Angelo Canale

IPM approaches based on pheromone-based techniques for the management of the South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), are of great interest. We evaluated the effectiveness of mating disruption (MD) experiments against T. absoluta using a biodegradable pheromone dispenser (Isonet-T TT BIOX234) in greenhouse-grown tomatoes over two years in southern Italy. A base treatment alternating the most used insecticides for the pest, i.e., the farmer treatment schedule (FTS), was assigned as a reference, and two MD dispenser densities (i.e., 300 and 500 dispensers/ha) were compared with the MD commercial product Isonet T at 1000 units/ha. We conducted two trials on crops at a density of 37,000 plants/ha. Pest flights were monitored in summer–autumn 2023 and 2024 with pheromone-baited Delta traps. The FTS ensured a generally low level of T. absoluta attacks (about 1 leaflet/leaf and 1/300 fruits). Even so, mating disruption resulted in further appreciable reductions in the presence and attacks of the target pest: 89%, 76% and 52% fewer catches; 61%, 45% and 37% fewer mined leaflets; and 76%, 59% and 54% fewer attacked fruits, for Isonet-T TT 500, Isonet-T TT 300 and Isonet T 1000, respectively. Overall, MD biodegradable dispensers could be a valuable tool for controlling T. absoluta in greenhouse-grown tomatoes, while also reducing plastic waste in the agricultural setting.

The meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) (L.), is the primary vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xanthomonadales: Xanthomonadaceae) (Wells et al.), which causes a severe vascular disease leading to significant economic losses in olive production in southern Italy. In this study, we investigated the deterrent effect of ant scent on the behavior and activity of P. spumarius on olive twigs. Using binary choice experiments, we found that the compounds released by Crematogaster scutellaris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) (Olivier) ants significantly reduced the time spent by spittlebugs on the olive twigs. Chemical analysis of ant cuticular composition, and of ant-scented and control olive leaves identified a mixture of specific compounds, which include octadecanal, triacontane, nepetalactol, and pelargonic acid, presumably involved in this interaction. Our findings contribute to the understanding of trait-mediated indirect interactions in agroecosystems and suggest further studies focused on behavioral bioassay-based experiments to evaluate the potential role of ants’ chemical cues in P. spumarius control to preserve olive groves.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are vectors of various pathogens of public health concern and replacing conventional insecticides remains a challenge. In this regard, natural products represent valuable sources of potential insecticidal compounds, thus increasingly attracting research interest. Commiphora myrrha (T.Nees) Engl. (Burseraceae) is a medicinal plant whose oleo-gum resin is used in food, cosmetics, fragrances, and pharmaceuticals. Herein, the larvicidal potential of its essential oil (EO) was assessed on four mosquito species (Aedes albopictus Skuse, Aedes aegypti L., Anopheles gambiae Giles and Anopheles stephensi Liston), with LC₅₀ values ranging from 4.42 to 16.80 μg/mL. The bio-guided EO fractionation identified furanosesquiterpenes as the main larvicidal compounds. A GC–MS-driven untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed 32 affected metabolic pathways in treated larvae. The EO non-target toxicity on Daphnia magna Straus (LC₅₀ = 4.51 μL/L) and its cytotoxicity on a human kidney cell line (HEK293) (IC₅₀ of 14.38 μg/mL) were also assessed. This study shows the potential of plant products as innovative insecticidal agents and lays the groundwork for the possible exploitation of C. myrrha EO in sustainable approaches for mosquito management. Graphical

Alternative methods to achieve sustainable agricultural production while reducing the use of chemical pesticides, such as biological control, are increasingly needed. The exploitation of trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs), in which pests modify their behavior in response to some cues (e.g., pheromones and other semiochemicals) to avoid predation risk, may be a possible strategy. In this study, we tested the effect of TMIIs of two Mediterranean ant species, Crematogaster scutellaris and Tapinoma nigerrimum, on the oviposition behaviour of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), one of the world’s most economically damaging pests, which attacks fruits. For each ant species, we performed choice experiments using ant-scented and control plums, counting the time spent by medflies on fruits and the number of pupae emerging from them. Results of both ant species tests showed a significantly shorter time spent by ovipositing medflies on ant-exposed plums and a lower number of pupae, when compared to the control group. Our findings highlighted that the semiochemicals released by ants on plums triggered an avoidance behaviour by medfly females, leading to lower oviposition rates. This study contributes to the understanding of indirect ant–pest interactions in Mediterranean agricultural settings and points out the potential of utilising ant-borne semiochemicals in sustainable IPM strategies.

In recent years, agrochemical industries have been focused on the development of essential oil (EO)-based biopesticides, which can be considered valuable alternatives to traditional chemical products. The genus Mentha (Lamiaceae) comprises 30 species characterized by a wide range of biological activities, and some of their EOs showed good potential as pesticidal agents. In this regard, the aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal activity of the EO obtained from a rare linalool/linalool acetate chemotype of Mentha aquatica L. The EO was found to be highly effective against Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) 2nd instar larvae, Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) adults, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) 2nd instar larvae, and Tetranychus urticae (Koch) adults, showing lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) or doses (LD₅₀) of 31.5 ± 2.2 µL L⁻¹, 4.9 ± 0.8 mL L⁻¹, 18.5 ± 2.1 µg larvae⁻¹, and 3.3 ± 0.5 mL L⁻¹, respectively. On the contrary, Musca domestica L. adults and 3rd instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus and S. littoralis were moderately affected by the treatment (LC₅₀ or LD₅₀: 71.4 ± 7.2 µg adult⁻¹, 79.4 ± 5.2 µL L⁻¹, 44.2 ± 5.8 µg larvae⁻¹, respectively). The results obtained in this work demonstrated that various insects and pests could be differently sensible to the same EO and may lead to the exploitation of this plant or its major volatile compounds as novel ingredients of botanical insecticides and pesticides.

Sembrerebbe di sì. Il Dipartimento per l’Agricoltura Americano (USDA) ha recentemente autorizzato, sebbene in modo “condizionale”, cioè con efficacia non pienamente dimostrata, l’uso di un vaccino contro la peste americana delle api. Il vaccino, chiamato “Paenibacillus Larvae Bacterin”, è stato sviluppato dalla Dalan Animal Health (Athens, Georgia, USA), compagnia biotech dedicata allo sviluppo di soluzioni “sicure, innovative e sostenibili per gli apicoltori”. L’obiettivo della company, secondo Dalial Freitak, CSO ed ex ricercatrice dell’Università di Helsinki, è lanciare il vaccino negli Stati Uniti entro l’anno e poi nell'Unione Europea. Oltre al vaccino contro la peste americana, la Dalan AH ha, allo studio, lo sviluppo di vaccini contro altri patogeni delle api, come la peste europea e la ascosferosi (covata calcificata).La peste americana è una delle più dannose patologie dell’ape domestica, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera Apidae). Tale patologia, diffusa in tutto il mondo, è causata dal batterio sporigeno gram-positivo Paenibacillus larvae e purtroppo, al momento, in caso di manifestazione della malattia, l’unico intervento previsto nei paesi dell’Unione Europea è la distruzione, per incenerimento, delle colonie e dei favi colpiti. Per questo, la possibilità di utilizzare un vaccino sarebbe uno straordinario strumento di prevenzione della malattia, sicuramente più sostenibile ed ecologico rispetto all’impiego di antibiotici o altri chemioterapici.Sebbene i vaccini siano largamente utilizzati con successo contro un gran numero di malattie nell’uomo e negli animali domestici e da reddito, il loro uso per la prevenzione delle malattie delle api non è stato tuttavia, fino ad oggi, ritenuto una via percorribile. È noto, infatti, che gli insetti non abbiano un sistema immunitario adattativo capace di produrre anticorpi e che, quindi, non sia possibile addestrare il loro sistema immunitario contro un patogeno, così come avviene grazie ai vaccini per l’uomo e altri vertebrati. Come è stato possibile allora sviluppare un vaccino per le api?

Essential oil (EO)-based nanoemulsions (NEs) are promising grain protectants in the management of stored-product pests. However, the potential impact of the stored-grain species on the green insecticide effectiveness has been poorly studied. In this study, two concentrations of EO-based NEs from Carlina acaulis L., Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds., and Hazomalania voyronii (Jum.) Capuron were evaluated as insecticides against the major stored-product pest Sitophilus oryzae (L.) on barley, oats, and maize kernels. The C. acaulis EO-based NE applied at 1000 ppm on barley achieved the highest mortality, killing 94.4% of S. oryzae adults after a 7-day exposure, followed by 1000 ppm of H. voyronii EO-based NE (83.3%). The lowest mortality (1.1%) was recorded with 500 ppm of M. longifolia EO-based NE on maize after the same interval. All tested NEs exhibited elevated efficacy when applied on barley, while mortalities were lower on oats and maize. Furthermore, C. acaulis EO-based NE was the most effective when applied on all commodities, followed by H. voyronii and M. longifolia EO-based NEs. Overall, our results highlighted the significant impact of the stored cereal on the insecticidal effectiveness of EO-based NE used for stored-product pest control. Sitophilus oryzae adults on barley can be adequately controlled through the application of C. acaulis and H. voyronii EO-based NEs.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) play important roles in plant–insect interactions by altering plant physiology and histology. We hypothesized that UV-B-induced oxidative stress was mitigated by AMF symbiosis. In this study, we conducted a multifactorial experiment to explore lettuce plant response to AMF inoculation and UV-B exposure (0.4 W m⁻²; 16 h d⁻¹; 2 weeks), either together or individually, as well as the interaction with the polyphagous insect pest Myzus persicae (Sulzer). Lettuce plants subjected to UV-B radiation showed an increase in callose and oxidative stress indicators, as well as a decrease in stomatal density. Mycorrhizal colonization cancelled out the effect of UV-B on stomatal density, while the symbiosis was not affected by UV-B treatment. The plant volatile emission was significantly altered by UV-B treatment. Specifically, the non-terpene 1-undecene abundance (+M/+UVB: 48.0 ± 7.78%; −M/+UVB: 56.6 ± 14.90%) was increased, whereas the content of the non-terpene aldehydes decanal (+M/+UVB: 8.50 ± 3.90%; −M/+UVB: 8.0 ± 4.87%) and undecanal (+M/+UVB: 2.1 ± 0.65%; −M/+UVB: 1.20 ± 1.18%) and the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (+M/+UVB: 18.0 ± 9.62 %; −M/+UVB: 19.2 ± 5.90%) was decreased. Mycorrhization, on the other hand, had no significant effect on the plant volatilome, regardless of UV-B treatment. Aphid population was unaffected by any of the treatments, implying a neutral plant response. Overall, this study provides new insights about the interactions among plants, UV-B, and AMF, outlining their limited impact on a polyphagous insect pest.