BACKGROUND Nowadays several invertebrate pollinators of crops and wild plants are in decline as result of multiple and, sometimes, unknown factors; among them, the modern agricultural practices, pests and diseases are postulated as the most important factors. Bees of the genus Xylocopa are considered effective pollinators of passion fruit crops in tropical regions, as well as important pollinat...

The Adonis ladybird, Hippodamia variegataGoeze (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is known as an important predator of the Common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt & Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). Despite using the selective pesticides to manage the pests in the pistachio orchards, these chemicals have influenced non-target organisms like predators and parasitoids. ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate insecticide toxicity on Bemisia tabaci, Tetranychus evansi, Orius insidiosus, Cycloneda sanguinea and Chauliognathus flavipes in tomato plants. The following toxicity treatments were applied: T1: control, T2: chlorpyrifos (Pitcher) 450 EC (1.25 L.ha), T3: chlorpyrifos 450 EC (Pitcher) (0.62 L.ha), T4: thiamethoxam 100 WG (1.00 L.ha), T5: thiamethoxam ...

Forest pests can cause massive ecological and economic damage worldwide. Ecologically sound solutions to diminish forest insect pest impacts include the use of their natural enemies, such as predators parasitoids, well entomopathogenic fungi, bacteria or viruses. Phytochemical compounds mediate most interactions between these organisms, but knowledge chemically mediated multitrophic relationshi...

In fall 2000, an on-farm sustainable agricultural research project was established for cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in Tift County, Georgia. The objective of our 2-yr research project was to determine the impact of several cover crops on pest and predator insects in cotton. The five cover crop treatments included 1) cereal rye, Secale cereale L., a standard grass cover crop; 2) crimson clover...

Plant diversity has the potential to conserve beneficials and thereby naturally controlling arthropod pests. Beneficials’ activity can be increased by pollen-rich plant species. Here we aimed develop innovative viticultural systems that control pests, increasing within vineyards planting of selected cover crops. The experimental were set-up in Chablis (France), Piacenza (Italy), Murfatlar (Roma...

Plant diversification using cover crops may promote natural regulation of agricultural pests by supporting alternative prey that enable the increase of arthropod predator densities. However, the changes in the specific composition of predator diet induced by cover cropping are poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that the cover crop can significantly alter the diet of predators in agroecosy...

Crop plants exhibit a wide diversity of defensive traits and strategies to protect themselves from damage by herbivorous pests and disease. These defensive traits may be naturally occurring or artificially selected through crop breeding, including introduction via genetic engineering. While these traits can have obvious and direct impacts on herbivorous pests, many have profound effects on high...