The use of synthetic insecticides has been a solution to reduce mosquito-borne disease transmission for decades. Currently, no single intervention is sufficient to reduce the global disease burden caused by mosquitoes. Problems associated with extensive usage of synthetic compounds have increased substantially which makes mosquito-borne disease elimination and prevention more difficult over the years. Thus, it is crucial that much safer and effective mosquito control strategies are developed. Natural compounds from plants have been efficiently used to fight insect pests for a long time. Plant-based bioinsecticides are now considered a much safer and less toxic alternative to synthetic compounds. Here, we discuss candidate plant-based compounds that show larvicidal, adulticidal, and repellent properties. Our discussion also includes their mode of action and potential impact in mosquito disease transmission and circumvention of resistance. This review improves our knowledge on plant-based bioinsecticides and the potential for the development of state-of-the-art mosquito control strategies.

Conocybe romagnesii and Gerronema subclavatum are identified for the first time from Turkey. The basidiomata samples of these mushrooms were collected from Tokat city province during late spring season. Detailed morphological descriptions and macro‐microscopic illustrations of the two rare species are provided and their habitat preferences and geographic distributions are discussed. Phylogenetic inferences based on DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal transcribed spacer (ITS) region are provided for both species. Morphological features and molecular phylogenetic analyses support that C. romagnesii and G. subclavatum differs from their closely related Bolbitius and Omphalina species, respectively.

No abstract

A macrofungus collected from Akbelen village in Tokat has been identified based on molecular evidence and morphology as Cortinarius rapaceoides, a new record from Turkey. Sequence data generated from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and ribosomal large subunit regions were deposited in GenBank and used to determine phylogenetic relationships within Cortinarius subg. Phlegmacium. A morphological description, illustrations, and phylogeny of the Turkish C. rapaceoides are provided.

Imidacloprid is a common neonicotinoid insecticide applied in agricultural fields worlwide. Imidacloprid residues can be detected in water resources as it can accumulate in the surface and ground water after insecticide applications through many years. Because of this, a fast and efficient method, enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), is used to determine the imidacloprid levels in water sample collected from Tokat city water system and compared with a commercially avaliable bottled water sample. Imidacloprid residue was not detected in bottled water sample. However, imidalcoprid residues was detected in Tokay city water close to the maximum residue limit of imidacloprid. The results indicate that the Tokat city water system could be at the risk of imidacloprid contamination. This study also shows that ELISA technique can be effectively used for imidacloprid determination since it is fast and reliable and well correlated with other time consuming and cost-effective analytical methods.