Liqiong Yan

Production and field-release schedules are often asynchronous in augmentative biological control. We evaluated the cold-storage tolerance of 1- to 5-day-old mummies and newly emerged adults of Aphelinus maculatus, a parasitoid of Myzus persicae, at 4 and 8 °C. Adult emergence from stored mummies and survival of directly stored adults were recorded. Poststorage longevity, host-feeding capacity, parasitism capacity, offspring production, and offspring sex ratio were evaluated for selected cohorts stored at 8 °C. Storage at 8 °C generally resulted in higher mummy emergence and adult survival than storage at 4 °C. Among the tested mummy-age cohorts, 3-day-old mummies showed the highest emergence under the tested conditions. At 8 °C, emergence from this cohort was 90.0, 78.3, 64.7, 54.7, and 21.3% after 7, 14, 21, 30, and 60 d, respectively. Directly stored females survived better than males; female survival was 72.0% after 30 d and 20.3% at the 90-day storage endpoint. Increasing storage duration reduced poststorage longevity, host-feeding, parasitism, and offspring production. The female-to-male offspring sex ratio remained relatively stable during the 30 d poststorage assessment period. Under the tested conditions, storing 3-day-old mummies at 8 °C provides an option for delayed emergence, whereas direct adult storage at 8 °C may be useful for short-term holding.

The utilization of Caragana korshinskii residues as forage is constrained by their lignified structure and limited digestibility. In this study, eleven wild Irpex lacteus isolates collected from C. korshinskii habitats in western Inner Mongolia were screened for substrate colonization and lignocellulose-degrading potential. All isolates colonized shredded C. korshinskii residue medium, while isolates n4 and n6 reached the maximum measurable colony diameter of 70.00 mm after 7 d. Guaiacol, aniline blue, and carboxymethyl cellulose-Congo red assays revealed isolate-dependent differences in oxidative and cellulolytic responses. Among four isolates selected for quantitative enzyme analysis, isolate n6 exhibited the highest laccase, lignin peroxidase, and manganese peroxidase activities, reaching 3.59, 11.33, and 9.30 U mL ^− 1 , respectively, together with the highest filter paper activity; its β -glucosidase activity was also among the highest measured. Orthogonal screening and validation identified maltose, peptone, initial pH of 4.5, and 30°C as suitable conditions for mycelial growth. Among the five grain substrates tested, buckwheat supported the most rapid inoculum propagation. After 56 d of solid-state fermentation, inoculation with I. lacteus n6 following pasteurization reduced the measured concentrations of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin by 16.78%, 16.54%, and 49.19%, respectively, relative to the corresponding uninoculated control. The measured crude protein and water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations increased from 8.18% to 12.10% and from 0.99% to 5.53%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the potential of a locally derived I. lacteus isolate for pasteurization-assisted solid-state bioconversion of C. korshinskii residues and provide a basis for their forage-oriented valorization.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are conserved pattern recognition receptors essential to insect innate immunity. However, the functions of TLRs in Loxostege sticticalis, a destructive agricultural pest, remain poorly characterized. In this study, the full-length coding sequence of the L. sticticalis Toll receptor (LsToll) was identified and characterized to analyze its molecular features. Structural analysis showed that LsToll possesses typical Toll family features, including an extracellular domain containing 19 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs), a transmembrane helix, and a highly conserved intracellular Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain. LsToll transcript levels were significantly upregulated after bacterial challenge. RNAi-mediated silencing of LsToll significantly reduced larval tolerance to bacterial infection and increased mortality. Notably, LsToll suppression also induced severe developmental abnormalities, including molting obstruction, pupation failure, and defects in wing expansion in newly emerged adults. Transcriptome analysis after RNAi identified 5230 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were significantly enriched in insect hormone biosynthesis and metabolic pathways. Biochemical assays further confirmed that LsToll knockdown decreased 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) titers and increased juvenile hormone III (JH III) titers. These results suggest that LsToll contributes to antibacterial defense and normal development in L. sticticalis. Its involvement in both survival and development indicates that LsToll may serve as a promising molecular target for sustainable pest management strategies.