Annual migration of pests between different seasonal habitats can lead to serious crop damage. Reproductive immaturity is generally associated with the migratory process (oogenesis-flight syndrome), but the mechanism of reproductive development during migration varies unpredictably. Here, the vitellogenin gene (MsVg) and three key regulatory enzyme genes (MsJhamt, MsJheh and MsJhe) related to j...

During their larval development, endoparasitoids are known to dispose of host resources in several different ways. Some parasitoid wasps consume most or all tissues of the host, whereas others consume a small fraction of host resources and either ensure that the hostmoves away from the pupation site or allow the host to remain close to the parasitoid cocoon(s). Using a single host species, Myth...

The indiscriminate use of pesticides for the last 40 years has almost eliminated natural enemies from many crop eco-systems. This scenario has led many countries to consider the potential of biological control as a component of pest management. At present, the world market for microbial pesticides is in excess of US $ 125 million per annum which is still less than 1 percent of the total global ...

Tritrophic interactions between Mythimna separata, its tachinid parasite Exorista civilis and the Cry1Ab were examined. Although 6th instar M. separata mortality increased with increasing Cry1Ab concentration, some tolerance was evident. Likewise, parasitization by E. civilis resulted in only 18% host mortality. However, combination of Cry1Ab and E. civilis parasitization resulted in a signific...

Induced plant defense responses against insect herbivores are triggered by wounding and/or perception of herbivore elicitors from their oral secretions (OS) and/or saliva. In this study, we analyzed OS isolated from two rice chewing herbivores, Mythimna loreyi and Parnara guttata. Both types of crude OS had substantial elicitor activity in rice cell system that allowed rapid detection of early ...

Insect allatotropin upregulates the biosynthesis of juvenile hormones by the corpus allatum. We raised two rabbit antisera against the allatotropin of Manduca sexta (Mas AT) using a synthetic, multiple-antigenic-peptide that contains a branching heptalysine core and eight Mas AT molecules. Both antisera recognized specifically the same neurons in the larval brain, frontal ganglion and terminal ...

The ability of unmodified linear peptides to penetrate the insect cuticle and exert bioactivity (e.g., stimulation of sex pheromone biosynthesis) was tested by topical application onto Heliothis peltigera moths of four insect neuropeptides (Nps) of the pyrokinin (PK)/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) family: Helicoverpa zea PBAN (Hez-PBAN), Pseudaletia (Mythimna) separata ph...

Periplocoside P (PSP), a novel compound isolated from Periploca sepium Bunge, possesses insecticidal activity against some lepidopterans, such as Mythimna separata. In M. separata, the brush border membrane vesicles of the midgut epithelium are the initial site of action of periplocosides. We conducted two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of f...