Optimizing decision-making potential, cost, and environmental impact of traps for monitoring olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae).

This work aimed to optimize olive fruit fly (OFF) Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) monitoring and integrated management, thereby ensuring optimal and less-costly decision-making and timely intervention. Field trials in Andalusia (Spain) were undertaken over 2 years to optimize trap model, color, size, and density for the accurate determination of pest spatial distribution and damage as a function of olive cultivar. McPhail traps and yellow sticky panels outperformed the other 4 models with respect to the number of OFF captured.

Ecosystem services of entomopathogenic ascomycetes.

Entomopathogenic ascomycetes (EA) are an important part of the microbiota in most terrestrial ecosystems, where they can be found regulating natural populations of arthropod pests in both epigeous and hypogeous habitats while also establishing unique relationships with plants. These fungi offer direct benefits to agriculture and human welfare. In the present work, we conducted a systematic review to comprehensively assess the range of ecosystem services provided by EA, including direct and indirect pest biocontrol, plant growth promotion, plant defense against other biotic and abiotic stresses, nutrient cycling, and the production of new bioactive compounds with agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical importance.

Entomopathogenic Fungus-Related Priming Defense Mechanisms in Cucurbits Impact Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) Fitness.

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) exhibit direct and indirect mechanisms to increase plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. Plant responses to these stresses are interconnected by common regulators such as ethylene (ET), which is involved in both iron (Fe) deficiency and induced systemic resistance responses. In this work, the roots of cucurbit seedlings were primed with Metarhizium brunneum (EAMa 01/58-Su strain), and relative expression levels of 18 genes related to ethylene (ET), jasmonic acid (JA), and salicylic acid (SA) synthesis, as well as pathogen-related (PR) protein genes, were studied by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR).

Entomopathogenic Fungi-Mediated Solubilization and Induction of Fe Related Genes in Melon and Cucumber Plants.

Endophytic insect pathogenic fungi have a multifunctional lifestyle; in addition to its well-known function as biocontrol agents, it may also help plants respond to other biotic and abiotic stresses, such as iron (Fe) deficiency. This study explores EAMa 01/58-Su strain attributes for Fe acquisition. Firstly, direct attributes include siderophore exudation (in vitro assay) and Fe content in shoots and in the substrate (in vivo assay) were evaluated for three strains of and .

Persistence of (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) in the Soil Is Affected by Formulation Type as Shown by Strain-Specific DNA Markers.

The genus has an increasingly important role in the development of Integrated Pest Control against Tephritid fruit flies in aerial sprays targeting adults and soil treatments targeting preimaginals. Indeed, the soil is considered the main habitat and reservoir of spp., which may be a plant-beneficial microorganism due to its lifestyle as an endophyte and/or rhizosphere-competent fungus.