Host Deprivation Effects on the Functional Response and Parasitism Rate of Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Ephestia elutella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the Laboratory.

Habrobracon hebetor (Say) is an important biological control agent for lepidopteran pests of stored products. In this study, the age-specific functional response, paralysis rate, and parasitism rate of H. hebetor under different host deprivation treatments (PC: without host deprivation, used as the control, P1d: host deprivation, but the host was removed after 1 d contact, and PW: host deprivation from beginning) were evaluated at different larval densities (5, 10, 20, 40, and 80) of the Ephestia elutella (Hübner) at 28 ± 1°C, 75 ± 5% RH and 16:8 h L:D.

Effects of mulching duration on PAEs accumulation in soil and tobacco leaves in Zunyi, China.

We examined the effects of the duration of plastic film mulching on the accumulation of phthalate (PAEs) in soils and tobacco to determine the soil pollution distribution characteristics of PAEs under continuous mulch use and the enrichment status in tobacco leaves. Samples of both soils and tobacco leaves were collected from Lianqian Village and Shawan Village of Zunyi. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine the contents of six preferentially controlled PAEs in samples.