Tsutomu Saito

Effect of insecticides on the mortalities of three whitefly parasitoid species, Eretmocerusmundus, Eretmoceruseremicus and Encarsiaformosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

The toxicities of 24 insecticides for the biological control of whiteflies were evaluated for Eretmocerus mundus (Mercet), Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerowich and Encarsia formosa Gahan using the residual film method (for adults) and the dipping method (for pupae). Mortalities from insect growth regulators (IGRs) (flufenoxuron and lufenuron), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), pymetrozine and sulfur were <30% for both pupae and adults of all three species, indicating that the parasitoids were not seriously affected by these insecticides. Neonicotinoids (acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and nitenpyram), synthetic pyrethroids (etofenprox and permethrin), organophosphates (acephate and fenitrothion), chlorphenapyr, emamectin benzoate, spinosad and tolfenpyrad were seriously harmful (100% mortality) and acaricides (chinomethionat, milbemectin and pyridaben) were moderately harmful or seriously harmful to adult parasitoids (leading to mortalities of >92%). For each insecticide, the mortality of pupae was generally lower than that of adults, even though the toxicity classification for the two groups was similar. The results indicate that IGRs, Bt, pymetrozine and sulfur are relatively harmless, and are compatible with the use of parasitoids to help control whiteflies for integrated pest management in greenhouses.

Characterization of Paecilomyces cinnamomeus from the camellia whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), infesting tea in Japan

The whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae Kanmiya and Kasai (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is an invasive species in Japan that was first discovered in 2004 on tea in Kyoto. Soon after its arrival epizootics of an entomopathogenic fungus were observed in populations of the whitefly in many tea-growing regions. Here we identify this fungus as Paecilomyces cinnamomeus (Petch) Samson and W. Gams (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) based on morphological characteristics and molecular analyses. This is the first record of P. cinnamomeus in Japan and also the first time it has been recorded from the genus Aleurocanthus. A isolate of P. cinnamomeus caused greater than 50% and 90% infection in whitefly nymphs at 1×10(6) and 1×10(7)conidia/ml respectively, while the commercial mycoinsecticides Preferd® (Isaria fumosorosea) and Mycotal® (Lecanicillium muscarium) caused <10% infection at their recommended field rates (5×10(6) and 9×10(6)conidia/ml, respectively), suggesting that P. cinnamomeus may be more useful as a control agent than the currently available mycoinsecticides. Optimum and upper limit temperatures for in vitro growth of P. cinnamomeus isolates were 22.5-25°C and 32.5°C, respectively. At field rates, the fungicide thiophanate-methyl caused some inhibition of in vitro growth of P. cinnamomeus isolates, and the bactericide copper oxychloride and the insecticides tolfenpyrad and methidathion were strongly inhibitory. The findings obtained in this study will be useful in the development of microbial control programs using P. cinnamomeus against A. camelliae.

The leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) encapsulates its koinobiont parasitoid Halticoptera circulus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae): implications for biological control.

The koinobiont parasitoid Halticoptera circulus (Walker) is a potential biological control agent of leafminers, but it has only rarely been collected from the invasive leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), in Japan. To understand why this is the case, parasitism and development of H. circulus in L. trifolii was compared with parasitism and development in two indigenous leafminer species, Liriomyza chinensis Kato and Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau). There was no significant difference in parasitism rates by H. circulus in the three leafminer species and the eggs and larvae successfully developed in L. chinensis and C. horticola. However, H. circulus failed to develop in L. trifolii, where developmental stages were encapsulated by host haemocytes. This parasitoid may be a good agent to control indigenous leafminers such as L. chinensis and C. horticola but is unlikely to be useful for the biological control of the invasive L. trifolii in Japan.

Volatiles from wasabi inhibit entomopathogenic fungi: implications for tritrophic interactions and biological control

When wasabi plants are damaged by plant pathogens or herbivores they produce volatile allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) as a defense mechanism. In the current study, we conducted experiments to determine whether volatiles from damaged wasabi leaves or synthetic AITC also have negative effects on the beneficial entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana sensu lato (Balsamo) Vuillemin and Isaria fumosorosea Wize, which contribute to regulation of a major pest of wasabi, the striated white butterfly, Pieris melete Ménétriès. Conidial germination of both fungi was inhibited when exposed to volatiles from macerated wasabi leaves; the concentration of AITC in the volatiles was also quantified. The inhibitory activity of macerated wasabi leaves was compared with that of synthetic AITC, demonstrating that the inhibitory effect of wasabi volatiles was due to the presence of AITC. These results indicate that AITC released from damaged wasabi leaves has the potential to inhibit fungal infection of insect pests in wasabi fields.

Ion-beam and gamma-ray irradiations induce thermotolerant mutants in the entomopathogenic fungusMetarhizium anisopliae s.l.

Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae (Metch.) Sorokin, are important agents for the biological control of insect pests. However, these fungi are not compatible with high temperatures. In this study, mutagenesis using ion beams or gamma rays was used to generate five potentially thermotolerant mutants from two wild-type isolates of M. anisopliae (two using ion beams and three using gamma rays). The mutant isolates had a higher upper thermal limit for vegetative growth compared to the wild types (by 2–3°C) and enhanced tolerance to wet–heat stress of 45°C for conidial germination. At 25°C and 30°C, most mutants were as virulent to maize weevil adults as the wild type, however, one mutant produced using ion beams almost lost virulence entirely. These results indicate that ion beams and gamma rays are useful tools for improving biological characteristics, such as thermotolerance, in entomopathogenic fungi, but that mutants must be carefully evaluated for unpredictable negative side effects.