We studied the biology of the ambrosia beetle Platypus quercivorus in the logs of five tree species to determine: (1) the relationship between the amount of frass produced by beetles and tunnel length, (2) the relationship between frass shape and the morphological characteristics of P. quercivorus mouthparts, and (3) the suitability of five tree species for P. quercivorus reproduction. Five logs each from healthy Quercus crispula, Q. serrata, Castanea crenata, Sorbus japonica, and Cryptomeria japonica trees were used in this experiment. The results showed that there was a linear relationship between the amount of frass and tunnel length. Whenever powdery frass was produced, larvae were found in the gallery in the log, while fibrous frass was present only in galleries that contained just adults. The mouthparts of adults were completely sclerotized, which likely accounts for the fibrous frass production. Host preference of P. quercivorus was examined at two stages using five tree species. The first stage is digging initiation, which concerns male preference for digging a tunnel. More holes were made by males on S. japonica and Q. serrata logs, while fewer holes were made on C. japonica logs. The second stage is characterized by female orientation, mating, and progeny development. Platypus quercivorus could complete its lifecycle only in the two Quercus spp.

We present a synthetic review and expert consultation that assesses the actual risks posed by arthropod pests in four major crops, identifies targets for integrated pest management (IPM) in terms of cultivated land needing pest control and gauges the implementation “readiness” of non-chemical alternatives. Our assessment focuses on the world’s primary target pests for neonicotinoid-based management: western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera ) in maize; wireworms ( Agriotes spp.) in maize and winter wheat; bird cherry-oat aphid ( Rhopalosiphum padi ) in winter wheat; brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens ) in rice; cotton aphid ( Aphis gossypii ) and silver-leaf whitefly (SLW, Bemisia tabaci ) in cotton. First, we queried scientific literature databases and consulted experts from different countries in Europe, North America, and Asia about available IPM tools for each crop-pest system. Next, using an online survey, we quantitatively assessed the economic relevance of target pests by compiling country-level records of crop damage, yield impacts, extent of insecticide usage, and “readiness” status of various pest management alternatives (i.e., research, plot-scale validation, grower-uptake). Biological control received considerable scientific attention, while agronomic strategies (e.g., crop rotation), insurance schemes, decision support systems (DSS), and innovative pesticide application modes were listed as key alternatives. Our study identifies opportunities to advance applied research, IPM technology validation, and grower education to halt or drastically reduce our over-reliance on systemic insecticides globally. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11356-020-09279-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a source of antioxidant-containing vegetable protein that is beneficial to human health. The intense cultivation of common bean may result in environmental degradation. Thus, environmentally friendly cultivation methods that use an endophyte to improve productivity are needed. An entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, can serve as an endophyte that stimulates the growth of Gossypium. Therefore, we isolated and identified B. bassiana and also examined its function as a beneficial endophyte that promotes the growth of common bean. Results: An entomopathogenic fungus, B. bassiana, was collected and identified based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics that were observed during morphological examination. B. bassiana was propagated and inoculated into common bean via seed soaking, soil wetting, and leaf spraying. The soil-wetting and leaf-spraying methods used to inoculate B. bassiana effectively enhanced the growth of common bean, which was observed at day 10 postinoculation. However, no significant growth enhancement of common bean was observed when the seed-soaking inoculation method was used. Conclusions: These results suggest a positive correlation between the B. bassiana inoculation method and growth enhancement of common bean. This study showed the endophytic potency of the fungus that may be used in the development of environmentally friendly cultivation methods of common bean.

Recently, most of sonokembang, Pterocarpus indicus trees are dying in Malang. In 2012, the death rate of trees reached ca. 11%. In addition, death of trees spread to other regencies in East Java. Euplatypus parallelus is a specific species of ambrosia beetles that were the causal agents to the dying and wilting of sonokembang trees in Malang. Wilting is caused mainly by the pathogenic fungi carried by ambrosia beetles. To confirm the microbial communities related to E. parallelus that attack sonokembang, E. parallelus and some attacked trees were collected in Malang city. Isolation and identification of these species were conducted at the Laboratory of Mycology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Islamic State University, Malang. Results showed that there were nine microbes including five genera of fungi, two genera of yeasts and one genus of bacterium were identified. The microbial communities that were found namely Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Trichoderma spp., Fusarium spp., Acremonium spp., Gliocladium spp. (fungi), Streptomyces spp. (bacteria), Saccharomyces spp., and Candida spp. (yeast).