BACKGROUND Spodoptera frugiperda has spread to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, posing a serious threat to global agriculture. We estimated the appropriate dose of X-ray sterilization for S. frugiperda using an X-ray irradiation instrument to investigate environmentally acceptable control techniques, laying the framework for future applications of sterile insect technology (SIT) to manage the pest environmentally-friendly

BACKGROUND The ionotropic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor (iGABAR) is an important target for insecticides and parasiticides. Our previous studies showed that competitive antagonists (CAs) of insect iGABARs have the potential to be used for developing novel insecticides and that the structural modification of gabazine (a representative CA of mammalian iGABARs) could lead to the identification of

BACKGROUND Bryobia (Koch) mites belong to the economically important spider mite family, the Tetranychidae, with >?130 species described worldwide. Due to taxonomic difficulties and most species being asexual, species identification relies heavily on genetic markers. Multiple putative Bryobia mite species have been identified attacking pastures and grain crops in Australia. In this study, we collected

BACKGROUND Species within the Bemisia tabaci cryptic species complex can cause significant crop damage. We used high-throughput amplicon sequencing to identify the species composition and resistance allele genotypes in field populations from cotton fields in Australia. For selected populations, the resistance phenotype was determined in bioassays and compared to sequencing data. RESULTS A metabarcoding

Large forest fires generally occur when the moisture content of fuels is low. For live fuels, our understanding of the physiological basis of variation in moisture content has recently advanced. However, process-based models of live fuel moisture content (LFMC) remain elusive. Here, we aim to further our understanding of the role of physiological mechanisms and plant functional traits in driving spatiotemporal

BACKGROUND Herbicide-resistant weeds pose a challenge to agriculture and food production. New herbicide tolerance traits in crops will provide farmers with more options to effectively manage weeds. Mesotrione, a selective, pre- and post-emergent triketone herbicide used in corn production, controls broadleaf and some annual grass weeds via hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibition. Recently

BACKGROUND Some rodent species living in arid areas show elevated physiological tolerance to anti-vitamin K rodenticides (AVKs), which seems due to some unknown selective pressures that rodents may experience in desert habitats. Genes involved in the ?-carboxylation of blood coagulation, including vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, subunit 1 (Vkorc1), ?-glutamyl-carboxylase (Ggcx) and NAD(P)H quinone

BACKGROUND Metarhizium rileyi is an entomopathogenic fungus with promising potential for controlling agricultural pests, including Spodoptera frugiperda. Following penetration of the host through the cuticle, M. rileyi cells transform into in vivo blastospores or hyphal bodies, propagating within the hemocoel. However, the strategies and molecular mechanisms by which M. rileyi survives upon exposure

BACKGROUND Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is considered one of most important agricultural pests in the world. It is one of the main pests in protected pepper crops under greenhouse conditions in Southeastern Spain, but its control is limited due to few available authorized insecticides and their incompatibility with the natural enemies. Some essential oils and pure compounds such as anise (Pimpinella

In year-round horticultural fruit production, the leaf area index (LAI; L) is a useful indicator for proper crop management. In this study, wide-angle time-lapse digital cameras were applied to estimate the L of a row-planted eggplant canopy throughout an entire growth period. Six wide-angle time-lapse cameras were placed above the canopy; three cameras pointed to the nadir, and the other three pointed

BACKGROUND The tea green leafhopper, Empoasca onukii Matsuda, is the most destructive insect pest of tea plantations in East Asia. Despite its economic importance and previous studies on this species, it remains unclear as to how this small-sized pest can have such wide range. RESULTS By sequencing three mitochondrial genes and 17 microsatellite loci, we revealed the regional structure and demographic

Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is one of the most important insect pests of rice, and it has been able to develop strong resistance to many insecticides. Triflumezopyrim, a new type of mesoionic insecticide developed by Corteva Agriscience, showed high biological activity in controlling the piercing-sucking insect pests, such as planthopper and leafhopper RESULTS: In this

Mindfulness and mind wandering are among distinct forms of cognitive engagement proposed to occur during nature experiences. Little is known however about how these forms of engagement support psychological benefits of urban nature experiences, and under what environmental and personal circumstances. We aimed to explore these associations through interviewing 20 individuals after they had spent time

Climate change poses a great challenge to global food security. Recently the combination of crop models (CMs), global climate models (GCMs), and species distribution models (SDMs) has been applied to assess the impacts of climate change on crop production with consideration of changes of crop climate-suitable regions. However, little is known about the uncertainty sources in the wheat production projections

Land surfaces dissipate energy through latent (LE) and sensible (H) heat fluxes that modulate atmospheric temperature and humidity, which in return affect land surface vegetation and soil processes. Within this two-way land-atmosphere coupling, surface energy partitioning (LE versus H) plays a central role in connecting the land and atmosphere states and fluxes. However, considerably large uncertainties

Water use efficiency (WUE) links carbon and water cycling and has been recognized as important in understanding the carbon-water budget of terrestrial ecosystems. However, there are few studies comparing WUE at leaf and ecosystem levels in response to environmental variables on a global scale. Here, we compare global-scale patterns and the drivers of leaf and ecosystem WUEs and quantify the relative

BACKGROUND The black carabid beetle Calosoma maximoviczi is a successful predator which serves both as a beneficial insect and a severe threat to economic herbivores. Its hunting technic relies much on olfaction, but the underlined mechanism has not been tackled. Here, we reported electrophysiological, ecological, and molecular traits of bioactive components identified from a comprehensive panel of

The presence of green spaces has been associated with improved physical health and better mental health and wellbeing. In contrast, the presence of gray features including build-up areas might have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of citizens. To date, the available evidence on the health effects of green and gray spaces have mainly relied on 2-dimensional (2D) indicators of these spaces

Sorghum x sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) has excellent biomass yield and requires low maintenance. It can be harvested multiple times during the growing season. It has great potential to be used for cellulosic biofuel production in the temperate regions, including the Korean peninsula. However, N requirements during the regrowth have not been evaluated yet. Three years of the study

Resulting from the wide range of usages of bio-methane, anaerobic digestion has become a major issue. Beside biogenic residues, the cultivation of energy crops has significantly been expanded in Europe. Due to the increasing competition for land, sites with a low value for food production are predestined for cultivating feedstocks. Numerous studies have shown that perennial energy crops (PECs) present

BACKGROUND The tea black tussock moth Dasychira baibarana Matsumura is a devastating pest in tea plantations that causes substantial economic losses. Presently, there is no effective method to control this pest other than pesticide application. The identified sex pheromone of D. baibarana could be used for detecting and monitoring this pest. RESULTS Gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection showed

High temperature is becoming a growing threat to global food security with warming climate. Maize grain yield greatly reduces when subjected to heat stress around flowering and early grain filling, but the responses of temperate (Te) and tropical (Tr) maize genotypes to heat stress are unclear. For this, 162 maize inbred lines including 40 Te, 45 Tr and 77 Te?×?Tr lines were grown at six sowing dates

Urban tree species identification is the basis for studying the urban-environment coordination mechanism at the species level. Although the gradual maturity of remote sensing data and related research including light detection and ranging (LiDAR) provides a good foundation for the realization of this technology, multiple reasons such as cost, data openness, study scope limitations, and weakness of

Urban foresters are addressing the challenge of urban biodiversity loss through management plans in the context of rapid urbanization. Protecting the integrity of the urban ecosystem requires long-term monitoring and planning for resilience as well as effective management. The soundscape assessment has attracted attention in this field, but applying the soundscape assessment in urban ecological monitoring

In order to meet comprehensive planting goals, tree-planting campaigns must plant on private properties, in residential front and backyards. Successful engagement in these kinds of neighborhood plantings requires an understanding of residents' decision making. Through surveys with past recipients of free 1″-caliper trees, past neighborhood leaders of tree-planting recruiting, and door-to-door canvassing

Our previous study showed that two glycosyl-pesticide conjugates with a β-D-glucoside moiety, GOF and GOTF, can move in the phloem and be hydrolyzed by β-glucosidase at different rates. Simulations were carried out to investigate the differences in the hydrolysis processes of GOF, GOTF and pNPG. A new series of glycosyl-O-fipronil conjugates were then designed and synthesized based on the simulation

Fungi are responsible for many of the processes that occur in natural ecosystems and largely determine forest ecosystem dynamics, such as the ability of trees to access limiting nutrients and sequester carbon. Understanding and predicting climate change impacts on fungal dynamics over large scales is key in order to gain further insights into the effects of global change on natural ecosystem functioning

Two-step pretreatment, the sequential dilute acid pretreatment (DAP) and alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment (AHP), is an efficient strategy to pretreat lignocellulose. Understanding the chemical and ultrastructural evolutions could improve the utilization of corn stalks. Advanced multiscale approach was integrated, to semi-quantitative elucidate the lignocellulose structural evolution. Implementing

The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata, and the Oriental fruit fly, B. dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae), are economically important fruit fly species in various regions of the world. We evaluated the effects of separate and combined applications of the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Beauveria bassiana (WG-18), Metarhizium anisopliae (WG-02) and the entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora

Limited understanding of the fate of pesticides in apple orchards may lead to recurring pests or pose risks to food safety. In this study, through a field experiment conducted in an apple orchard, a dynamic plant uptake model, coupled with a soil water model, was developed to simulate measured pesticide concentrations in soil and different plant compartments.

α-linolenic acid is an essential unsaturated fatty acid in organisms. However, there is a large gap between α-linolenic acid accumulation and its synthesis mechanism in insects. Fatty acid synthases (FASs) and desaturases (Desats) are vital enzymes required for the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acid.

Drought, as an extreme natural disaster event, can cause or exacerbate water, food, and national security hazards. However, because of differences in the regional characteristics and applicability of drought indices, a more comprehensive drought index is necessary for drought assessment over large areas. Here, we propose a new detrended combined climatologic deviation index (Detrended-CCDI), and monitor

Warm season perennial grasses that use C4 photosynthesis can provide a reliable supply of bioenergy and biomaterials, achieving the greatest annually harvestable biomass of any crop in most temperate regions. Short growing seasons bookended by cold temperatures and snow cover challenge the productivity of C4 perennial grasses at high latitudes. Cultivars from higher latitudes also often flower and

Climate change is affecting the interannual variability and the seasonal cycle for key meteorological variables, as well as the frequency, intensity, duration and timing of out-of-the-norm and extreme events. In such a context, seasonal forecasts (i.e., climate predictions from a few weeks to several months ahead) are compelling instruments able to anticipate upcoming climate risks and guide tactical

Despite technical improvements in the citrus chain and leadership in orange production achieved in the past decades, premature fruit drop remains a major component of crop loss in S?o Paulo state citrus belt, the largest sweet orange production area in the world. The present study aimed to determine, during five consecutive seasons, the impact of the diseases and pests on premature fruit drop in the

Fenpicoxamid and florylpicoxamid are picolinamide fungicides targeting the Qi site of the cytochrome bc1 complex, via their primary metabolites UK-2A and CAS-649, respectively. We explore binding interactions and resistance mechanisms for picolinamides, antimycin A and ilicicolin H in yeast by testing effects of cytochrome b amino acid changes on fungicide sensitivity and interpreting results using

Fall armyworm (FAW) is one of the most destructive and invasive pests worldwide and causes significant economic losses. Intensive and frequent use of insecticides has led to the development of resistance in FAW. Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) have been proven to be involved in insecticide resistance in insects. However, the molecular mechanism underlying chlorantraniliprole resistance mediated by AKH signaling

The production of beef, soy, and corn in Brazil is currently higher in the Cerrado biome than other biomes, such as Amazon forest. The expansion of agricultural production has caused significant changes in local albedo and surface energy fluxes. Analyzing energy fluxes is essential for understanding the microclimate dynamics in the region. However, these factors are incompletely understood because

The co-pyrolysis characteristics of oil-based drill cuttings (OBDC) and lees were studied through investigating the effects of pyrolysis temperature, pyrolysis time, heating rate, and mixing ratio on the pyrolysis/co-pyrolysis products. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and thermogravimetric-mass spectrometry (TM-MS) were used

Urban green spaces (UGSs) provide a plethora of ecosystem services that benefit humans and wildlife within cities. UGS both promotes and is affected by overall urban ecological health, which can be measured by a wide range of indices. In this study, we investigated the distribution patterns and drivers of UGS within the tropical coastal city of Haikou, Hainan, China over the past decade using a combination

Purpose of Review Assisted migration is increasingly proposed as a proactive management strategy to mitigate the consequences of maladaptation predicted under climate change. Exploring the social and academic structure of the field, its research gaps, and future research directions can help further the understanding and facilitate the implementation of assisted migration strategies. Here we used bibliometric

In soybean fields containing insect and herbicide resistant genetically engineered varieties, some weed species have increasingly become difficult to be managed and may favor the population growth of secondary pests like Spodoptera cosmioides (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). To test this hypothesis, we measured life-history traits, population growth parameters, and adult nutrient content of S. cosmioides

Altitudinal treeline is typically considered as being sensitive to climate change, and treelines worldwide have been responding to climate warming by increasing in elevation and stand density. However, little is known how upward shift and tree densification within treelines are interrelated. Studies of these two ecological processes at regional and local scale have yielded heterogeneous results, showing

Essential oils (EOs) and their chemical components are often proposed as an alternative to synthetic pesticides for pest control of foodstuff insect pests. However, their low persistence and strong, spicy odour, make them poorly suitable for use to protect food. Modification of the EOs components molecules increases their molecular weight and reduce their volatility. However, the effectiveness of such

As an important part of urban greening, the canopy of street trees has ecological benefits, such as oxygen production, noise reduction, and dust reduction. The living vegetation volume (LVV) can reflect the spatial structure of the canopy intuitively and enables the estimation of the ecological service value of street trees. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has shown excellent performance for providing

Purpose of Review Wood represents an important economic natural resource and the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying its formation are best studied through biotechnological approaches, of which genomics forms an important branch. The evolution of technologies employed to examine wood formation at the molecular level has led to the development of novel methods in the field of wood genomics. The

Climate change is expected to pose major challenges to viticulture. The projected increase in temperature in the Mediterranean region due to climate change is likely to influence the timing of grapevine phenological stages. This study developed and validated a phenological model, from budbreak to maturation phenological stages, based on the growing degree days for the Sultana grapevine cultivar on

Brazil is among the world's largest producers of eucalyptus and the damage caused by native and invasive insect pests is one of the main factors affecting eucalyptus yield. The recent history of biological invasions of eucalyptus pests in Brazil prompts demand for phytosanitary measures to prevent new invasions. This study used ecological niche models to estimate suitable areas for nine eucalyptus

It is a common practice for many studies using the contingent valuation method (CVM) to censor protest responses, but this practice may make data structures incomplete and lead to sample selection bias at the final analysis stage for economic evaluation. This study adopted the CVM to assess the economic value of Qiedong-Wang-Gong (Bischofia javanica) (QWG), the only urban heritage tree over a thousand

Knowledge on the spatio-temporal distribution of pests is important for the development of accurate management approaches. The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boh., is a deleterious cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., pest on the Western Hemisphere. The spread of boll weevils across cotton fields remains poorly understood. We assessed the dispersal pattern of adult weevils through cotton fields