A rapidly spreading deleterious aphid endosymbiont that uses horizontal as well as vertical transmission.

Endosymbiotic bacteria that live inside the cells of insects are typically only transmitted maternally and can spread by increasing host fitness and/or modifying reproduction in sexual hosts. Transinfections of endosymbionts are now being used to introduce useful phenotypes into sexual host populations, but there has been limited progress on applications using other endosymbionts and in asexual populations. Here, we develop a unique pathway to application in aphids by transferring the endosymbiont to the major crop pest .

Evaluation of potential resistance in seeds of different soybean cultivars to Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) using demographic parameters and nutritional indices.

The use of resistant cultivars is a key component of any integrated pest management (IPM) program. Here, we assess the resistance status of 10 different soybean cultivar seeds according to their effects on demographic and nutritional indices of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) when incorporated into artificial diets. All experiments were conducted at 25 +/- 1 degrees C, 60 +/- 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h.