Deterrence and behavioral mode of coconut oil-derived free fatty acids on Zeugodacus cucurbitae oviposition.

Previous studies have shown oviposition deterring properties of 8 coconut free fatty acid (CFFA) compounds on fruit flies with different key deterrent components for different species. Here we evaluated oviposition deterrence of CFFA using laboratory 2-choice bioassays against Zeugodacus cucurbitae, determined key-bioactive deterrent compounds, and evaluated their behavioral mode. Unlike other reported fruit fly species, CFFA mixture increased Z.

Wind effects on individual male and female Bactrocera jarvisi (Diptera: Tephritidae) tracked using harmonic radar.

Wind affects the movement of most volant insects. While the effects of wind on dispersal are relatively well understood at the population level, how wind influences the movement parameters of individual insects in the wild is less clear. Tephritid fruit flies, such as Bactrocera jarvisi, are major horticultural pests worldwide and while most tephritids are nondispersive when host plants are plentiful, records exist for potentially wind-assisted movements up to 200 km.

Host Status of Persian Lime ( Tan.) to Oriental Fruit Fly and Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawai'i.

We investigated the host status of harvest-ready green Persian lime, Tan. (Rutaceae), to Oriental fruit fly ( [Hendel]) and Mediterranean fruit fly ( [Wiedemann]) (Diptera: Tephritidae) using laboratory and field studies. In forced-infestation small cage exposures (using 25 × 25 × 25 cm screened cages with 50 gravid females) and large olfactometer cage tests (using 2.

An Improved Sampling and Baiting Method for and Detection in .

Macadamia nuts are, economically, the second most important crop in the state of Hawai'i. A recent decline in yield and acreage has been attributed to insect damage and diseases such as Macadamia Quick Decline (MQD) caused by and . To develop an improved methodology for the diagnosis and treatment of MQD, investigations were undertaken to better understand the pathosystem of the disease.

Rapid headspace analysis of commercial spearmint and peppermint teas using volatile 'fingerprints' and an electronic nose.

Background: Spearmint and peppermint teas are widely consumed around the world for their flavor and therapeutic properties. Dynamic headspace sampling (HS) coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with principal component analysis (PCA) of 'fingerprint' volatile profiles were used to investigate 27 spearmint and peppermint teas. Additionally, comparisons between mint teas were undertaken with an electronic nose (enose).

Phylogeny, biogeography, and host range of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) feeding on spores of rust fungi (Basidiomycota: Pucciniales).

Rust fungi (Pucciniales) are plant pathogens that can cause devastating yield losses to economically important crops and threaten native plants with extinction. Rusts are usually controlled with fungicides when rust-resistant plant varieties are unavailable. However, natural enemies may offer an alternative to chemicals by acting as biological controls.

Influence of deployment method and maintenance on efficacy of sticky card traps for Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest which feeds on numerous economically significant crops. Many integrated pest management strategies for this species rely on effective season-long monitoring for H. halys populations, including attract-and-kill and threshold-based insecticide sprays.

Recurrent selection shapes the genomic landscape of differentiation between a pair of host-specialized haplodiploids that diverged with gene flow.

Understanding the genetics of adaptation and speciation is critical for a complete picture of how biodiversity is generated and maintained. Heterogeneous genomic differentiation between diverging taxa is commonly documented, with genomic regions of high differentiation interpreted as resulting from differential gene flow, linked selection and reduced recombination rates. Disentangling the roles of each of these non-exclusive processes in shaping genome-wide patterns of divergence is challenging but will enhance our knowledge of the repeatability of genomic landscapes across taxa.

Evaluating impacts of radiation-induced sterilization on the performance and gut microbiome of mass-reared Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) in Hawai'i.

Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a useful strategy for preventing and mitigative establishment of invasive insect species. SIT of the pest tephritid Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824)WiedemannWiedemann, has been effective in preventing population establishment in vulnerable agricultural areas of the United States. However, irradiation-induced sterilization can have detrimental impacts resulting in reduced performance metrics.

Comparing the biological effectiveness of low energy 100 kV and high energy 5 MeV X-rays against Oriental fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Radioisotope irradiators (using cesium-137 or cobalt-60) are used as sources of ionizing radiation to control quarantine or phytosanitary insect pests in internationally traded fresh commodities and to sterilize insects used in sterile insect release programs. There are institutional initiatives to replace isotopic irradiators (producing γ-rays) with lower-energy X-ray machines due to concerns about radiological terrorism and increasingly stringent regulations on the movement of radioisotopes. Questions remain about whether the biological effects of low-energy X-rays are comparable to those of γ-rays since differences in energy levels and dose rates of X-rays may have different efficacies.

Host range of a parasitoid wasp is linked to host susceptibility to its mutualistic viral symbiont.

Parasitoid wasps are one of the most species-rich groups of animals on Earth, due to their ability to successfully develop as parasites of nearly all types of insects. Unlike most known parasitoid wasps that specialize towards one or a few host species, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is a generalist that can survive within multiple genera of tephritid fruit fly hosts, including many globally important pest species. Diachasmimorpha longicaudata has therefore been widely released to suppress pest populations as part of biological control efforts in tropical and subtropical agricultural ecosystems.

Tracking and modeling the movement of Queensland fruit flies, Bactrocera tryoni, using harmonic radar in papaya fields.

Determining movement parameters for pest insects such as tephritid fruit flies is critical to developing models which can be used to increase the effectiveness of surveillance and control strategies. In this study, harmonic radar was used to track wild-caught male Queensland fruit flies (Qflies), Bactrocera tryoni, in papaya fields. Experiment 1 continuously tracked single flies which were prodded to induce movement.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly of the hunt bumble bee, Bombus huntii Greene, 1860, a species of agricultural interest.

The Hunt bumble bee, Bombus huntii, is a widely distributed pollinator in western North America. The species produces large colony sizes in captive rearing conditions, experiences low parasite and pathogen loads, and has been demonstrated to be an effective pollinator of tomatoes grown in controlled environment agriculture systems. These desirable traits have galvanized producer efforts to develop commercial Bombus huntii colonies for growers to deliver pollination services to crops.

Persistence of widespread moderate Spinosad resistance among wild melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae) and oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) populations on the major Hawaiian islands.

Background: Insecticide resistance among invasive tephritid fruit flies poses a great risk to national food security and has the potential to disrupt quarantine and eradication programs, which rely on the efficacy of Spinosad to prevent widespread establishment in North America. During 2022 to 2023 we surveyed the extent of Spinosad resistance of two key species, oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis, and melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae, from 20 sites across five Hawaiian Islands including Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui, Molokai and the "Big Island" (Hawai'i).

Results: We used topical thoracic applications of eight concentrations of Spinosad ranging from 0.

A molecular approach to unravel trophic interactions between parasitoids and hyperparasitoids associated with pecan aphids.

Advances in molecular ecology can overcome many challenges in understanding host-parasitoid interactions. Genetic characterization of the key-players in systems helps to confirm species and identify trophic linkages essential for ecological service delivery by biological control agents; however, relatively few agroecosystems have been explored using this approach. Pecan production consists of a large tree perennial system containing an assortment of seasonal pests and natural enemies.

Whole Genomes Reveal Evolutionary Relationships and Mechanisms Underlying Gene-Tree Discordance in Neodiprion Sawflies.

Rapidly evolving taxa are excellent models for understanding the mechanisms that give rise to biodiversity. However, developing an accurate historical framework for comparative analysis of such lineages remains a challenge due to ubiquitous incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and introgression. Here, we use a whole-genome alignment, multiple locus-sampling strategies, and summary-tree and single nucleotide polymorphism-based species-tree methods to infer a species tree for eastern North American Neodiprion species, a clade of pine-feeding sawflies (Order: Hymenopteran; Family: Diprionidae).

Prosapia bicincta (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) abundance, plant associations, and impacts on groundcover in Hawai'i Island rangelands.

The twolined spittlebug, Prosapia bicincta (Say), is a major economic pest of forage grass and turfgrass. Prosapia bicincta was first detected in rangelands on Hawai'i Island in 2016 and has since spread to an estimated 72,000 ha in the North and South Kona districts. This study aimed to quantify P.

otb: an automated HiC/HiFi pipeline assembles the Prosapia bicincta Genome.

The implementation of a new genomic assembly pipeline named only the best (otb) has effectively addressed various challenges associated with data management during the development and storage of genome assemblies. otb, which incorporates a comprehensive pipeline involving a setup layer, quality checks, templating, and the integration of Nextflow and Singularity. The primary objective of otb is to streamline the process of creating a HiFi/HiC genome, aiming to minimize the manual intervention required in the genome assembly process.

Non-destructive identification of varieties of Hawaii-grown avocados using near-infrared spectroscopy: Feasibility studies using bench-top and handheld spectrometers.

Avocados are an important economic crop of Hawaii, contributing to approximately 3% of all avocados grown in the United States. To export Hawaii-grown avocados, growers must follow strict United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) regulations. Currently, only the Sharwil variety can be exported relying on a systems approach, which allows fruit to be exported without quarantine treatment; treatments that can negatively impact the quality of avocados.