Psocid: A new risk for global food security and safety

Abstract

Post-harvest losses caused by stored product pests are posing serious threats to global food security and safety. Among the storage pests, psocids were ignored in the past due to unavailability of the significant evidence regarding quantitative and qualitative losses caused by them. Their economic importance has been recognized by many researchers around the globe since the last few years. The published reports suggest that the pest be recognized as a new risk for global food security and safety. Psocids have been found infesting stored grains in the USA, Australia, UK, Brazil, Indonesia, China, India and Pakistan. About sixteen species of psocids have been identified and listed as pests of stored grains. Psocids generally prefer infested kernels having some fungal growth, but are capable of excavating the soft endosperm of damaged or cracked uninfected grains. Economic losses due to their feeding are directly proportional to the intensity of infestation and their population. The pest has also been reported to cause health problems in humans. Keeping the economic importance of psocids in view, their phylogeny, distribution, bio-ecology, management and pest status have been reviewed in this paper.

New record of stored product pest Lepinotus reticulatus (Psocoptera: Trogiidae) from China: Identification through scanning electron microscopy and DNA barcode

“…For the above-mentioned reasons, a continued comprehensive survey of stored product psocids in China would be useful, as it was also recommended by Ahmedani et al (2010) for other Asian countries in which a comprehensive survey is lacking.…”

“…Psocids are considered to be among the most important emerging stored product pests because of their negative economic and hygienic effects, which have increased considerably in recent years in different parts of the world (Musken et al, 1998; Patil et al, 2001; Rees, 2004; Kalinović et al, 2006; Nayak, 2006. They are treated as an additional biotic risk for global food security (Ahmedani et al, 2010). The most important and common stored product psocids belong predominantly to the genera Liposcelis and Lepinotus (Opit et al, 2010).…”

CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPRESSION PROFILES OF FIVE POSSIBLE CYTOCHROME P450 GENES FROM Liposcelis entomophila (ENDERLEIN) (PSOCOPTERA: LIPOSCELIDIDAE)

“…Psocids belonging to Liposcelis genus (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae) are serious pests of stored commodities worldwide (Ahmedani et al., ; Wei et al., ). Recently, due to psocids’ economic impact on stored grains, contamination of food, and their role in the transmission of harmful microorganisms, they are becoming a new risk for global food security and safety (Nayak et al., ).…”

Molecular Characterization and Alternative Splicing of a Sodium Channel and DSC1 Ortholog Genes in Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae)

“…In this study, we performed a comparative analysis between the VGSC and DSC1 orthologs first isolated from Liposcelis bostrychophila , one of the most economically-important pests in Psocoptera 29-30, and as a new risk for global food security and safety 31. In addition, a series of alternative splicing events were characterized in both genes, and several potential RNA editing sites were revealed.…”