Understanding dispersal and gene flow is an important focus of evolutionary biology, conservation biology and pest management. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is a worldwide pest of Brassica vegetable and oilseed cropping systems. This insect has high dispersal ability, which has important consequences for population dynamics and the potential spread of insecticide resistance genes. ...

Insecticidal crystal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis in sprays and transgenic crops are extremely useful for environmentally sound pest management, but their long-term efficacy is threatened by evolution of resistance by target pests. The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is the first insect to evolve resistance to B. thuringiensis in open-field populations. The only known mechanism o...

High levels of resistance to the major categories of insecticides, ie, organophosphorus, carbamates, pyrethroids, and DDT, have been detected in the diamondback moth in Taiwan. Synergist studies have provided insufficient evidence to show significant involvement of known metabolic systems, such as microsomal oxidation, esterase hydrolysis, and glutathione conjugation in organophosphorus and car...

Plants are attacked by a broad array of herbivores and pathogens. In response, plants deploy an arsenal of defensive traits. In Brassicaceae, the glucosinolate-myrosinase complex is a sophisticated two-component system to ward off opponents. However, this so-called "mustard oil bomb" is disarmed by a glucosinolate sulfatase of a crucifer specialist insect, diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella ...

The adults of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L, are known to have been transoceanic migrants in Europe since ancient times. The insect, which has its origin in Asia Minor, spread to other parts of the world with the spread of the cultivation of its host, the crucifers, and by using its own migrational abilities over long distances. Several large scale transoceanic migrations have been re...

The diamondback moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella) is one of the main pests of brassicaceous crops worldwide and shows resistance against a wide range of synthetic insecticides incurring millions of dollars in control costs every year. The DBM is a prime example of the introduction of an exotic species as a consequence of globalization. In this study we analyzed the genetic population structure o...

Wolbachia spp. are endosymbiotic bacteria that infect around 50% of arthropods and cause a broad range of effects, including manipulating host reproduction. Here, we present the annotated draft genome assembly of Wolbachia strain wAus, which infects Plutella australiana, a cryptic ally of the major Brassica pest Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth).

We tested Cyt1Aa, a cytolytic endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis, against susceptible and Cry1A-resistant larvae of two lepidopteran pests, diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) and pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella). Unlike previous results obtained with mosquito and beetle larvae, Cyt1Aa alone or in combination with Cry toxins was not highly toxic to the lepidopteran larvae that we ex...