The cedar web-spinning sawfly, Cephalcia tannourinensis Chevin (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae), is a pest that has been causing serious damage to cedar (Cedrus libani) forests in Lebanon since 1990. The existence of a sex pheromone was shown in field experiments in a cedar forest in Lebanon and in laboratory tests in olfactometers with and without airflow. More males were caught in traps baited either with virgin females or with a hexane extract of the whole female body than in traps baited either with males alone or with mixed males and females. Male and female C. tannourinensis were active during the day. Mating and pheromone production were observed to occur during midday hours (1000–1400) in the field and under laboratory conditions. Olfactometer tests with extracts prepared from different body parts of the female indicated that the pheromone is produced in the abdominal region, and tests with different dilutions of female extract showed that the male response is dose-dependent.

Recently, the Lebanese wine sector has been witnessing a non-precedent growthproducing huge amounts of winery wastes referred to as grape marc. The effect ofusing grape marc compost on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) production wasinvestigated in an open-field experiment in Central Bekaa. Seedlings of theRomaine variety were planted in different substrates: S1: 100% soil or control, S2:75%soil + 25% grape marc compost, S3: 25%soil + 75% grape marc compost andS4: 100% grape marc compost. Root growth, leaf growth and leaf characteristicswere compared among the different mixtures. Tests showed that the grape marccompost contained acceptable values of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organicmatter and a perfect germination index ranking between 0.8 and 1 for the direct anddiluted solutions. Results showed that at early stages of growth, the best resultswere obtained from plants grown in the substrate S4. However, at later stages ofgrowth, grape marc compost with a percentage higher than 50% (S4) in the mixtureinduced lower averages of leaf number, length and width of largest leaf and leafweight and those higher than 25% (S3 and S4) increased dry matter and totalsoluble solids content due to its low water holding capacity causing a water stresson plants. Root growth was proportional to increased percentages of grape marccompost. Finally, composted grape marc provided the highest benefit to plantswhen added to soil in quantities of 25% by volume allowing the best yield increase(47%) compared to control.

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Currently, crop protection relies heavily on chemical treatments, which ultimately leads to environmental contamination and pest resistance. Societal and public policy considerations urge the need for new eco-friendly solutions. In this perspective, biopesticides are effective alternatives to chemical insecticides for the control of various insect pests. Legumes contain numerous insecticidal proteins aimed at protecting their high nitrogen content from animal/insect predation. Investigating one such protein family at genome scale, we discovered a unique diversity of the albumin 1 family in the (model) barrel medic genome. Only some members retained very high insecticidal activity. We uncovered that AG41 peptide from the alfalfa roots displays an outstanding insecticidal activity against several pests such as aphids and weevils. Here we report the 3D structure and activity of AG41 peptide. Significant insights into the structural/functional relationships explained AG41 high insecticidal activity. Such observations pave the way for the development of bio-insecticides, with AG41 peptide as the lead compound.