Roberto Mannu

Landscape and land-use are potential factors influencing the presence of insect pests and fungal pathogens, which can drive the onset of decline and mortality events. However, the impact of different types of landscapes on the community of insect-associated fungal pathogens still remains to be thoroughly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of landscape on plant-pathogenic fungi occurring in cork oak trees infested by Coraebus florentinus. Field surveys were conducted in 14 cork oak stands in Sardinia (Italy), classified as forest or woodland on the basis of the tree cover density. Fungi were isolated from wood materials sampled across various compartments of the gallery systems excavated by mature larvae of C. florentinus and identified based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analyses. Differences in fungal diversity between landscapes, as well as between gallery compartments and wood material types, were evaluated using ecological diversity indices and both non-parametric and ordination statistical methods. A total of 172 fungal isolates belonging to fourteen families and 26 species were obtained. Fungi in the Botryosphaeriaceae (41.28%), Nectriaceae (15.12%) and Cryphonectriaceae (12.79%) were the fungal families most frequently isolated from the infested branches. Diplodia corticola was the most frequently isolated species, representing 24.5 and 40.6% of total isolations in the forest and woodland areas, respectively. Multivariate analyses indicated that the presence and frequency of plant-pathogenic fungi were significantly associated with the predominant landscape. Results from this study emphasizes the importance of considering landscape types to facilitate risk assessment of the presence and spread of pathogenic fungi such as D. corticola and other members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family mainly involved in oak decline.

Grazing has a substantial impact on European grasslands, with both intensification and abandonment posing threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Sustainable agroforestry systems integrating grazing, agriculture and conservation offer a multifunctional solution to maintain productivity, biodiversity, cultural heritage and mitigate land degradation. In this study, the impact of grazing on Mediterranean woodlands, characterised by a history of sustained sheep and cattle grazing, was assessed by monitoring ground beetle and ant communities in 18 cork oak woodlands in Sardinia, Italy, in 2016. Environmental variables and forest descriptors characterising each selected area were also quantified. Species richness (SR) and functional diversity (FD) were estimated for each taxonomical group and compared among sheep‐, cattle‐grazed and ungrazed sites. Multivariate analysis was conducted to investigate differences in species composition among various grazing regimes and to evaluate the influence of environmental variables on insect communities. A total of 607 ground beetles (37 species) and 14,492 ants (35 species) were recorded. Sheep‐grazed sites showed the highest species richness (SR) and FD for both taxa. Significant differences were found in beetle and ant assemblages among different grazing regimes. Environmental variables significantly influenced community composition. In particular, altitude and tree density were found to significantly affect both ground beetle and ant composition. Our findings suggest that grazing influences arthropod communities by increasing habitat diversity and biodiversity, particularly in sheep‐grazed sites, and indicate that ground beetles and ants are valuable indicators for tracking land‐use changes through their population composition.

BACKGROUND: Oak borers in the genus Coraebus , including the bark‐ and the wood‐boring beetles C. florentinus and C. undatus , are major pests of the cork oak tree Quercus suber , and when their population densities are high, effective forest protection measures become critical. The endophagous behaviour of Coraebus species and the limited understanding of their biology, hamper the development of timely and effective management strategies. RESULTS: The novel strain UNISS22 of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana , isolated from the forest ecosystem, demonstrated strong insecticidal potential against the model coleopteran Tenebrio molitor and the two target Coraebus species, achieving up to 100% mortality in both larvae and adults, with efficacy shown to be concentration‐dependent. Beauveria bassiana UNISS22 was found to exhibit endophytic behaviour in Quercus plants and to possess a distinctive ability to produce increased fungal biomass. Genomic analyses revealed a set of genes encoding proteins related to the insecticidal potential, including genes involved in adhesion to the host (adhesins and hydrophobins), in penetration and infection (chitinases, proteases and subtilases), and in the synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites. Gene sequence analyses revealed a significant level of divergence in strain UNISS22, supporting the presence of distinct biological properties and functional potential compared with other B. bassiana strains. CONCLUSION: The biological properties and insecticidal potential of B. bassiana strain UNISS22 provide valuable insights for developing eco‐friendly, integrated management strategies to protect forests from Coraebus beetle infestations. © 2025 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Ceratitis capitata, is one of the most considerable invasive pests affecting fruit production worldwide. Conventional pesticides are generally formulated using organic solvents and emulsifiers that, in turn, are flammable and toxic. Thanks to their small size and biocompatibility, liposome-like formulations may significantly improve the efficacy and safety of conventional pesticides. This study aims to develop an alternative and innovative etofenprox formulation based on phospholipid vesicles (ethosomes) and evaluate its possible application for agricultural pest control. Ethosomes and geraniol-ethosomes were prepared by the one-step sonication method, achieving vesicles with small sizes (around 267 nm) and low polydispersity index (around 0.04). These vesicles were stable over 90 days of storage at room temperature and could slow the release of etofenprox (57 ± 4% released), in comparison with a commercial formulation (85 ± 5% released) after 24 h. Ethosomes and geraniol-ethosomes showed similar retention properties on lemon leaves (13.3 ± 1.0 to 14.4 ± 1.2 mg/cm²) under laboratory condition. After open-field application, geraniol-ethosomes left the highest etofenprox residues on lemon leaves (14.3 ± 1.0 mg/kg), whereas the commercial formulation on the flavedo (4.1 ± 0.5 mg/kg). This result highlighted the possibility of reducing the application dose of etofenprox loaded in geraniol-ethosomes especially during the BBCH stage before fruiting. Both formulations displayed good biocompatibility with no significant cytotoxic effects on human keratinocytes (HaCat cells) across different etofenprox concentrations. Furthermore, laboratory bioassays revealed that geraniol-ethosomes exhibited a prolonged toxicity when sprayed against Ceratitis capitata adults, attributed to sustained release kinetics, underscoring their potential in environmentally sustainable agricultural pest management.

The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii , is an invasive pest of soft‐skinned fruits. The efficacy of pesticides and repellents against this pest has often been evaluated in laboratory bioassays through the use of fresh fruits as a test subject. However, the use of fresh fruits may have several limitations, including variability in their attractiveness, high perishability, and the potential presence of agrochemical residuals. To address these challenges, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of artificial fruits produced from inexpensive, edible, and readily accessible ingredients as oviposition substrates for D. suzukii . Blueberry‐grape juice, blueberry‐apple juice, raspberry jam, strawberry jam, and D. suzukii solid artificial diet were used as food sources. Artificial fruits prepared with uncolored artificial diet were then colored using three different red edible colorings. Drosophila suzukii females were exposed to all artificial fruits, and the ovipositional responses of the pest were evaluated by counting the total number of eggs laid in food‐based substrates. Artificial fruits prepared with artificial diet and colored with red edible colorings were found to be the most attractive substrates to D. suzukii females, exhibiting an average number of eggs up to nine times higher than that of other tested ones. Our findings indicate that artificial fruits represent a viable alternative to fresh fruits for testing the ovipositional responses of D. suzukii under laboratory conditions, thereby facilitating the standardization of fruit‐making procedures.

Coraebus undatus has emerged as a significant threat to the health and productivity of Quercus suber in the Mediterranean region, as its attacks result in a depreciation of commercialized cork planks, leading to severe economic losses. The development of an effective monitoring methodology is essential for the optimal implementation of management strategies as the level of C. undatus infestation can only be assessed after cork debarking. Hence, we conducted a series of studies to assess the efficacy of trap type, color, and size, as well as lure type, for trapping C. undatus. Field trials were conducted in 2020 and 2023 in various infested cork oak stands in Sardinia (Italy). The results demonstrated that the four trapping systems tested (i.e. cross-vane interception traps, prism traps, panel traps, and plastic films) were effective in intercepting C. undatus females. The number of females found in purple cross-vane traps in 2020 was consistently higher than that of other colored traps (i.e. black, green) regardless of the lure tested (cork oak green leaf volatiles or a mixture of three longhorn beetle pheromones). However, data from 2023 field trials showed that the attractiveness of unbaited purple prism traps was higher than that of traps releasing host volatiles. Our observations also revealed that the trapping surface had a significant effect on the number of insects intercepted when testing panel traps. Among the trapping methods we tested, unbaited sticky purple films attached to the cork oak trunk yielded the highest number of catches. Overall, this work contributes to the body of knowledge on the features influencing the efficiency of trapping C. undatus. Our results serve as a baseline for the development of an effective monitoring tool, which may be further improved for use in a mass trapping program.