Danuta Sosnowska

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of tillage and no-tillage cultivation on entomopathogenic fungi in the soil. The research was carried out in 2021‒2022 on plots at the Field Experimental Station of the Institute of Plant Protection – National Research Institute in Winna Góra, Poland. Winter oilseed rape, pea and winter wheat were grown on the plots. Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated using the trapping insect method and their occurrence intensity was assessed. The results demonstrated a positive effect of no-tillage cultivation on the presence of entomopathogenic fungi in the soil. In May 2021, the greatest numbers of trapped insect larvae infected by fungi were in the pea plots (90%) with no-tillage systems, while with tillage it was 43% lower. In June 2022, the greatest number of larvae infected by fungi were in the pea plots (96.7%) with no-tillage systems, while with tillage it was 23% lower. Among the isolated entomopathogenic fungi, the dominant genus was Cordyceps in all cultivation technologies.

Products based on different strains of entomopathogenic fungi are now being used in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Compatibility studies of chemical and biological control agents are necessary to be able to give proper recommendations for their integrated use. The effect of three insecticides based on imidacloprid, spinosad and abamectin, and three fungicides based on chlorothalonil, azoxystrobin and thiophanate-methyl on the activity of the following entomopathogenic fungi: Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) sensu lato, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill., Acremonium sp. was tested under laboratory conditions. Tests of the influence of the pesticides on growth and production of conidia were performed. From this study, we concluded that all tested insecticides can be applied together with fungus B. bassiana products in IPM programs. They even stimulate sporulation of this fungus at the recommended dose, 0.5 of the recommended dose and 1.5 times the recommended dose. In the case of fungicides we observed inhibition of growth and sporulation of B. bassiana and reduction of growth and sporulation of other species of fungi.

Currently, European farmers do not have access to sufficient numbers and diversity of crop species/varieties. This prevents them from designing cropping systems more resilient to abiotic and biotic stresses. Crop diversification is a key lever to reduce pest (pathogens, animal pests and weeds) pressures at all spatial levels from fields to landscapes. In this context, plant breeding should consist of: (1) increased efforts in the development of new or minor crop varieties to foster diversity in cropping systems, and (2) focus on more resilient varieties showing local adaptation. This new breeding paradigm, called here ‘breeding for integrated pest management (IPM)’, may boost IPM through the development of cultivars with tolerance or resistance to key pests, with the goal of reducing reliance on conventional pesticides. At the same time, this paradigm has legal and practical implications for future breeding programs, including those targeting sustainable agricultural systems. By putting these issues into the context, this article presents the key outcomes of a questionnaire survey and experts' views expressed during an EU workshop entitled ‘Breeding for IPM in sustainable agricultural systems’. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

Experiments were carried out on the toxicity of selected insecticides and fungicides to the predatory mites species: Amblyseius swirskii, A. andersoni, and Phytoseiulus persimilis. Among the tested active substances: abamectin, hexytiazox, and spinosad were safe to the predators. The mortality level of the tested predator was comparable to the control treatment, seven days after application. The percentage values of these predatory mites’ mortality caused by these insecticides, applied at one and a half of the recommended dose did not exceed a low toxicity – 25% (referring to International Organisation for Biological and Integrated Control (IOBC) classification on the toxicity to beneficial organisms). The results of the tests revealed that imidaclopryd, lambda-cyhalothrin, and fenpyroksymat were highly toxic to the predatory mites. It was found that toxicity of fungicides to the tested predatory mite species depended on the date of the chemical treatment and the date the predators were introduced. The fungicide Topsin M 500 SC – thiophanate-methyl, appeared to be selective to the species A. swirskii and it could be used in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for greenhouse grown crops.

This article describes the qualitative and quantitative analyses of untypical compounds in the cuticular and internal lipids of four dipteran species. For isolated compounds, antimicrobial activity against 18 reference strains of bacteria and fungi was determined. In this study, gas chromatography (GC) combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyse the surface and internal compounds of four fly species. Seven untypical compounds from both pre-imaginal and imaginal stages of examined insects were identified. Azelaic acid (AA) was the most abundant, while phenylacetic and phenylpropionic acids occurred in lower concentration. Minor quantities of sebacic acid, 2-methyl-2-hydroxybutanoic acid, tocopherol acetate and trace amounts of 2,4-decadienal were also detected. Tocopherol acetate was found only in cuticular lipids of Musca domestica larvae. Each compound was tested against several species of fungi and bacteria by determining minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Human pathogenic fungi were also investigated. Phenylpropionic acid showed the greatest antifungal activity. Bacterial strains were insensitive to the presence of identified compounds, apart from 2,4-decadienal which strongly inhibited bacterial growth. This is the first time that the chemical composition and the antimicrobial activity of untypical compounds in the cuticular and internal lipids of four fly species has been analysed. Determination of untypical compounds and their antimicrobial activity can effectively contribute to the knowledge concerning insect defence mechanisms.