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The pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a destructive invasive species that exerts devastating effects on most native pines in invaded regions, while many of the non-native pines have resistance to PWN. Recently, increasingly more research is focused on how microbial communities can improve host resistance against pathogens. However, the relationship between the microbial community structures and varying levels of pathogen resistance observed in different pine tree species remains unclear. Here, the bacterial and fungal communities of introduced resistant pines Pinus elliottii, P. caribaea, and P. taeda and native susceptible pines healthy and wilted P. massoniana infected by PWN were analyzed. The results showed that 6057 bacterial and 3931 fungal OTUs were annotated. The pine samples shared 944 bacterial OTUs primarily in the phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi and 111 fungal OTUs primarily in phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, though different pines had unique OTUs. There were significant differences in microbial community diversity between different pines, especially between the bacterial communities of resistant and susceptible pines, and fungal communities between healthy pines (resistant pines included) and the wilted P. massoniana. Resistant pines had a greater abundance of bacteria in the genera Acidothermus (class unidentified_Actinobacteria) and Prevotellaceae (class Alphaproteobacteria), but a lower abundance of Erwinia (class Gammaproteobacteria). Healthy pines had a higher fungal abundance of Cladosporium (class Dothideomycetes) and class Eurotiomycetes, but a lower abundance of Graphilbum, Sporothrix, Geosmithia (class Sordariomycetes), and Cryptoporus (classes Agaricomycetes and Saccharomycetes). These differences in microbial abundance between resistant and healthy pines might be associated with pathogen resistance of the pines, and the results of this study contribute to the studies exploring microbial-based control of PWN.

Background In recent years, there has been interest in low-cost, reduced-risk materials that could be used for attract-and-kill of the invasive pest, spotted-wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. This pest causes heavy economic damage to soft-skinned fruits in many countries. In this study, we evaluated physiological and behavioral effects of adding either borax, boric acid, or sodium chloride to diluted Concord grape juice (DGJ), a material that is attractive to adult D. suzukii. Results Results showed that the addition of borax, sodium chloride and boric acid did not significantly affect the response of adult D. suzukii, relative to DGJ alone. Increases in concentrations (to 5% and 10%) of borax, sodium chloride and boric acid were correlated with decreased ingestion of materials. Mortality of males and females was almost 100% with lower concentrations (1% and 5%) of borax and boric acid within 72 h. The higher concentrations of sodium chloride (5% and 10%) resulted in 100% mortality of both sexes within 72 h. There was no significant effect of chemicals on the number of crop contractions of flies when fed for 4 h. Conclusions This study suggests that some substances such as boric acid and borax may act as toxicants without influencing the behavioral response of D. suzukii.

Pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is one of the greatest threats to pine trees and is spreading all over the world. During the nematode's pathogenesis, plant microorganisms play important roles. However, many microbial communities, such as that in Pinus massoniana, a major host of B. xylophilus that is widely distributed in China, are not well studied, especially the fungal communities. Here, the endophytic and rhizospheric bacterial and fungal communities associated with healthy and B. xylophilus-infected P. massoniana were analyzed. The results showed that 7639 bacterial and 3108 fungal OTUs were annotated from samples of P. massoniana, the rhizosphere, and B. xylophilus. There were significant diversity differences of endophytic microbes between healthy and infected P. massoniana. The abundances of endophytic bacteria Paenibacillus, unidentified_Burkholderiaceae, Serratia, Erwinia, and Pseudoxanthomonas and fungi Penicillifer, Zygoascus, Kirschsteiniothelia, Cyberlindnera, and Sporothrix in infected pines were greater than those in healthy pines, suggesting an association of particular microbial abundances with the pathogenesis of B. xylophilus in pines. Meanwhile, the abundances of microbes of unidentified_Burkholderiaceae, Saitozyma, and Pestalotiopsis were greater and Acidothermus and Trichoderma were lower in the rhizosphere under infected pines than those under healthy pines and the differences might be caused by B. xylophilus-induced weakening of the health of pines. Our study explored the endophytic and rhizospheric microbial community changes potentially caused by B. xylophilus infection of pines.

Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Motschulsky) is a serious pest of tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle in China. Laboratory choice tests were conducted to compare attractiveness of ...

Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cuculionidae) is a borer that mainly attacks the tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae), and is one of the most damaging forestry pests in China. We developed a trap net for entangling and immobilizing soil-emerging weevils in order to reduce their impact. Recapture rates of weevils in the laboratory was significantly higher with nylon netting of 9, 10, or 11 mm mesh sizes than larger sizes, and these sizes were used to make trial nets for preventing weevil emergence from the soil around impacted trees in the field. Nets were 2 × 2 m with a reinforced border and Velcro-closable, radial slit which allowed the net to be arranged around the base of the tree while producing an unbroken barrier beneath the soil surface (i.e., a modified square trap net, MSTN). Recapture rates of weevils released in the soil did not differ among the MSTNs of 9, 10, or 11 mm mesh sizes. MSTN treatments significantly reduced emergence by naturally-occurring weevils from the soil surrounding trees and reduced numbers of weevils caught in population monitoring traps deployed in treated stands. The results demonstrated that MSTNs might be used to manage of E. scrobiculatus.

Eucryptorrhynchus brandti Harold is a trunk-boring pest of tree-of-heaven Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle in China, and is being studied in quarantine in the United States as a potential biolog...

Background Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Harold) is a destructive wood-boring pest of tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, in China. At present, the management of E. brandti relies exclusively on frequent applications of synthetic insecticides. Environmentally friendly alternatives to the use of synthetic insecticides would be beneficial. A trunk trap net (TTN), an adhesive trap (AT), and an adhesive trunk trap net (ATTN) were evaluated in their ability to capture E. brandti. Results Significantly greater laboratory weevil recapture rates were found using the ATTN (78%) than using the TTN (8%) and AT (0%). In total, 45% of marked weevils were captured by the ATTN, an eight-fold increase in catch rates using the TTN in mark-release-recapture field trials in 2017. No marked weevils were captured by the AT. Field trials in 2017 and 2018 showed that the ATTN captured six to seven times more wild weevils than using the TTN. Conclusion Adhesive Trunk Trap nets (ATTNs) were more effective in capturing E. brandti adults than Trunk Trap nets (TTNs). These results support the use of the ATTN as an eco-friendly tool for the integrated management of E. brandti. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus is a major pest of tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, in China. Damage caused by E. scrobiculatus has increased as beetle populations have expanded. We developed a trunk trap net (TTN) and two modified TTNs, that is, a TTN with a wire ring (TTN-WR) and a TTN with a spongy cushion (TTN-SC), and evaluated their ability to capture E. scrobiculatus in plantations of A. altissima. Results We obtained significantly higher laboratory weevil recapture rates using the TTN-WR and TTN-SC (98 and 95.3%, respectively) than using the TTN (65.3%). In total, 84.8 and 85.8% of marked weevils were captured by the TTN-WR and TTN-SC, respectively; 1.52- and 1.54-fold greater than the catch rates using a TTN in mark-release-recapture field trials. Similarly, we captured significantly more wild weevils using the TTN-WR and TTN-SC (2.02- and 2.03-fold more weevils) than using the TTN. Further field trials showed that the TTN-SC treatment significantly reduced densities of weevils and damage to tree of heaven in stands. Conclusion Our results revealed that the TTN-SC is clearly effective for capturing E. scrobiculatus. TTN-SC may be used as an alternative for E. scrobiculatus management with less or no insecticide. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors that influences the development and growth of insects. We investigated the effect of temperature on the development of the weevil Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Harold). The developmental zeros and effective accumulated temperatures for different developmental stages of E. brandti were estimated under variable temperatures in the laboratory. We observed that the developmental zeros of eggs, larvae, and pupae were 15.27 °C, 20.86 °C, and 14.04 °C, respectively, and the effective accumulated temperatures were 81.46 °C·d, 293.76 °C·d, and 127.76 °C·d, respectively. The rate of development increased as the temperature increased within a particular temperature range, and temperatures from 30 °C to 31 °C were particularly suitable for E. brandti rearing. Based on these results, we may be able to predict the occurrence of E. brandti, providing a reference for physical control measures targeting adults to effectively reduce oviposition and minimize population expansion.