Aggregation Pheromones of Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Advances in the Identification and Potential Uses in Semiochemical-Based Pest Management Strategies.

With approximately 83,000 species described, Curculionidae is the largest family of beetles, comprising more than 80% of all weevil species worldwide. Many species of Curculionidae attack a wide range of native and orchards crops, as well as globally important stored products such as grains, flour, and seeds, being responsible for significant environmental and economic losses. This work provides an overview of the research in the identification of aggregation pheromones of Curculionidae, and their potential contributions to the development of semiochemical-based pest management strategies.

Immobilization of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase on layered double hydroxide of Zn/Al-Cl for kinetic resolution of rac-1-phenylethanol.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are cheap materials suitable for immobilization of enzymes. In this study, we prepared Zn/Al-Cl LDHs with different Zn:Al molar ratios for immobilization of the lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia. The best values for activity retention (188%), immobilization efficiency (96%) and hydrolytic activity in organic medium (279 U g) were obtained with a molar ratio of Zn:Al of 4:1, a protein loading of 162 mg g and Tris-HCl buffer (10 mmol L, pH 7.