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The phytochemicals of high nutritional and functional properties in Lepidium sativum L. (garden cress) seeds have nominated their seed powder (regardless of the concentration used) for enrichment of mulberry leaves in order to enhance Bombyx mori L. larval feeding, and consequently to gain ground in sericulture industry. As expected, B. mori larval feeding on L. sativum-enriched mulberry leaves showed not only a remarkable increase in mean values of certain economic parameters of B. mori, such as cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, pupal weight, and egg yield, compared with the control group, but also showed a phenomenal increase in egg counts (on average, ca. 958–1256 eggs laid per female moth) and a significant increase in egg size (measured as egg surface area and egg volume). Male or female moth larval diet has significantly influenced the reproductive performance or fitness of both sexes of B. mori in terms of large-sized moths (measured as forewing, hind femur, and hind tibia lengths) and highly fecund moths (i.e., increased fecundity and spermatophore counts per female moth, and large-sized eggs). On the basis of B. mori female moth reproductive index, the female moths from L. sativum-fed larvae proved to have a lower reproductive index compared to their corresponding value for females of the control group, indicating more efficient utilization of larval resources for B. mori reproduction. Quantification of the three main physiological resources viz., protein, lipid and carbohydrate in the internal reproductive tract of B. mori female moths at death has nominated the female moth abdomens, or simply their bodies, as being a reasonable natural source of protein, lipid, and carbohydrate, to be involved in certain manufactures (e.g., pet feed formulations) instead of discarding them as a source of environmental pollution. Evidently, the L. sativum seed powder is of considerable interest because it remarkably improves the performance of such an economically important insect, B. mori. This is the first study for evaluating the efficacy of L. sativum seed powder in sericulture field to enhance B. mori productivity parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a supplementary study of a research article (under publication) entitled: “Great Expectations of Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum L.) Seed Powder in Sericulture Industry”- I. With a Brief View on the Positive Effects of Mulberry Leaf Enrichment with the Various Phytochemicals in L. sativum Seed Powder on Bombyx mori L. Economic Parameters. Analysis of correlation relationships between Bombyx mori different economic parameters revealed that of the studied 39 analyses, eight, six, and twenty-five correlation relationships proved to have a significant correlation, a marginally non-significant correlation, and a non-significant correlation, respectively. The cocoon shell weight or the cocoon shell ratio (%) showed to be a function of the pupal weight or the cocoon weight, respectively. Hence, B. mori pupal weight or cocoon weight is the best reliable predictor of cocoon shell weight or cocoon shell ratio (%), respectively (r=0.936- 0.982 or r=0.545-0.901, in respect). The obtained negative correlation relationships could give evidence for possible trade-offs between B. mori female fecundity and each of the following: pupal weight, female longevity, female body size, spermatophore counts per female moth, or egg size. Also, the ANOVA and the significant negative correlation relationships in the controls indicate that Lepidium sativum seed powder is an influential factor in improving the B. mori economic parameters. Application of correlation-regression analyses in B. mori rearing might be advisable either to predict B. mori economically important parameters or to encourage for trade-off studies between life-history parameters which are important in B. mori rearing and selection or breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study has documented, for the first time in Egypt, the natural occurrence of four entomopathogenic protozoans (EPP) among five of the most abundant and damaging insect pests of stored grains or their products. These insect pests (Laemophloeus (Cryptolestes) turcicus (Grouvelle), Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius), Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and Plodia interpunctella (Hobner) were infesting lots of crushed-maize grains, wheat grains, and wheat flour, brought, in 2015, from El-Behera Governorate, Egypt. The morphological characteristics, including spore size, of the entomopathogen infective units, spores, of the isolated entomopathogenic protozoans, were closely fit with the description to the following genera: Mattesia, Farinocystis, Adelina, and Nosema. The prevalence of these entomopathogens ranged between 9 and 89%. This study seems to be the first report of Mattesia sp. on S. zeamais; Adelina sp. on L. turcicus or R. dominica, and the second report of Nosema sp. on R. dominica. The rate of natural infection by the neogregarine, Mattesia sp. (tentatively, M. dispora), was the highest in L. turcicus beetles (89%) followed by that in P. interpunctella moths (48%), larvae (40%), and pupae (32%) and then in S. zeamais weevils (42%) and R. dominica beetles with a low rate of infection (9%). The microsporidian entomopathogen, Nosema sp., (tentatively, N. whitei) was naturally occurred in 11% of the examined adult cadavers of R. dominica. The coccidian entomopathogen, Adelina sp., was found, respectively, in 60% and 27% of larval and adult cadavers of T.castaneum, while the Adelina-natural infection rates in R. dominica and L. turcicus adult cadavers were 34% and 14%, respectively. A high rate of natural infection with another neogregarine, Farinocystis sp. (tentatively, F. tribolii), has also been recorded in T. castaneum adult (50%) or larval cadavers (36%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Average yields of Mattesia spores (spore productivity) had varied from a minimum yield (0.17 × 107 spores) for Laemophloeus turcicus adult to a maximum yield (7.46 × 107 spores) for Plodia interpunctella larva. Comparatively, the highest increase in Mattesia spore yield, recorded from P. interpunctella larva (7.46 × 107 spores) over the lowest one, estimated for L. turcicus adult (0.17 × 107 spores), was nearly 44-fold. The increase in Mattesia spore yields that calculated from the other hosts (P. interpunctella pupa or moth; Galleria mellonella larva; Rhyzopertha dominica adult; Sitophilus zeamais), over that estimated for L. turcicus adult, was less than 10-fold (6–9-fold). Based on the weight of 1 g of the insect host infected with Mattesia sp., small stored grain insect hosts (e.g. L. turcicus, S. zeamais, and R. dominica) seemed to achieve Mattesia spore yields more than the larger ones (e.g. P. interpunctella). The increase in spore yields over that used for the inoculum, based on an average of 25 P. interpunctella larvae per bioassay container, was ca. 2 to 31-fold. These results revealed that the Indianmeal moth, P. interpunctella, could serve as a potential host for mass propagating the isolated entomopathogenic protozoan, Mattesia sp. Besides Mattesia larval mortality, survivors of Mattesia infection suffered deformities and noticeable undersized pupae or adults than the control ones. Also, many copulated moths (ca.46%) were unable to become separated after copulation until they had died. Bioassay of siftings, obtained from L. turcicus-protozoan-infected stock cultures, was carried out in order to emphasize the suppressive potent role of such protozoan entomopathogens in long-term storage. With the highest tested concentration of the studied siftings (10%), mortality responses due to Mattesia infection ranged from 13 to 68% at 14–169 days post-treatment. The corresponding figures for Adelina infection were 7–42%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a research that investigates the efficacy of simple feeding diet in assessing chemical and microbial control of Curculionid red palm weevil. Researchers placed steamed-cooked and mashed carrots and sweet potatoes mixed with five grams sorbic acid, three grams sodium benzoate, 10 grams dried yeast, one milliliter formalin and 15 milliliters lemon juice. They noticed that the mixture is effective in rearing Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae.