Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gene expression related to immunity for hymenoptaecin (AmHym) and defensin-1 (AmDef-1), longevity for vitellogenin (AmVit2) and stem cell proliferation for poly U binding factor 68 kDa (AmPuf68) was compared following Varroa destructor parasitism, buffer injection and injection of V. destructor compounds in its homogenate. In adults, V. destructor parasitism decreased...

Phylogenetic relationships among 50 Phytophthora species and between Phytophthora and other oomycetes were examined on the basis of the ITS sequences of genomic rDNA. Phytophthora grouped with Pythium, Peronospora, and Halophytophthora, distant from genera in the Saprolegniales. Albugo was intermediate between these two groups. Unlike Pythium, Phytophthora was essentially monophyletic, all but ...

Competition was investigated between two pest earth mite species, Penthaleus major Dugés and Halotydeus destructor Tucker, which occur sympatrically and are major pests of southern Australian pastures and crops. Three geographically separate pasture sites within Victoria were sampled monthly. Abundance patterns were similar across sites in that there was a marked increase in number of H. destru...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Demand for fresh-market sweet basil continues to increase, but in 2009 a new pathogen emerged, threatening commercial field/greenhouse production and leading to high crop losses. This study describes a simple and effective staining method for rapid microscopic detection of basil downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) from leaves of basil (Ocimum basilicum). • ...

The potential impact of varroa (Varroa destructor, Anderson & Trueman) on Australian beekeeping and agriculture depends in part on the levels of resistance to this parasite expressed by Australian commercial honeybees (Apis mellifera). The responses of seven lines of Australian honeybees to V. destructor were compared with the responses of a stock of Italian honeybees from the United States kno...

The potato rot nematode, Ditylenchus destructor, is a very destructive nematode pest on many agriculturally important crops worldwide, but the molecular characterization of its parasitism of plant has been limited. The effectors involved in nematode parasitism of plant for several sedentary endo-parasitic nematodes such as Heterodera glycines, Globodera rostochiensis and Meloidogyne incognita h...

The redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor, continues to be an intractable pest causing damage to most crop and pasture species in southernAustralia.H. destructor feed on all stages of plants, but particularly damage seedlings in autumn. Research has aimed to develop new controls based on a better understanding of the biology and ecology of this pest. Chemicals remain the key tool to contr...