Full understanding of mechanisms that control seed dormancy and germination remains elusive. Whereas it has been proposed that translational control plays a predominant role in germination, other studies suggest the importance of specific gene expression patterns in imbibed seeds. Transgenic plants were developed to permit conditional expression of a gene encoding 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygen...

Laboratory and extended laboratory bioassays were conducted to determine the residual toxicities of various insecticides against two key pests of cranberries, Sparganothis sulfureana and Choristoneura parallela (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), and their non-target effects on the predatory Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). The effects of nine insecticides with different modes of action on S...

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) of insects play crucial roles in the metabolism of endogenous and dietary compounds. Tobacco cutworm moth (Spodoptera litura), an important agricultural pest, causes severe yield losses in many crops. In this study, we identified CYP9A40, a novel P450 gene of S. litura, and investigated its expression profile and potential role in detoxification of plant a...

Bioassays of Lacanobia subjuncta (Grote and Robinson) larvae established baseline LC50 values and identified the potential of reduced-risk, organophosphate replacement and naturally derived insecticides (eg chloronicotinyls, spinosyns, oxadiazines, insect growth regulators, microbial insecticides and particle films) to control this pest. The toxicities of these products were compared with those...

Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), and fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), are occasional pests of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), and soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill. These insects can be difficult to control due to insecticide resistance and larval behavior on plants. The objectives of these studies were to determine the efficacy of selected insecticides against nat...

House flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) are mechanical vectors of many diseases on poultry facilities and have the ability to develop resistance to different insecticides. The aim of the present study was to assess the resistance status of house flies to neonicotinoids and insect growth regulators (IGR) from poultry facility populations in Punjab, Pakistan. M. domestica populations ...