The plant kingdom is by far the most efficient producer of chemical compounds, synthesising many products that are used in defence against herbivores. Extracts made from some plants, particularly extracts from plants within the Meliaceae (mahogany) family, have been shown to have insecticidal properties. We investigated the potential of these extracts and the possibility of integrating botanica...

In laboratory experiments we compared the mortality of Plutella xylostella L. eggs induced by six products of trichogrammatid egg parasitoids. Five of the species were commercially available, and the sixth is under development. Each of the six products represented a single species of trichogrammatid (Trichogrammatoidea bactraeNagaraja,Trichogrammapretiosum Riley, T. ostriniae Pan & Chen, T. pla...

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is one of the most important pests that has developed high pesticide resistance. The resistances of five Chinese populations of this moth, four resistant strains (from Beijing, Henan, Fujian, and Guangdong) and one susceptible strain, to five pesticides were determined, and the activities of carboxylesterase, glutathione...

An effective biological control-integrated pest management (BC-IPM) system that maximizes biological control of Plutella xylostella (L.), Artogeia rapae (L.), and Trichoplusia ni Hubner) has been developed. In the first phase, chemical insecticides were replaced by the judicious use of the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis; there was an immediate reduction (>50%) in the number of tre...

Cabbages (Brassica oleracea L.) treated with S-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC) herbicide had reduced amounts of leaf surface waxes (40.6~o of controls) and reduced densities of leaf surface wax crystallites (20.8~o of controls). Leaf waxes of EPTC-treated plants chemically and morphologically resembled leaf waxes of genetically glossy cabbages resistant to the diamondback moth Plutella xylos...

Two of the most important challenges facing humanity in the 21st century comprise food production and disease control. Eco-friendly control tools against mosquito vectors and agricultural pests are urgently needed. Insecticidal products of marine origin have a huge potential to control these pests. In this research, we reported a single-step method to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNP) usin...

The parasitoid, Cotesia plutellae, is used as a biological control agent for diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, in many countries and has been evaluated as a candidate for release in New Zealand. C. plutellae was originally released in Australia in 1951, but is rarely found. A glasshouse host specificity trial was conducted in Australia to assess whether C. plutellae would parasitise Nyctem...

We investigated whether development of resistance to a Bt crop in the presence of a natural enemy would be slower than without the natural enemy and whether biological control, in conjunction with a Bt crop, could effectively suppress the pest population. Additionally, we investigated whether insecticide-sprayed refuges of non-Bt crops would delay or accelerate resistance to the Bt crop. We use...

Populations of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.) larvae from two locations : Ooty and Oddanchatram (Tamil Nadu State) were found to be infected by a granulosis virus (GV). The virus was highly pathogenic to P. xylostella larvae and was responsible for the collapse of laboratory colonies of the insect. Restriction endonuclease analysis of the viral DNA with Pst 1, Hind 3, Bam H1 and ...

BACKGROUND The diamondback moth Plutella xyllostella has developed a high level of resistance to the latest insecticide chlorantraniliprole. A better understanding of P. xylostella's resistance mechanism to chlorantraniliprole is needed to develop effective approaches for insecticide resistance management. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To provide a comprehensive insight into the resistance mechanisms of...