Yupa Hanboonsong

Termite mounds and dykes are biodiversity refuges in paddy fields in north-eastern Thailand

Paddy fields in north-eastern Thailand are heterogeneous agro-ecosystems that can be described as mosaics of paddy rice plots, dykes and termite mounds. The aim of this study was to determine if this heterogeneity influences soil macrofauna biodiversity. While biodiversity did not vary as a result of different rice management practices (direct seeding and transplanting), dykes and mounds were vital to the maintenance of soil macrofauna biodiversity. Diversity and density were higher in termite mounds and field dykes, compared to rice plots, especially during the rainy season. Consequently, termite mounds and dykes can be considered to be biodiversity hotspots that behave as refuges for other soil macrofauna during the rainy and dry seasons, providing protection against flooding and dryness. The importance of these patches of biological activity in terms of ecosystem functioning and services are discussed.

Small-scale production of edible insects for enhanced food security and rural livelihoods: experience from Thailand and Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Thailand and Lao Peoples Democratic Republic have long and rich histories of human consumption of insects, which have provided important contributions to food security and nutrition over the centuries. In the past, most insects were collected for non-commercial home consumption, but insects are now increasingly sold in local markets and to dealers as a source of cash income. While traditional household consumption remains important in many areas of the two countries, consumption patterns are evolving, with increased demand for insects as snacks and in urban areas. Production patterns are also evolving to include not only traditional harvesting of insects from wild habitats, but also semi-domestication and insect farming. Marketing practices are increasingly reflecting changing consumer preferences and demands and the growing population of urban consumers. Production, processing, and marketing of edible insects is providing important income, employment and livelihood opportunities across Thailand and Lao ...

The development of the edible cricket industry in Thailand

Since cricket farming was introduced in Thailand in 1997, domestic, regional and international interest in the edible cricket industry has increased. This study aims to identify emerging themes related the development of the edible cricket industry over the past decades. It also discusses additional themes in the development of the cricket industry in connection to the work of other scholars, as well as future considerations to maintain the positive impacts of the industry on rural economic development, entrepreneurship and employment. Eight types of actors in the cricket industry were considered in this study: cricket farmers; wholesale traders and market vendors; tourism agents; international organisa tions; chefs; private companies; researchers; and governmental representatives. The farming and sale of crickets is still a small-scale activity which is relatively profitable for the farmers and other actors in the value chain. Based on the findings of this study, the constraints to growth and further exp...

Different effects of earthworms and ants on soil properties of paddy fields in North-East Thailand

As soil engineers, earthworms and ants play major roles in soil functioning, especially in modifying soil physical and chemical properties. This study was conducted in a very constraining environment, i.e., paddy fields which have anoxic conditions (approximately four months per year), and which are affected by soil salinisation during the dry period (approximately eight months per year). This study points out that despite those very adverse conditions, soil invertebrates must be taken into account in the dynamic of soil organic and mineral properties in paddy fields. The effects of one earthworm species, Glyphodrillus sp., and an ant species, Epelysidris sp., on soil physical and chemical properties were determined through elemental soil physical and chemical properties (texture, pH, conductivity, C and N contents) and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) in order to evaluate their ability to influence soil organic matter quality. PCA processed with NIRS data clearly showed that biogenic structures (ant sheetings and earthworm casts) were separated from the control surrounding soil. Earthworms and ants affected differently soil properties. Glyphodrillus sp. increased the SOM content and decreased the pH on the surface of the soil. These effects were attributed to an increase in fine particle content (clay). Conversely, Epelysidris sp. only increased the content of coarse particles (sand) and did not influence either soil pH or SOM content. Soil conductivity was found to be very variable but was not significantly affected by soil invertebrates. These results show the potential of soil macro-fauna to create heterogeneity at small spatial scale and to modify the quality of surface soils even under adverse conditions like saline paddy fields.

Candidates for Symbiotic Control of Sugarcane White Leaf Disease

ABSTRACT The leafhopper Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura) is the most important vector of a phytoplasma pathogen causing sugarcane white leaf (SCWL) disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate candidate bacterial symbionts for possible use as vehicles in the control of the disease. 16S rRNA bacterial genes were amplified from whole bodies of M. hiroglyphicus leafhoppers and analyzed by cloning and sequencing. Two dominant groups were found: one belonged to the Betaproteobacteria that did not closely match any sequences in the database and was named bacterium associated with M. hiroglyphicus (BAMH). Another one found to be abundant in this leafhopper is “Candidatus Sulcia muelleri” in the order Bacteroidetes, which was previously reported in the insect members of the Auchenorrhyncha. Most M. hiroglyphicus leafhoppers carry both BAMH and “Ca. Sulcia muelleri.” Fluorescent in situ hybridization showed that BAMH and “Ca. Sulcia muelleri” colocalized in the same bacteriomes. BAMH was present in the midgut and ovaries of the leafhopper and was found in all developmental stages, including eggs, nymphs, and adults. Because BAMH appears to be specific for the SCWL vector, we evaluated it as a candidate for symbiotic control of sugarcane white leaf disease.

Improving feature extraction using Part Separating algorithm : Case study forinsect identification of Order Lepidoptera

In Automated Insect Identification (AII) research field, several researches focused on the feature in feature extraction that effective for insect classification in different taxonomic level. General taxonomic features from each taxa such as color, texture and shape were extracted and combined into a single value from the whole insect body. This paper was to develop feature extraction in AII for families identification of Order Lepidoptera by using Part Separating algorithm (PS), which generates a single feature value by separating feature from the whole insect body into five values. The five features were extracted from head part, front-wing part, back-wing part, abdomen part and symmetry half,the extracted feature related with each other. This proposed algorithm developed feature extraction method for familys identification at Order Lepidoptera. In result, proposed algorithm has accuracy 97.27 % at family Sphingidae.

Effects of Selected Insecticides on Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura), a Vector of Sugarcane White Leaf Disease, and on Two Natural Enemies of the Sugarcane Stem Borer in Sugarcane Fields

Sugarcane white leaf disease, caused by phytoplasma, is the most severe disease that affects sugar production in Thailand. The major vector of this disease is the leafhopper, Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura). Although several approaches have been employed for management of this vector, they have not been fully successful in eliminating the disease. In the present study, the efficacy of different insecticides in controlling M. hiroglyphicus was evaluated along with their impact on the natural enemies of sugarcane stem borer, which are commonly released in sugarcane fields in Thailand. The study was performed in fields growing tissue culture-raised sugarcane plantlets. Among the different insecticides tested in greenhouse as well as in field, dinotefuran resulted in high mortality of M. hiroglyphicus and had a long residual effect. The impact of dinotefuran on a natural larval parasitoid, Cotesia flavipes (Cameron), and on an egg parasitoid, Trichogramma confusum Viggiani, was observed to be relatively less, and it disappeared rapidly. Hence, our results suggest that dinotefuran is an effective pesticide for the management of M. hiroglyphicus, a key vector of sugarcane white leaf disease.

Characterization of Direct Current-Electrical Penetration Graph Waveforms and Correlation With the Probing Behavior of Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the Insect Vector of Sugarcane White Leaf Phytoplasma

The leafhopper Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is an important vector of phytoplasma causing white leaf disease in sugarcane. Thus, the aim of our study was to understand and describe the stylet-probing activities of this vector while feeding on sugarcane plants, by using direct current (DC) electrical penetration graph (EPG) monitoring. The EPG signals were classified into six distinct waveforms, according to amplitude, frequency, voltage level, and electrical origin of the observed traces during stylet penetration into the host plant tissues (probing). These six EPG waveforms of probing behavior comprise no stylet penetration (NP); stylet pathway through epidermis, mesophyll, and parenchymal cells (waveform A); contact at the bundle sheath layer (waveform B); salivation into phloem sieve elements (waveform C); phloem sap ingestion (waveform D); and short ingestion time of xylem sap (waveform E). The above waveform patterns were correlated with histological data of salivary sheath termini in plant tissue generated from insect stylet tips. The key findings of this study were that M. hiroglyphicus ingests the phloem sap at a relatively higher rate and for longer duration from any other cell type, suggesting that M. hiroglyphicus is mainly a phloem-feeder. Quantitative comparison of probing behavior revealed that females typically probe more frequently and longer in the phloem than males. Thus, females may acquire and inoculate greater amounts of phytoplasma than males, enhancing the efficiency of phytoplasma transmission and potentially exacerbating disease spreading. Overall, our study provides basic information on the probing behavior and transmission mechanism of M. hiroglyphicus.