The production of maltase, an inducible and repressible catabolic enzyme in Saccharomyces italicus, was studied and compared in batch, fed-batch, and continuous fermentations. Tight genetic controls on maltase synthesis limited the effect of environmental manipulations such as fed-batch or continuous culture in enhancement of maltase synthesis, and neither approach was able to improve the perfo...

Studies in Australia on thrips have had extensive impacts worldwide. In behaviour, the latest definition of eusociality is derived from work on the radiation of thrips on Acacia species in central Australia, and these Acacia thrips also having been used to develop the concept of ‘model clades’ for analysing the evolution of behavioural and ecological diversity. In ecology, the concept of the la...

The introduced basswood thrips, Thrips calcaratus Uzel pear thrips, Taeniothrips inconsequens (Uzel), and native basswood thrips, Neohydatothrips tiliae (Hood), form a thrips complex that attacks buds and foliage of basswood, Tilia americana L., trees in the northern United States. We assessed the potential for exploiting visual and olfactory cues to monitor these forest thrips. We tested blue,...

Timothy is grown as a high value forage crop in California. Thrips (Anaphothrips obscurus Müller) have recently been implicated causing damage by increasing the quantity of brown leaves and lowering the value of this crop. Minimal studies have explored the relation of thrips levels to yield and damage in timothy and management options for this pest are extremely limited. We performed studies in...

The oral toxicity of excretion products of several Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus strains was tested on two thrips species: Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci. Out of 46 Photorhabdus isolates and 6 Xenorhabdus isolates only 6 North American P. temperata isolates were toxic to the thrips species. After 7 days of drinking from P. temperata supernatant a mortality of 90% could be reached. ...

Avocado thrips arrived in California in 1996. Since then, we have made substantial progress in our understanding of this pest. We now know the area of origin of the avocado thrips and have compiled an inventory of other potential pest thrips species on avocados in Mexico and Central America. Trials have helped us to identify several selective insecticides for use in treating avocado thrips in o...

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), a member of the Tospovirus genus within the Bunyaviridae, is an economically important plant pathogen with a worldwide distribution. TSWV is transmitted to plants via thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), which transmit the virus in a persistent propagative manner. The envelope glycoproteins, G(N) and G(C), are critical for the infection of thrips, but they are not...

Litter-dwelling thrips are an important component of soil macroinvertebrates in tropical and subtropical regions. However, little is known about assemblage composition, seasonal abundance and vertical distribution of litter-dwelling thrips. A survey of forest litter-dwelling thrips and other soil macroinvertebrates was conducted in an urban forest remnant at Guangzhou, China during 2004-2005 an...