Plant Protection science 🌱🦠🔬

Insect predator-prey relationship with lady beetle and aphids 🐞🦟🍅🍆🪴

🐞Lady beetles are voracious predators of aphids, which are common agricultural crops. They can feed on numerous aphids in a single day, helping to reduce aphid populations attacking the crop.

🥒While majority of them are important biological control agents, there are exemptions like the squash beetle which can be considered as pest.

🕷️Aside from aphids, which is known to be as their primary prey, lady beetles also feed on other soft-bodied insects like mealybugs, scale insects, and spider mites.

🚨The predation of aphids by lady beetles involves several key mechanisms.

📍Lady beetles have excellent vision and can spot aphids, through their bright colors and distinct shapes.

🧪Certain chemical cues (pheromones) are being released by aphids when they're under attack, which can attract lady beetles to the infested area.

💪🏼Lady beetles are also agile and can quickly capture their prey due to their strong, sharp mandibles. They use their mandibles to chew and consume aphids.

🔄During breeding cycles, lady beetles often lay their eggs near aphid colonies. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the aphids, further contributing to pest control.

🍃Lady beetles reproduce quickly, and both adult beetles and their larvae are efficient predators, leading to a rapid reduction in pest populations.

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Augmentation of predatory mites for red spider mites control 🌱🕷️🕸️🍓

🕷️Predatory spider mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis, have specialized adaptations for attacking and feeding on their prey like the two-spotted spider mite. This can be regarded as most effective red spider mite predator when applied in optimum condition.

🪴They are being supplied in shaker bottles and should be sprinkled over the infested plants.

🕸️Phytoseiulus mites need to be released when red spider mites population are already existing because they cannot survive long when food is unavailable with temperature requirement at above 15C with 20-30C as the most ideal.

🌿When released, they employ an ambush strategy and can sense their prey by responding to chemical cues and vibrational signals.

📌They move quickly and use this speed to catch up with and capture prey.

📍Predatory mites have specialized mouthparts designed for piercing and sucking allowing them to feed on the body fluids of their prey.

♻️Different species of predatory mites may have preferences for specific stages of their prey's life cycle. Some may focus on consuming eggs, while others target nymphs or adult mites.

📈Predatory mites may adapt their foraging behavior based on the prevailing conditions. The availability and density of prey in the environment can stimulate predatory mites to feed more actively.

🌦️Temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors impact the activity and reproduction rates of both predatory and prey mites, influencing overall consumption rates.

🍓Predatory mites do not damage plants, but feed on plant pollen when prey is unavailable.

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Mode of action labeling as part of IRM strategy 🐛🌿🧪🧑🔬⚛️

⚛️Insecticide resistance is a phenomenon where insects, over time, develop the ability to survive exposure to insecticides that were once effective in controlling them.

🐛This can lead to reduced sensitivity of an insect population to an insecticide that is frequently being applied.

🗓️One of the earliest accounts for insecticide resistance in the Philippines is the case of diamond back moth (Plutella xylostella) in cabbage. It is the most important pest of cabbage being cultivated in Benguet, Mt Province, Cebu, Bukidnon and Davao provinces.

🧪In 1974, first report of DBM resistance to mevinphos was reported with multiple resistance to various insecticides was documented in 1976, including insect growth regulators in 1994, fipronil in 2005 and with latest reports on flubendiamide and other diamides in general.

🧬This resistance can occur due to genetic mutations that make the insects less susceptible to the chemicals.

📍When insecticides are used, selection pressure on population happens. Insects that are resistant to the insecticide survive and reproduce, passing on their resistance genes to their offspring.

♻️When a farmer excessively applied insecticide this can accelerate resistance. Using the same insecticide repeatedly can quickly select for resistant individuals.

🧑🔬Insects also develop cross resistance to multiple insecticides that renders similar resistance mechanisms.

🪴Resistance development for insects like DBM can continuously arise in the future since many farmers seldom rotate insecticides with different mode of action (MOA).

🫙As a fact, farmers use insecticides and alternately spraying them based on their brand names or active ingredients. In cypermethrin market alone, there are more than 100 registered brands not to mention other pyrethroids that belong to the same MOA within IRAC Group 3.

🏷️In order to support IRM efforts, MOA icons are now included in the product labels so that farmers can practice MOA rotation.

🚨With this effort, farmers and retailers have access to relevant information on IRM and can decide which products to apply alternately and repetitively within the IRAC recommendations.

💡Mode of action labeling is a valuable tool for promoting the responsible and effective use of pesticides while minimizing the negative impacts on human health, the environment, and the development of resistance in insect populations.

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🪲Over the years, control of many econonomically important insect pests are achieved through in wide array of options that are suitable to farmer's convenience and preferences.

🧪The introduction of alternative insect control measures like use of entomopathogenic fungi has drawn increasing attention and popularity amongst growers.

🦠Entomopathogenic fungi are group of soil borne microorganisms that attacks and kills insects and other arthropods.

🌱The most popular strains of these fungis belong to the genera Beauveria, Metarhizium, Isaria, Hirsutella, and Lecanicillium.

🌱Once came contact with the insects, it adheres to their cuticle and penetrates their body. Then the fungus starts to grow and multiply.

🪴However, the field efficacy of these products are usually being questioned for consistency and practicability leading to low adoption rate.

♻️In order to address challenges on the formulation associated to its field applications, here are some recommendations:

📍Focus on stabilizing the fungal spores to extend shelf life. Encapsulating spores in protective coatings or using stabilizing agents can enhance viability and effectiveness over time.

📍Incorporate UV protectants into formulations to shield fungal spores from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can reduce their viability when applied outdoors.

📍Develop formulations with improved adhesion to insect cuticles and substrates. Add surfactants or adhesion promoters to enhance spore attachment and spread on the target pests.

📍Modify formulations to withstand a wider range of temperatures, allowing the fungi to remain effective under varying environmental conditions.

📍Improve rainfastness by designing formulations that resist washing away during rain events, ensuring prolonged efficacy.

📍Test compatibility with commonly used pesticides and fertilizers to create integrated pest management solutions that can be used in combination with other products.

📚Related information: https://lnkd.in/gpvC5eMJ

📸Image details: Image: https://lnkd.in/gdSPM6Pv
Insects infected with Metarhizium strains showing sporulation on cadavers. (A) Melanoplus femurrubrum infected with wild type Metarhizium acridum Ma324. Galleria mellonella infected with transgenic Ma324-Mest1 (B) and wild type Metarhizium robertsii Mr2575 (C). Manduca sexta infected with transgenic M. acridum Ma324-Mest1 (D) and wild type M. robertsii Mr2575 (E).

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