BBSRC IACR Rothamsted, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 254, UK Abstract: The efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) subsp. kurstaki HD-1 ('Dipel'@; Btk; CryIA & CryII) and Bt. subsp. aizawai('Florbac'@; Bta; CryIA & CryIC) was assessed against larvae from various field populations of Plutellu xylostella (F2 generation) collected in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia in April 1994 and a lowland population (SERD 2; F10 generation) collected in December 1993. Evidence of resistance to Btk and to a lesser extent Bta is reported in these populations (LC,, Toxicity Ratios [TR] = 3-14 and 2-8 respectively), most notably in SERD 2. The first recorded evidence of resistance to abamectin (TR = 17-195-fold) in field populations of P. xylostellu is also reported. In an unselected sub-population of SERD 2, the TR values for Btk, Bta and abamectin declined 2-to 3-fold ( P < 0.01) over six generations in the laboratory (F10-F16) while in sub-populations of SERD 2 selected with these products there was a significant ( P < 0.01) increase in the TR (15-, 3-and 2.5-fold respectively) when compared with the F10 generation. This suggests the presence of marked resistance to Btk and some resistance to Bta and abamectin. There is also evidence of slight cross-resistance to Btk in the Bta-selected sub-population but no evidence for the reverse selection of resistance or for cross-resistance between Btk and abamectin. Concurrent selection studies (Fll-Fl5) with another sub-population of SERD 2 demonstrated resistance to the acylurea insect growth regulator, teflubenzuron ('Nomolt'@) (29-fold increase in TR). Based on the selection experiments with SERD 2, estimates of realised heritability (h2) of resistance gave very high values for teflubenzuron and Btk (c.0.7) and moderate values for abamectin and Bta (c.0.3). The results are discussed in relation to integrated pest management (IPM) and insecticide resistance management (IRM) strategies for P. xylostella.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a lead project of "One Belt One Road (OBOR) Initiative" formally announced in April 2015. The multibillion US Dollar project of CPEC offers much needed avenues of economic growth and political stability for Pakistan and the region at large. Much is known about the promises which the project offers to Pakistan, however, very little academic discussion is found on the aspects that what benefits China will accrue being the financer of the project. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to analyze Chinese economic and geo-strategic objectives from the CPEC, carrying out discussions under the broader framework of OBOR Initiative. The study uses qualitative methods of investigations to find out some of the very important Chinese ambitions from the Belts and Roads Initiative. The project is the practical manifestation of the Chinese vision of "Peaceful Rise" and regional integration which is expected to usher a win-win situation for the partnering countries. The paper concludes that if the perceived objectives are attained, it will prove to be a "game changer" for the region and World at large, marking a new era of World Development led by China.

The effectiveness of a sex pheromone trap designed specifically to deliver conidia (infective fungal propagules) of the entomopathogenic fungus Zoophthora radicans Brefeld (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) to male Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) was investigated. In field experiments in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, synthetic pheromone lures attracted adult males P. xylostella at all times of the day whereas lures of virgin female moths attracted males only between the hours of dusk and dawn, when females are known to produce their pheromone. Adult male moths attracted to traps baited with synthetic pheromone spent a geometric mean time of 88 seconds within the inoculation chamber, a time compatible with the period adults must spend within a shower of Z. radicans conidia produced by uniform mycelial mats in order to become infected. The field longevity of male and female P. xylostella adults was found to be similar, with individuals living for a mean time of 4.9 days. This was sufficient time for male moths to respond to the pheromone, enter the trap, become infected with Z. radicans and succumb to that infection in the field (3-3.5 days) thereby releasing infective conidia into the cabbage crop.

This paper presents application of texture analysis using gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) for segmentation of oil palm area based on WorldView-2 imagery data. Different parameters of GLCM consisting of five distance spacing and three directions will be calculated, where eight texture features will be extracted. Based on land-use categories determined in WorldView-2 image, the features for oil palm and non-oil palm will be trained and classified using support vector machine (SVM). Segmentation based on 10x10, 20x20, 40x40 and 80x80 window will be determined by using the resulting output of SVM classification. Then, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of segmentation area will be calculated. Accuracy of oil palm area segmentation will be determined. The resulting segmentation of oil palm area shows a promising result that it can be used for intention of developing automatic oil palm tree counting.

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