Targeted transcriptomics reveals signatures of large-scale independent origins and concerted regulation of effector genes in Radopholus similis.

The burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, is an economically important plant-parasitic nematode that inflicts damage and yield loss to a wide range of crops. This migratory endoparasite is widely distributed in warmer regions and causes extensive destruction to the root systems of important food crops (e.g.

Does Habituation Affect the Efficacy of Semiochemical Oviposition Repellents Developed Against Drosophila suzukii?

The application of feeding and oviposition repellents is limited to arthropod systems in which habituation does not occur. Although several compounds appear to reduce Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Dipetra: Drosophilidae) oviposition in berries, previous studies have yet to address whether habituation is a significant risk following preexposure. We tested the response of adult female D.

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae): A Decade of Research Towards a Sustainable Integrated Pest Management Program.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) also known as spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a pest native to Southeast Asia. In the last few decades, the pest has expanded its range to affect all major European and American fruit production regions. SWD is a highly adaptive insect that is able to disperse, survive, and flourish under a range of environmental conditions.

Risk Assessment of Ozone Fumigation Under Vacuum to Control Potential Infestation of Coffee Berry Borer and Coffee Leaf Rust in Green Coffee Beans Imported Into Hawaii.

Studies were conducted with ozone gas fumigation under vacuum as a methyl bromide alternative against life stages of coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), and the urediniospores of coffee leaf rust (CLR), Hemileia vastatrix Berkeley & Broome (Basidiomycota: Pucciniales) in green coffee, Coffea spp. L. Fumigation with 10,000 ppm O3 gas under -25.

Effects of fluopyram and azadirachtin integration with sunn hemp on nematode communities in zucchini, tomato and sweet potato in Hawaii.

Fluopyram (Velum One) is a synthetic nematicide and azadirachtin (Molt-X) is a biological nematicide. Both have shown promise against plant-parasitic nematodes on several agriculturally important crops. There is a lack of information on integration of pre-plant sunn hemp () cover crop with these post-plant nematicides, aiming to improve plant-parasitic nematodes management and mitigate any detrimental effects on free-living nematodes.

Host Suitability Index for Polyphagous Tephritid Fruit Flies.

Tephritid fruit flies are major economic pests for fruit production and are an impediment to international trade. Different host fruits are known to vary in their suitability for fruit flies to complete their life cycle. Currently, international regulatory standards that define the likely legal host status for tephritid fruit flies categorize fruits as a natural host, a conditional host, or a nonhost.

Automated aerosol puffers effectively deliver 1-OCTEN-3-OL, an oviposition antagonist useful against spotted-wing drosophila.

Background: Automated aerosol puffers releasing behaviorally active volatile organic compounds can deter insect pests in crops. During 2016, we tested the efficacy of aerosol puffer arrays emitting 1-octen-3-ol at reducing Drosophila suzukii oviposition in fall-bearing raspberries in Western New York State. During 2017, we compared the performance of aerosol puffers with a passive diffusion release method (vial dispensers), as well as puffer timing and placement within the field.

Roles of transcription factor SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like gene family in papaya (Carica papaya) development and ripening.

SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like (SPL) family plays vital regulatory roles in plant growth and development. The SPL family in climacteric fruit Carica papaya has not been reported. This study identified 14 papaya SPLs (CpSPL) from papaya genome and analyzed their sequence features, phylogeny, intron/exon structure, conserved motif, miR156-mediated posttranscriptional regulation, and expression patterns.

Insights into the Evolutionary History of the Hawaiian Bidens (Asteraceae) Adaptive Radiation Revealed Through Phylogenomics.

Hawaiian plant radiations often result in lineages with exceptionally high species richness and extreme morphological and ecological differentiation. However, they typically display low levels of genetic variation, hindering the use of classic DNA markers to resolve their evolutionary histories. Here we utilize a phylogenomic approach to generate the first generally well-resolved phylogenetic hypothesis for the evolution of the Hawaiian Bidens (Asteraceae) adaptive radiation, including refined initial colonization and divergence time estimates.

Rapid and repeatable host plant shifts drive reproductive isolation following a recent human-mediated introduction of the apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella.

Ecological speciation via host-shifting is often invoked as a mechanism for insect diversification, but the relative importance of this process is poorly understood. The shift of Rhagoletis pomonella in the 1850s from the native downy hawthorn, Crataegus mollis, to introduced apple, Malus pumila, is a classic example of sympatric host race formation, a hypothesized early stage of ecological speciation. The accidental human-mediated introduction of R.

A high-quality genome assembly from a single, field-collected spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) using the PacBio Sequel II system.

Background: A high-quality reference genome is an essential tool for applied and basic research on arthropods. Long-read sequencing technologies may be used to generate more complete and contiguous genome assemblies than alternate technologies; however, long-read methods have historically had greater input DNA requirements and higher costs than next-generation sequencing, which are barriers to their use on many samples. Here, we present a 2.

Papaya Ringspot Virus Isolates From Papaya in Bangladesh: Detection, Characterization, and Distribution.

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is the major constraint to papaya () production in Bangladesh. Disease symptoms occurred in 90 to 100% of the plants surveyed. Full-length genomes of PRSV strains from severely infected papaya plants were determined using the Illumina NextSeq 500 platform, followed by Sanger DNA sequencing of viral genomes obtained by reverse-transcription PCR(RT-PCR).

Bioactive Sesquiterpene Lactones Isolated from the Whole Plants of .

Twelve sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the whole plants of . These included eight new compounds, vercinolides A-H (-), along with four known substances (-). The structures of the new compounds were determined by 1D and 2D NMR experiments and mass spectrometric methods.

β-cyclocitral synergizes the response of adult Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) to fruit juices and isoamyl acetate in a sex-dependent manner.

Semiochemicals play a pivotal role in the location, evaluation, and utilization of hosts by herbivorous insects. Mixtures of host plant-derived compounds are often required to elicit appropriate levels of response to olfactory stimuli. In multiple-choice bioassays, we characterized the response of adult Drosophila suzukii to foliage- and fruit-based synthetic compounds tested alone and in association with grape and tart cherry juices, and assessed whether synergistic interactions among olfactory stimuli are involved in the olfactory-driven behavior of D.

The Genetic Diversity of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in China and Neighboring Countries: A Review From Published Studies.

For more than a decade, various research groups have tracked the population genetics of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) in China and neighboring countries using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA. Although most research has reported high levels of mtDNA variation, to date no efforts have been made to integrate and compare the results from these studies simultaneously. Here, we show that: 1) despite the fact that a large portion of the sampling effort has focused on the Yunnan province beginning in 2005, each subsequent study recovers only a small number of previously sampled haplotypes; 2) new haplotypes of B.

Field Evaluation of a Binary Sex Pheromone for Sweetpotato Vine Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Hawaii.

The sweetpotato vine borer, Omphisa anastomosalis (Guenée), is a primarily Asian pest of sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas L. Damage by O. anastomosalis infestation can cause root yield losses of 30%-50%.

Raspberry Ketone Trifluoroacetate Trapping of Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae)in Hawaii.

Melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of tropical horticulture, causing damage to cucurbits, other fruiting vegetables, and certain tree fruits. The deployment of male lures comprises an important component of several detection and control strategies for this pest, with the main male attractant currently in use being cuelure (CL). A novel fluorinated analog of CL, raspberry ketone trifluoroacetate (RKTA), has been developed for the control of Bactrocera tryoni, a related pest; here, we test this compound for attraction to Z.

Collection, isolation, in vitro culture, and laboratory transmission of Hirsutella eleutheratorum (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) from coffee berry borer on Hawai'i Island.

The insect pathogenic fungus Hirsutella eleutheratorum was first reported as a pathogen of coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei in Colombia in 1993. A similar CBB pathogen identified as Hirsutella sp. was reported also from Colombia in 2007; attempts at isolation and in vitro culture of this fungus were unsuccessful.

Rapid Viral Symbiogenesis via Changes in Parasitoid Wasp Genome Architecture.

Viral genome integration provides a complex route to biological innovation that has rarely but repeatedly occurred in one of the most diverse lineages of organisms on the planet, parasitoid wasps. We describe a novel endogenous virus in braconid wasps derived from pathogenic alphanudiviruses. Limited to a subset of the genus Fopius, this recent acquisition allows an unprecedented opportunity to examine early endogenization events.

Real-Time PCR Assays to Detect and Distinguish the Rapid 'Ōhi'a Death Pathogens Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia.

Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia are recently described fungal species that cause rapid 'ōhi'a death (ROD) of Metrosideros polymorpha, Hawaii's most abundant and ecologically important native species. Although the pathogens are now widespread on Hawai'i Island, a major effort is underway to study and manage affected forests, and particularly to prevent the disease from spreading to other islands in the State or throughout the Pacific.

Molecular Characterization of the 2016 New World Screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Outbreak in the Florida Keys.

New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel 1858) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is a myiasis-causing fly that can be a serious threat to the health of livestock, wildlife, and humans. Its progressive eradication from the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America from the 1950s to 2000s is an excellent example of successful pest management using sterile insect technique (SIT). In late 2016, autochthonous NWS were detected in the Florida Keys, representing this species' first invasion in the United States in >30 yr.

Irradiation for Quarantine Control of Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Coffee and a Proposed Generic Dose for Snout Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea).

Coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is the most serious insect pest of coffee worldwide. Green coffee used in blending and roasting is traded between countries and may be subjected to fumigation for disinfestation of CBB. For example, green coffee shipped to Hawaii from the U.

Field Trapping (Diptera: Tephritidae) with Select Eugenol Analogs That Have Been Found to Attract Other 'Non-Responsive' Fruit Fly Species.

(Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a pest fruit fly species native to Oriental Asia which has invaded and established in Hawaii and Tanzania and has been recovered in detection trapping in California. It is largely non-responsive to the male lures cuelure and methyl eugenol. Alpha-ionol + cade oil is a moderately effective male attractant, but is not as attractive as cuelure or methyl eugenol are to other fruit fly species.