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The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has recently invaded Yili region in Xinjiang, China. In this region, sex pheromone-based control techniques are considered promising components of integrated pest management programs. However, the potential parthenogenesis and polygyny of T. absoluta may affect the effectiveness of these techniques. In the first part of this study, the parthenogenetic reproduction potential of females collected from Yili was assessed. Consistent with French and Tunisian populations, these females were also able to reproduce parthenogenetically. However, the Yili population had a much lower capacity to produce viable offspring in F1. Next, the effects of a biased T. absoluta sex ratio on offspring density, and tomato plant damage and growth were evaluated. With the exception of the combination 4F+0M (F: female adult; M: male adult), tomato plants infested by 4F+1M, 4F+2M, 4F+3M, and 4F+4M yielded similar quantities of offspring (larvae + pupae) in F1, which indiscriminately affected plant damage and growth. Overall, compared with parthenogenetic reproduction, polygyny in the Yili population of T. absoluta is likely to undermine the effectiveness of sex pheromone-based control techniques in this region. Therefore, growers should be cautious about relying on sex pheromone-based management techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the potential of Asobara japonica Belokobylskij (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as a biological control agent for the invasive Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), key biological traits were evaluated: preference and suitability of different host ages, relative performance on two host species (D. suzukii and Drosophila melanogaster Meigen), female life-time fecundity and egg maturation on the two host species, and parasitism levels on D. suzukii larvae infesting different host fruits (blackberry, cherry and strawberry). Asobara japonica preferred young over old hosts, and although host age did not affect offspring survival, parasitoid offspring developed faster in older than younger hosts but had a reduced body size. There was higher A. japonica offspring survival, longer developmental time, and larger body when reared from D. suzukii than D. melanogaster. Female wasps emerged with around one third of their lifetime egg load and matured eggs rapidly with mature egg load reaching a peak 2-3 d post-emergence. Large females (typically reared from D. suzukii) contained more mature eggs than small females (typically from D. melanogaster). During their lifetime, A. japonica females produced 117.4 and 92.5 progeny on D. suzukii and D. melanogaster, respectively, with a corresponding intrinsic rate of increase of 0.217 and 0.210, respectively. Progeny were strongly female-biased (> 90% females), regardless of host age or species. This larval parasitoid was able to develop from D. suzukii infesting cherry, blackberry or strawberry. This information may help improve protocols for the rearing and future evaluations of this parasitoid for a potential biological control program against D. suzukii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive destructive pest of tomato and other solanaceous plants. Since its first detection in Spain in 2006, the pest has started its invasion across the Afro-Eurasian supercontinent. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, adjacent to the recently infested central-Asia countries, being the largest tomato growing region worldwide, is now under high invasion risk. Considering the importance of this issue, we must plan ahead to be fully prepared for the potential invasion of this pest in near future. In this paper, we call for upcoming studies to address several aspects including the overwintering biology, diapause, dispersion, population ecology in outdoor crops and insecticide resistance of invading populations. Moreover, the effective management options are proposed based on the control experience in its native range and recently infested countries. Our "look-ahead" proposal not only serves as a guideline for elaborating the pest management strategy in Xinjiang in near future, but can also interest the rest of the tomato-producing regions worldwide that have not been infested yet by the moth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses various topics related to publication of the journal, as of January 2018. Topics include historical aspects of the periodical, such as indexing of the journal in in the Web of Science database since 1997; its editorial team, composed by the Editor-in-Chief and a board of Associate Editors; aim of the editorial team to publish original research articles and key review articles; and guideline to authors to prepare their manuscripts.