A survey was performed in Mexico to study the distribution of Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and Bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) using a set of primers directed to the coat protein gene (CP) that were designed to detect and characterize the two viral species. Both viral species were present in different locations in the country. BCMV was predominant in the central states of the country, whereas BCMNV proliferated toward the eastern tropical states. The alignment of nine nucleotide sequences for each viral species at the amino region of the CP gene confirmed the identities of the viruses and set the basis to assign them tentatively to pathogroups I, II, and VI.

Ethanolic extracts from Magnolia dealbata (Zucc.) (Magnoliaceae); leaves, bark, seeds, sarcotesta and flowers were evaluated for insecticidal activity against adults of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Using feeding bioassays composed from sugar-extract mixtures, only the extract from sarcotesta indicated insecticidal activity against the flies. The extracts from the other four plant tissues (leaves, bark, seeds and flowers) did not manifest any biological activity. The most effective extract was obtained from oven-dried sarcotesta, whereas extracts from fresh sarcotesta were inactive. Our results suggest that M. dealbata sarcotesta contains secondary metabolites with insecticidal activity against A. ludens adults. These metabolites are as potent as natural pyrethins and represent a potential substance for controlling this type of pest.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an active crude extract (EtOAc) of polyfollicles of Magnolia vovidessi, an endemic medicinal plant of the cloud forest of Mexico, led to the isolation and identification of shizukolidol (1), an eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid lactone that showed antibacterial activity against the economically important phytopathogenic bacterium Chryseobacterium sp. (MIC= 400 µg/mL). In addition, 4α,8β-dihydroxy-5α(H)-eudesm-7(11)-en-8,12olide 8 (2), rutin, scopoline and scopoletine were also isolated as were mexicanin, parthenolide, costunolide, astragalin, quercetin, hesperidin, p-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, vanillin, vanillic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid and shikimic acid identified by a dereplication-like procedure using LC-ESI-MS/MS. Rutin displayed mild anti-oomicite activity against phytopathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Aging in all organisms is inevitable. Male age can have profound effects on mating success and female reproduction, yet relatively little is known on the effects of male age on different components of the ejaculate. Furthermore, in mass-reared insects used for the Sterile Insect Technique, there are often behavioral differences between mass-reared and wild males, while differences in the ejaculate have been less studied. The ejaculate in insects is composed mainly of sperm and accessory gland proteins. Here, we studied how male age and strain affected (i) protein quantity of testes and accessory glands, (ii) the biological activity of accessory gland products injected into females, (iii) sperm viability, and (iv) sperm quantity stored by females in wild and mass-reared Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae). We found lower protein content in testes of old wild males and lower sperm viability in females mated with old wild males. Females stored more sperm when mated to young wild males than with young mass-reared males. Accessory gland injections of old or young males did not inhibit female remating. Knowledge of how male age affects different ejaculate components will aid our understanding on investment of the ejaculate and possible postcopulatory consequences on female behavior.