and recorded 35 species of Cassida, eight of them for the first time from the country. However, records of two species, Cassida hexastigma Suffrian, 1844 and Cassida humeralis Kraatz, 1874, have been published based on misidentifications and were later removed from the Turkish fauna (Kismali and Sassi 1997). Additionally, two species were described recently from Turkey (Sekerka 2006, 2008). Borowiec and Sekerka (2010) listed 44 species in six genera occurring in Turkey. Finally, Özdikmen (2011) published an extensive contribution on Turkish leaf beetles, adding four more species and providing a checklist (based on Borowiec and Sekerka 2010) of all species occurring in Turkey. In recently collected material, we found another species, Cassida pusilla Waltl, 1839, yet unknown from Turkey, which brings the known cassidine fauna to 49 species. The pusilla species-group forms a natural group of three species reviewed by Sassi (1992). The species were traditionally placed in the subgenus Dolichocassida Günther, 1958 (Borowiec 2007). However, the subgeneric classification of Cassida is partly artificial, very dubious, and is more or less applicable only to Palaearctic species. Here we follow the present view of Cassida as a broadly defined genus with natural species-groups (i.e. Borowiec and Sekerka 2010). Our study was carried out during 2009–2010 to clarify the cassidine species living in the vicinity of Urla, Izmir, and to provide information on their distribution and host plants. Samples were collected by sweeping vegetation and shaking plants (Kismali 1999). Collected samples were brought to the laboratory and collecting data were recorded. The dorsal habitus was photographed with a Leica S8Apo stereomicroscope with Nikon Coolpix 4500 as 12 separate stacks and combined using Helicon software. Specimens are deposited in the Museum of Prof. Dr. Niyazi Lodos (LEMT: Lodos Entomology Museum, Turkey), Plant Protection Department of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. One specimen is deposited at the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. The host plant was identified by Prof. Dr. Yıldız Nemli, Ege University.

The distribution of Russian Wheat Aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in Turkey

The Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most economically important and widely distributed pests of wheat in the world. In 1962, D. noxia caused crop losses between 25 and 60% in the central province of Konya, Turkey. In this study, the current status of the pest in wheat-producing areas of Turkey was investigated along a route from Izmir to Manisa, Usak, Kutahya, Eskisehir, Aksehir, Ankara, Konya, Aksaray, Nevsehir, Yozgat and Erzurum. D. noxia was detected in 58 of the 100 wheat fields surveyed in most fields and wheat was at the heading stage. The population density of the pest was low in 23 fields, medium in 22 fields and high in 13 fields. The percentage of infestation was low in 31 fields, medium in 12 fields, and high in three fields and very high in three fields. D. noxia was collected from bread or durum wheat plants (71%), barley plants (10%), volunteer oats (8%) (Avena fatua), volunteer wheat (6%), false barley (Hordeum murinum) (4%) and natural grasses (1%). According to results of the study, population density, damage and infestation rates of D. noxia were higher in high altitudes.

Identification of resistance to Eurygaster integriceps Put. on some bread wheat genotypes

Sunn pest ( Eurygaster integriceps Put.) is one of the most important pests of wheat in Eastern Europe including Turkey, West and Cen-tral Asia. Its damage on leaves, stems, spikes and grains reduce the baking quality of flour made from damaged grains. In this study, some wheat genotypes from Turkey and ICARDA were evaluated for the pest resistance. The genotypes were planted in a randomized block design using hill plots in nylon mesh screening cages in wheat growing season of 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Sunn pest population was collected from Canakkale province, where the pest was intensely found in recent years. The plants of each hill plots were infested with one male and one female Sunn pest adults. The results with 12.5% sucking damage showed that the genotypes from ICARDA had higher resistance than the landraces from Turkey to Sunn pest. Especially, the genotypes IC3 and IC4 from ICARDA and TR7 from Turkey with respect to their SED and DSED values were found the most promising genotypes resistant to Sunn pest for future breeding programs.

Ege Bölgesinde İkinci Ürün Mısırda Zararlı Zyginidia pullula (Boherman, 1845) Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)’nın Neden Olduğu Ürün Kaybı ve Ekonomik Zarar Eşiği Üzerinde Araştırmalar

Bu c alisma, ikinci urun misirin onemli zararlilarindan Zyginidia pullula (Boherman, 1845) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)’nin misir bitkisinde Ekonomik Zarar Esiginin (EZE) belirlenmesi amaciyla yurutulmustur. Calismalar 2011-2013 yillarinda Bornova Zirai Mucadele Arastirma Enstitusu laboratuvarlari ile Ege Universitesi Ziraat Fakultesi’ne ait Bornova’daki deneme alanlarina kurulan kafeslerde gerceklestirilmistir. Arazi calismalari ise 2011-2014 yillari arasinda Aydin (Merkez, Cine, Kocarli, Soke), Izmir (Bergama, Menemen) ve Manisa (Merkez, Akhisar, Salihli, Saruhanli) illerinde 2-4 yaprak asamasindaki ikinci urun misir alanlarinda yurutulmustur. Kafeslere tesaduf bloklari deneme desenine gore ekilmis misir bitkilerine bitki basina 10, 30 ve 100 adet olacak sekilde kitle uretimi yapilan Z. pullula erginleri salinarak denemeler kurulmustur. Haftalik olarak zararli sayimi, zarar belirtileri degerlendirilmis ve elde edilen tane verim degerlerinin ortalamalarina regresyon analizi uygulanmistir. Kafes calismalari sonucunda zararlinin EZE degeri bitki basina 13 birey olarak saptanmistir. Sayim sonuclarina gore Aydin iline bagli Cine ve Kocarli ilcelerinde, Izmir iline bagli Bergama ve Menemen ilceleri ile Manisa iline bagli Saruhanli ilcelerinde misir tarlalarinda zararlinin populasyonunun EZE degerini astigi saptanmistir. Bu sonuclara bagli olarak zararlinin misir uretim alanlarinda epidemi yapma potansiyeli oldugu saptanmistir. Ayrica calisma ile kanyas gibi yabani Graminae turlerinin ara konukculuk yaparak zararlinin yogunlugunun artmasina neden oldugu gozlenmistir.

Salkım Güvesi Lobesia botrana Den. & Schiff. (Lepidoptera:Tortricidae)'nın Savaşımında Bazı Biyopestisitler ve Karışımlarının Etkinliklerinin İncelenmesi1

u calismada salkim guvesi, Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)’ya karsi entegre zararli yonetimi programlarinda kullanilan Bacillus B