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Simple Summary: This study investigates the effectiveness of a novel genetics-based biopesticide, miR-184 agomir, against the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae, a major wheat pest. miR-184 agomir interference significantly reduced aphid survival rates, particularly during their early developmental stages. Life table analysis demonstrated that the application of miR-184 agomir resulted in adverse effects on multiple vital parameters essential for the expansion of the aphid population. Population projection models predicted a substantial decline in the aphid population size at 60 days post-treatment. These findings underscore the potential of genetics-based biopesticides in the effective management of grain aphid populations, thereby contributing to wheat crop protection and environmental sustainability. The investigation of genetics-based biopesticides has become a central focus in pesticide studies due to their inherent advantages, including species specificity, environmental safety, and a wide range of target genes. In this study, a mixture of miR-184 agomir and nanomaterial star polycation (SPc) was used to treat the nymphs of the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.). The life parameters of the aphids at various developmental stages were analyzed using an age–stage two-sex life table to assess the effect of miR-184 agomir on the experimental population. The results indicated that miR-184 agomir had a significant negative effect on four key life parameters, including the intrinsic rate of increase, the finite rate of increase, the net rate of increase, and the mean generation time. The population prediction revealed a substantial reduction (91.81% and 95.88%) in the population size of S. avenae at 60 d after treatment with miR-184 agomir, compared to the control groups. Our findings suggest that the miR-184 agomir has the potential to reduce the survival rate and mean longevity of S. avenae, highlighting its potential as a promising candidate for the development of an effective genetics-based biopesticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is an invasive insect pest that poses a threat to solanaceous crops. In recent years, the occurrences of extremely high temperature have been increasing due to climate change. Therefore, it is important to study the effect of high temperature on the growth and development of T. absoluta. In this study, when the eggs, pupae, and adults of T. absoluta were exposed to high-temperature stress, the pupal stage exhibited the highest sensitivity. This was demonstrated by a significant decrease in emergence rate, longevity, and fecundity. High-temperature stress during the egg stage resulted in a cascading effect, leading to a reduction in the adult longevity. This study provides a new insight for the integrated management of T. absoluta under high temperature. Insect life processes and reproductive behaviors are significantly affected by extremely high temperatures. This study focused on Tuta absoluta, which poses a severe threat to tomato cultivars. The effects of intense heat stress on the growth, development, oviposition, and longevity of T. absoluta were investigated. This investigation encompassed various developmental stages, including eggs, pupae, and adults. This study revealed that egg hatching and pupa emergence rates were significantly reduced at a temperature of 44 °C maintained for 6 h. The longevity of adults that emerged after the egg and pupal stages were exposed to 44 °C for 6 h was significantly reduced compared to the control. Notably, there was no significant variation in adult fecundity after egg-stage exposure to high temperatures. However, all treatments exhibited significantly reduced fecundity compared to the control after exposure to high temperatures during the pupal stage. Adult survival rates after exposure to 40 °C and 44 °C for 3 h were 74.29% and 22.40%, respectively, dramatically less than that of the control, which was 100%. However, no significant differences were noted in terms of longevity and egg production. These results offer a better understanding of the complex interactions between extreme temperatures and the life history traits of T. absoluta, thereby offering valuable insights for implementing management strategies to alleviate its impact on tomato crops in response to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The insect epidermis covers multiple parts of the insect body, fulfilling both structural and protective roles. Primarily composed of chitin and epidermal proteins, the insect epidermis displays considerable diversity among insects. The CPR family, the largest and most diverse group of cuticular protein (CP) genes identified to date, plays crucial roles in insect development, including body length regulation and cuticle formation. Steroid hormones, such as ecdysteroids, regulate the expression of epidermal proteins. In addition, the insecticide Methoxyfenozide mimics the action of 20E, thereby affecting insect growth. Our study on Heortia vitessoides Moore elucidates the role of HvCP3L and offers novel insights into pest management strategies for Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng. Cuticle proteins (CPs) constitute a multifunctional family; however, the physiological role of Cuticle Protein 3-like (CP3L) in Heortia vitessoides Moore remains largely unclear. In this study, we cloned the HvCP3L gene from the transcriptional library of Heortia vitessoides Moore. RT-qPCR results revealed that HvCP3L exhibited high expression levels during the larval stage of Heortia vitessoides Moore, particularly at the L5D1 stage, observed in both larval and adult heads. Through RNA interference, we successfully silenced the HvCP3L gene, resulting in a significant reduction in the survival rate of Heortia vitessoides Moore, with the survival rate from larvae to adults plummeting to a mere 17.7%, accompanied by phenotypic abnormalities. Additionally, we observed that the knockdown of HvCP3L led to the inhibition of genes in the chitin pathway. Following exposure to methoxyfenozide stress, the HvCP3L gene exhibited significant overexpression, coinciding with phenotypic abnormalities. These findings underscore the pivotal role of HvCP3L in the growth and development of Heortia vitessoides Moore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The present study investigated the effects of different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C) on the growth and development of Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Ephestia elutella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae. Habrobracon hebetor could complete growth and development when E. elutella larvae were used as hosts, and the developmental duration decreased with increasing temperature at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C. Taking into account factors such as the total number of eggs laid, egg hatchability, the number of emerged adults, emergence ratio, percentage of female offspring, innate rate of increase, and net reproductive rate, the optimal temperature for rearing of H. hebetor is 30 °C. Augmentative release of parasitoids has been an important component of integrated insect management for stored product protection. Understanding the effect of different temperatures on the growth and development of parasitoids is in favor of mass rearing of parasitoids. Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a highly cosmopolitan, gregarious ecto-parasitoid of a variety of Lepidopterous larvae. Thus, the growth and development of H. hebetor reared on Ephestia elutella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae were investigated at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C. Habrobracon hebetor could complete growth and development, and the developmental duration decreased with increasing temperature at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C. The development threshold temperatures of H. hebetor eggs, larvae, pupae, and egg-to-adult stages were 13.89, 6.39, 9.24, and 9.29 °C, and the effective accumulated temperatures were 23.33, 46.40, 142.68, and 240.31 °C·d, respectively. The total number of eggs laid by H. hebetor, the hatching rate of H. hebetor eggs, and the percentage of female offspring reached the maximum of 192.39, 83.89%, and 74.04% at 30 °C, respectively. There was no significant difference in pupal survival rate in the temperature range of 15 °C to 35 °C. At 30 °C, the pre-oviposition duration of H. hebetor was the shortest (0.87 d). Therefore, the optimal rearing temperature of H. hebetor was 30 °C. The present results are useful for the large-scale rearing of H. hebetor using E. elutella larvae as hosts and effectively implementing the biological control of stored-product insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Fatty acids play essential roles in insect growth and development. The key fatty acid synthesis reaction is catalyzed by fatty acid synthase (FAS). As a cofactor of fatty acid synthesis, however, little is known about the functions of acyl carrier protein (ACP) in insects and how it modulates the composition of fatty acids. We isolated an ACP from the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and investigated the expression patterns as well as functions in fatty acid synthesis and growth of insects. HiACP has a classical conserved region of DSLD. Based on the RNAi approach, we found that HiACP could regulate the fatty acid synthesis, in particular, reducing the composition of saturated fatty acids. Meanwhile, HiACP could also affect the growth and mortality of H. illucens. Acyl carrier protein (ACP) is an acyl carrier in fatty acid synthesis and is an important cofactor of fatty acid synthetase. Little is known about ACP in insects and how this protein may modulate the composition and storage of fatty acids. We used an RNAi-assisted strategy to study the potential function of ACP in Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). We identified a HiACP gene with a cDNA length of 501 bp and a classical conserved region of DSLD. This gene was highly expressed in the egg and late larval instars and was most abundant in the midgut and fat bodies of larvae. Injection of dsACP significantly inhibited the expression level of HiACP and further regulated the fatty acid synthesis in treated H. illucens larvae. The composition of saturated fatty acids was reduced, and the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) was increased. After interfering with HiACP, the cumulative mortality of H. illucens increased to 68.00% (p < 0.05). H. illucens growth was greatly influenced. The development duration increased to 5.5 days, the average final body weights of larvae and pupae were decreased by 44.85 mg and 14.59 mg, respectively, and the average body lengths of larvae and pupae were significantly shortened by 3.09 mm and 3.82 mm, respectively. The adult eclosion rate and the oviposition of adult females were also severely influenced. These results demonstrated that HiACP regulates fatty acid content and influences multiple biological processes of H. illucens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a widespread and economically important insect pest, infesting various fruits and vegetables. Due to the instability of climate change in early spring and autumn, extreme cold and hot temperatures were developed in a short period of time. Exposure to sudden short-term high or low temperatures may affect the reproduction, development, and physiological changes of B. dorsalis. In this study, we determined the effects of short-term temperature treatments on the growth, development, fecundity, and trehalose metabolism of B. dorsalis. The results showed that development and reproduction of the flies were negatively affected when temperature was below 10 °C; or more than 31 °C, even causing permanent sterility at extreme temperatures. The changes of glucose, glycogen, trehalose, and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase level had a correlation with the population dynamics of the fruit flies. Our present study can provide a scientific basis for population monitoring, prediction, and comprehensive prevention of the fruit fly. An understanding of physiological damage and population development caused by uncomfortable temperature plays an important role in pest control. In order to clarify the adaptability of different temperatures and physiological response mechanism of B. dorsalis, we focused on the adaptation ability of this pest to environmental stress from physiological and ecological viewpoints. In this study, we explored the relationship between population parameters and glucose, glycogen, trehalose, and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase responses to high and low temperatures. Compared with the control group, temperature stress delayed the development duration of all stages, and the survival rates and longevity decreased gradually as temperature decreased to 0 °C and increased to 36 °C. Furthermore, with low temperature decrease from 10 °C to 0 °C, the average fecundity per female increased at 10 °C but decreased later. Reproduction of the species was negatively affected during high-temperature stresses, reaching the lowest value at 36 °C. In addition to significantly affecting biological characteristics, temperature stress influenced physiological changes of B. dorsalis in cold and heat tolerance. When temperature deviated significantly from the norm, the levels of substances associated with temperature resistance were altered: glucose, trehalose, and TPS levels increased, but glycogen levels decreased. These results suggest that temperature stresses exert a detrimental effect on the populations' survival, but the metabolism of trehalose and glycogen may enhance the pest's temperature resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Drunken horse grass Achnatherum inebrians is a widely distributed perennial poisonous grass on the grasslands of Northern and Northwestern China. The present study focused on contact toxicity of aqueous extracts of endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) plants of A. inebrians in different growth periods on pea aphids. These results show that extracts from endophyte-containing plants may contain compounds that may be used to control insects and lay a foundation for deeper chemical analysis to identify insecticidal compounds. The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum has a worldwide distribution and causes serious losses for agricultural production. Drunken horse grass Achnatherum inebrians is a widely distributed perennial poisonous grass on the grasslands of Northern and Northwestern China. The present study focused on contact toxicity activity of aqueous extracts of endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) A. inebrians in different growth periods of pea aphids, and the growth and development of two color morphs of F1 generation nymphs. Both of the color morphs had development durations in E+ treatments that tended to be longer at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th instars than E− and control (CK). The E+ treated aphids also showed decreased weights at maturity with over all lower mean relative growth rates (MRGR). Aphid survival of E+ treated aphids was lower than that of E− and CK at all growth periods. Seeding stage E+ extracts showed a greater propensity for negatively affecting aphids than did E+ extract at maturity and the yellowing stage. These results show that extracts from endophyte-containing plants may contain compounds that may be used to control insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]