Animals ; Insect Vectors ; Pest Control, Biological

OBJECTIVETo test Candonocypris novaezelandiae (Baird) (C. novaezelandiae), sub-class Ostracoda, obtained from the Nile, Egypt for its predatory activity on snail, Biomphalaria alexandrina (B. alexandrina), intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) and on the free-living larval stages of this parasite (miracidia and cercariae).

METHODSThe predatory activity of C. novaezelandiae was determined on B. alexandrina snail (several densities of eggs, newly hatched and juveniles). This activity was also determined on S. mansoni miracidia and cercariae using different volumes of water and different numbers of larvae. C. novaezelandiae was also tested for its effect on infection of snails and on the cercarial production.

RESULTSC. novaezelandiae was found to feed on the eggs, newly hatched and juvenile snails, but with significant reduction in the consumption in the presence of other diet like the blue green algae (Nostoc muscorum). This ostracod also showed considerable predatory activity on the free-living larval stages of S. mansoni which was affected by certain environmental factors such as volume of water, density of C. novaezelandiae and number of larvae of the parasite.

CONCLUSIONSThe presence of this ostracod in the aquatic habitat led to significant reduction of snail population, infection rate of snails with schistosme miracidia as well as of cercarial production from the infected snails. This may suggest that introducing C. novaezelandiae into the habitat at schistosome risky sites could suppress the transmission of the disease.

Animals ; Crustacea ; physiology ; Pest Control ; Pest Control, Biological ; Predatory Behavior ; Schistosoma mansoni ; Schistosomiasis mansoni ; prevention & control ; transmission

ENHANCIN is an enhancing protein chiefly found in insect baculoviruses. One ENHANCIN homologue was identified, by blast method, in Agrotis Segetum granulovirus (AgseGV) genome, named enhancin-like. Sequence analysis indicated that this gene includes the conserved domains, conserved in other ENHANCIN, and it has no signal peptide or a-transmembrane helix. A proline-rich domain, which is similar to those of mammals, is present at its C-terminal. To analyze the synergistic function of AgseGV enhancin-like gene, prokaryotic expression vectors of its whole gene and the 5'-truncated fragment (1, 017bp) were constructed. Expression product of truncated fragment was purified by chromatography, and then it was used to prepare antibody. The expression product of whole gene was identified by Western blot with specific antibody and anti-His-Tag antibody. Bioassay proved that the expression product of whole gene can increase the mortality with 16.25% to 3th instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (HaNPV: 1.17 x 10(2) PIBS/mL), while the truncated fragment has no obvious synergistic function.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Baculoviridae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Insect Control ; Larva ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Moths ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Pest Control, Biological ; Viral Proteins ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; toxicity

In recent years, the soil borne disease of medicinal plants becomes severely during the process of cultivation and directly endangered the production and quality of raw materials used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The chemical pesticides have been constantly used to prevent and control the soil borne disease, but only a few are effective. Meanwhile, the excessive uses of chemical pesticides also lead pesticide residues in TCM, which often exceed limit of the standard, and harm the human health and cause environmental pollution. Therefore, biological control has become a hot research point for its environmental advantages. This paper mainly discussed the mechanisms of different species of microorganisms, which could control the soil borne disease of medicinal plants, from the following aspects: improving host plants' nutrient absorption, the nutrient and space competition with the pathogenic bacteria, changing the morphology and anatomical structure of roots, adjusting the host plants' endogenous hormones, restoring the balance of host rhizosphere soil microecology and activating the host plants' defense system etc. Then put forward the prospect of biocontrol agents in the future.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Pest Control, Biological ; methods ; Plant Diseases ; prevention & control ; Plants, Medicinal ; Soil Microbiology

By the time of primary 21st century, water hyacinth had become a serious environmental problem in China. Water hyacinth contributes to the major part of ecological hazards from the invasion of foreign plant species, which is estimated about USD 7 billion a year in values. In the past 10 years, herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D and paraquat have been used in controlling water hyacinth in China. Although the herbicides provided effective control on the weed in some areas, they could not provide the sustainable inhibition on the weed population, while would lead to pollution of water at various levels. At present, the herbicide application on water hyacinth is forbidden in many areas of China such as Shanghai. In this situation, the asexual reproduction inhibitor, KWH02, was invented for controlling water hyacinth and it provided about 70% of growth inhibition without any risk of dead plant pollution. It has been about 10 years for bio-control of water hyacinth in China. Works focused on mainly the efficacy and safety of the utilization of foreign insects. Researches on microorganism herbicides to control water hyacinth were started and obtained primary achievements in recent years. Although there are different opinion on how to face the water hyacinth problem in China, it is accepted widely that the control methods should be high efficient and safe with low cost. Some practical measures for integrated management of water hyacinth are suggested.
Animals ; China ; Ecology ; Eichhornia ; growth & development ; Female ; Herbicides ; pharmacology ; Male ; Pest Control, Biological ; Rats ; Weevils

UNLABELLEDTo study the effects of the integrated pest control techniques on growth of host larvae of Cordyceps sinensis.

METHODThe integrated pest control techniques were compared with conventional techniques to evaluate the effects on growth of host larvae.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe results showed that the techniques had broken the balance of the microbial living in the material, produced effective inhibition on the pests, raised the survival rate and promoted the growth of the host larvae at the same time.

Animals ; Cordyceps ; physiology ; Larva ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Moths ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological ; methods

OBJECTIVETo Provide the scientific basis for controlling the lycium pests.

METHODThe kinds and number of pests and their natural enemies were investigated at regular intervals and on the fixed trees.

RESULTThere are 13 kinds of lycium pests and 17 kinds of natural enemies, the occurrence of which are closely related.

CONCLUSIONNatural enemies can control aphids and psyllidae effectively, but ten-spotted lema and Epithrix sp. must be controlled by pesticides.

Animals ; Aphids ; Coleoptera ; Ecosystem ; Hemiptera ; Lepidoptera ; Lycium ; Pest Control, Biological ; Pesticides ; Seasons

In order to explore the environmental pest management method of Dorysthenes hydropicus, three strains of entomopathogenic nematodes, viz. Heterorhabditis bacteriphora (H06), Steinernema scapterisci (SS), S. carpocapsae (All) were used on larvae of Dorysthenes hydropicus, with treatments of 0, 5 000 and 10 000 nematodes each larva. The result showed that these three strains viz. All, H06 and SS had high lethal effects on the larvae. Lethal rates had dose-effects relationship with inoculation amounts. High dose treatments resulted in high mortalities and led to quick death, especially in the treatment of H06. Treatment of H06 with 10 000 nematodes per larva resulted in 100% mortality after inoculated 4 days. Different strains of these nematodes had various lethal characters, H06 with only one peak mortality, the larvae died quickly after inoculated, while All and SS with 2 peak mortalities, there was a stable stage with low mortality between the 2 peak mortalities. Entomopathogenic nematodes could be used as a hopeful method for controlling of Dorysthenes hydropicus in fields.
Animals ; Larva ; parasitology ; Moths ; growth & development ; parasitology ; physiology ; Nematoda ; physiology ; Pest Control, Biological ; methods

A type of entomopathogenic fungus of soil in Citrus grandis 'tomentosa' production base was isolated and identified with morphological and molecular biological methods, including pathogenesis, spore characteristic and ITS sequence analysis were conducted. The results showed that eighteen entomopathogenic fungi strains were isolated from the Tenebrio molitor infected in the soil samples, which were identified as Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae. Based on results above, we concluded that there was quantity of Metarhizium resources in this area. These provided the useful information for controlling some pests of C. grandis by using these strains of fungus.
Animals ; Citrus ; parasitology ; Metarhizium ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Pest Control, Biological ; methods ; Soil Microbiology

Medicinal plants always suffer from diseases and pests in their cultivation and growing, and the yield and quality are reduced. At present, chemical pesticide is mainly used to control the diseases and pests. The long-term use and over-use of pesticide result in pesticide residue, pests resistance to pesticide, water and soil pollution and other environmental contamination. It is necrssary to provide the integrated pests management, including new technology of biological control for developing green drug. This project makes research on the following aspects: 1. Applied studies on bethyloid wasp (Scleroderma guani) control for stem borer; 2. To develop Trichoderma spp. and use it to control the diseases of medicinal plants; 3. Applying Agro-antibiotics 120 to control phytophthora root rot of ginseng; 4. Researches on application of entomopathogenic nematodes against ten-spotted lema (Lema decempuntata) et al.
Animals ; Hymenoptera ; Pest Control, Biological ; Plant Diseases ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Trichoderma