Predicting the current potential and future world wide distribution of the onion maggot, Delia antiqua using maximum entropy ecological niche modeling

Abstract

Climate change will markedly impact biology, population ecology, and spatial distribution patterns of insect pests because of the influence of future greenhouse effects on insect development and population dynamics. Onion maggot, Delia antiqua, larvae are subterranean pests with limited mobility, that directly feed on bulbs of Allium sp. and render them completely unmarketable. Modeling the spatial distribution of such a widespread and damaging pest is crucial not only to identify current potentially suitable climactic areas but also to predict where the pest is likely to spread in the future so that appropriate monitoring and management programs can be developed. In this study, Maximum Entropy Niche Modeling was used to estimate the current potential distribution of D. antiqua and to predict the future distribution of this species in 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2080 by using emission scenario (A2) with 7 climate variables. The results of this study show that currently highly suitable habitats for D.antiqua occur throughout most of East Asia, some regions of North America, Western Europe, and Western Asian countries near the Caspian sea and Black Sea. In the future, we predict an even broader distribution of this pest spread more extensively throughout Asia, North America and Europe, particularly in most of European countries, Central regions of United States and much of East Asia. Our present day and future predictions can enhance strategic planning of agricultural organizations by identifying regions that will need to develop Integrated Pest Management programs to manage the onion maggot. The distribution forecasts will also help governments to optimize economic investments in management programs for this pest by identifying regions that are or will become less suitable for current and future infestations.

Resistance and clonal selection among Allium sativum L. germplasm resources to Delia antiqua M. and its correlation with allicin content

“…M, is one of the most serious subterranean pests of scallion ( Allium fistulosum L), garlic ( Allium sativum L) and onion ( Allium cepa L) in many regions of the world . The initial occurrence of onion maggot was reported in the USA in some regions of Wisconsin in the early twentieth century, and continues to cause serious damage in Asia, particularly China and Japan, Europe and North America . Although, the onion is the optimal host for this species, garlic can also serve as an important secondary host .…”

“…Occasionally, the larvae can drill into the bulb and cause the bulb to rot. These insect pests have reportedly spread to much of the garlic‐producing areas of Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, and Shandong in China . Furthermore, with climate change, highly suitable habitats for D. antiqua occur throughout most of East Asia, some regions of North America, Western Europe, and Western Asian countries near the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea .…”

“…[11][12][13][14][15] The initial occurrence of onion maggot was reported in the USA in some regions of Wisconsin in the early twentieth century, and continues to cause serious damage in Asia, particularly China and Japan, Europe and North America. 16 Although, the onion is the optimal host for this species, garlic can also serve as an important secondary host. 13 In China, the root maggot, commonly known as the onion fly, is a hazardous soil pest that feeds on garlic.…”

“…These insect pests have reportedly spread to much of the garlic-producing areas of Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, and Shandong in China. 16,17 Furthermore, with climate change, highly suitable habitats for D. antiqua occur throughout most of East Asia, some regions of North America, Western Europe, and Western Asian countries near the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. 15 Strategic planning by agricultural organizations is required to identify regions that will need to develop integrated pest management (IPM) programs to manage the onion maggot.…”

The Potential Global Distribution of the White Peach Scale Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni Tozzetti) under Climate Change

“…In all predictive modeling, it is prudent to select explanatory variables that are not closely correlated [38]. We used correlation analysis to select environmental variables for our species distribution modelings (SDMs) [39]. The purpose of selecting layers is, that many previous researches have shown that highly correlated variables affect the accuracy of predicted results for species distribution modellings (SDMs).…”