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Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is characterized by intensely itchy nodules/lesions and skin pain, which can have a substantial impact on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Treatment benefits on such symptoms and impacts are best assessed in trials using patient‐reported outcome (PROs) instruments such as Skin Pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Sleep‐NRS and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). However, no guidance exists for interpreting meaningful changes in scores using these PROs in patients with PN. Objectives: The main objective was to derive within‐patient (responder definition) and between‐group improvement thresholds for interpreting Skin Pain‐NRS, Sleep‐NRS and DLQI total scores in patients with PN. The measurement properties of the three PROs were also evaluated. Methods: Intention‐to‐treat (ITT), blinded and pooled data were used from the Phase 3 PRIME (NCT04183335) and PRIME2 (NCT04202679) studies evaluating the efficacy of dupilumab in adult patients with PN. Anchor‐ and distribution‐based methods were applied to derive responder definition and between‐group thresholds for Skin Pain‐NRS, Sleep‐NRS and DLQI. Data were additionally used to examine the instrument measurement properties, including reliability, validity and responsiveness. Results: A total of 311 patients (mean age 49.5 years, 65.3% female) were included in the pooled ITT population. The within‐patient improvement threshold for Skin Pain‐NRS was estimated as 4.0 points, 2.0 points for Sleep‐NRS and 9.0 points for DLQI total score. A 1.5‐point improvement in Skin Pain‐NRS scores, 1.0‐point in Sleep‐NRS and 4.0‐point in DLQI indicated a between‐group meaningful change. Adequate to good psychometric properties were demonstrated for all three instruments. Conclusions: The results of this study can aid interpretation of Skin Pain‐NRS, Sleep‐NRS and DLQI scores in patients with PN in both clinical trials and clinical practice to better understand and treat PN‐related skin pain and the impact of PN on sleep quality and HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sphingomyelins known to be are lipid constituents of the plasma membrane in vertebrates, much remains obscure about the metabolism of sphingomyelins in insects. With ultra performance liquid chromatography‐time‐of‐flight‐tandem mass spectrometry analysis, we revealed for the first time that sphingomyelins are abundant in Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), the brown planthopper (BPH), and their biosynthesis is carried out by sphingomyelin synthase‐like protein 2 (SMSL2), which is homologous to sphingomyelin synthase‐related protein (SMSr). Unlike other insect species, high concentrations of sphingomyelins rather than ceramide phosphoethanolamines exist in the BPH. Two putative genes, which are homologous to SMSr, are named Nilaparvata lugensSMS‐like 1 (NlSMSL1) and 2 (NlSMSL2). Knockdowns of both NlSMSL2 and NlSMSL1 were conducted but only the first decreased concentrations of sphingomyelins in the BPH, indicating that NlSMSL2 plays a role in the biosynthesis of sphingomyelins. Real‐time quantitative PCR analysis revealed both NlSMSL1 and NlSMSL2 are highly expressed in BPH adults, with NlSMSL1 specifically highly expressed in reproductive organs (ovaries and testes) whereas NlSMSL2 was highly expressed in the malpighian tubules. The knockdown of NlSMSL1 or NlSMSL2 increased BPH female body weight but not that of males, suggesting sex‐specific roles for SMSLs in influencing BPH body weight. The results suggest that NlSMSL2 catalyses the synthesis of sphingomyelins and maintains female BPH body weight through alteration of sphingolipid content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding on floral nectar has multiple positive effects on parasitic wasps, including increased longevity and fecundity, and in addition, nectar feeding can also alter parasitoid behaviour. To advance understanding of the effects of nectar feeding on Diaeretiella rapae (McIntosh) [Hymenoptera: Braconidae], the activities of 1-day-old female D. rapae with or without a prior buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum) nectar meal were quantified. Nectar increased searching time of D. rapae by a factor of 40 compared with individuals provided with water only and reduced the time spent stationary. The number of attacks to aphids by nectar-fed parasitoids was not significantly (P = 0.06) higher than that of unfed D. rapae, suggesting that the conditions of the experiment facilitated host finding by 'quiet' parasitoids. Nevertheless, nectar feeding modified the behaviour of D. rapae in a way that parasitoids were more explorative and less inactive. This represents one additional mechanism through which nectar feeding impacts parasitoid biology and suggests that a synergy between increased host searching, increased longevity and increased fecundity should lead to an enhancement of biocontrol when D. rapae females have access to nectar in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing food-web assemblages comprising parasitoid wasps involves large field collections of hosts followed by labour-intensive rearing of the insects to evaluate the rates of parasitism along with morphological or molecular identification of the parasitoid species. This article presents research towards a new molecular method for the practical and accurate construction of aphid-based food webs. We hypothesize that parasitoid and hyperparasitoid DNA left inside aphid mummies after emergence of these third and fourth trophic-level guilds can be simultaneously detected using universal polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) primers for nonspecific DNA amplification in combination with single-stranded conformation polymorphism ( SSCP) analysis. Such a protocol theoretically allows food-web construction to be performed with no a priori knowledge of the species present. Moreover, the use of empty mummies circumvents rearing and minimizes labour and time in the field and laboratory. To test our hypothesis, we conducted DNA analyses on laboratory-produced parasitized aphids (mummies) from Myzus persicae and Brevicoryne brassicae (two important aphid pest species) after exposure to the parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae and the hyperparasitoid Asaphes vulgaris. DNA is amplifiable in empty aphid mummies for as long as 3 weeks after parasitoid emergence. However, the simultaneous identification of several species in a single mummy sample was rare, which hinders the accurate inference of trophic links. DNA quality and relative quantity, together with preferential amplification, are potential explanations of current results. Technical refinements are needed to ensure full reliability and detection of complex trophic links. The use of PCR- SSCP for food-web construction is novel, and its potential to include an important number of different species is yet to be fully explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botrytis cinerea (Pers.: Fr), the causal agent of botrytis bunch rot, is an important disease of grapevines worldwide, with canopy management and the prophylactic use of fungicides being the most common control methods. The latter has resulted in fungicide resistance and is increasingly raising concerns regarding residues in wine and effects on human and environmental health. Research-led alternatives to this practice are beginning to emerge, including a range of biotic and abiotic treatments that induce vine resistance to B. cinerea and inundative applications of biological control agents such as Trichoderma, Bacillus, Ulocladium and Streptomyces species. Also, habitat manipulation techniques that aim to improve the effectiveness of naturally occurring biological control are being developed using mulches brought into the vineyard, as well as mulched cover crops. These can accelerate decomposition of botrytis mycelium and sclerotia on the vineyard floor in winter. The challenges of these different techniques and the prospects for habitat manipulation for this fungal disease are discussed. Extensive tables on synthetic fungicides, biofungicides, essential oils and plant extracts effective against B. cinerea are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flame weeders are a valuable weed management tool for organic growers and potentially for non-organic producers, if the number of registered herbicides continues to decrease. However, they have a number of problems including low-energy efficiency, fire risk and reduced performance in windy conditions. Steam has been shown to be a superior means of heat transfer to weeds and therefore steam weeders should outperform flame weeders. However, producing sufficient quantities of steam on tractor-mounted equipment has been problematic, because the standard designs of pressurised steam boilers are ill-suited for agricultural use. The ‘direct-fired steam’ weeder described here, is considered to resolve this problem, by spraying water as a fine mist directly into hot exhaust gases from a burner, causing it to evaporate quickly, thus negating the needs for a pressurised system. This design is diesel powered, but could also be run on renewable fuels such as vegetable oil, addressing concerns about the use of non-renewable ‘fossil fuels’ for thermal weeding. This approach is considered both effective in terms of steam generation and sufficiently practical and low enough in inherent risk for agricultural use. Production of commercial steam weeders based on this concept has commenced in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternating the daily feeding of potato tuber moth ( Phthorimaea operculella) larvae (PTM) between isogenic pairs of potato plants provides an effective experimental approach to simulate transgene pyramiding in a clonal crop. This involves an experimental design with all six possible pairwise combinations of two transgenic lines expressing different cry genes and the non-transgenic control. In this manner, we have simulated the pyramiding of pairwise combinations of cry1Ac9, cry9Aa2 and cry1Ba1 genes in potato and evaluated how pairs of these three cry genes interact to influence the growth rate of PTM larvae. The results show that all combinations of the three cry genes were largely consistent with additive impacts on PTM larval growth, although results from the combination of the cry1Ac9 and cry9Aa2 genes were suggestive of slight synergistic effects. Pyramiding the cry1Ac9, cry9Aa2 and cry1Ba1 genes in potato could therefore provide a more effective strategy to control PTM compared to single cry gene transgenic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coloured pan traps are frequently used to attract and catch insects, such as in the monitoring of populations of beneficial insects in classical or conservation biological control. They are also used in the evaluation of the recovery of insect populations after disturbance and in many other situations where an estimate of relative insect numbers is required. However, the fact that traps may be visible to the insects over a considerable distance can influence the interpretation of catch data. This difficulty may arise, for example, if traps along a transect can attract insects from some or all of the other transect positions. This study compared the effect of different coloured traps on attraction and catch of hoverflies. The hypothesis was that completely yellow traps would attract hoverflies from a distance, while traps that were green outside and yellow inside would catch fewer flies because only those from above or near the trap can see the yellow stimulus. A subsidiary hypothesis was that rose water would enhance hoverfly capture rates. For the two main hoverfly species captured, Melanostoma fasciatum (Macquart) and Melangyna novaezelandiae (Macquart), significantly more individuals were caught in completely yellow traps than in yellow and green or in completely green traps. Moreover, the addition of rose water increased the number of hoverflies caught significantly. It is suggested that if a measure of hoverfly numbers relating to a particular distance along a transect is required, consideration should be given to the ability of hoverflies to see yellow traps from a distance. The use of traps that are green outside would more accurately reflect the local abundance of hoverflies. If higher trap catches of hoverflies are needed for statistical purposes, rose water can enhance catches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provision of floral resources for the enhancement of beneficial insect populations has shown promise as a strategy to enhance biological control and pollination in agroecosystems. One approach involves the provision of a single flower species while a second involves the multiple flower species, but the two have never been compared experimentally. Here we examine the influence of single and multiple species flower treatments on the abundance and foraging behaviour of key beneficial insects in two agricultural agroecosystems (broccoli and lucerne crops). The five flower treatments comprised buckwheat only, phacelia only, a simple mixture of buckwheat and phacelia, a complex mixture of buckwheat, phacelia and a commercial seed blend or the existing crop as a control. The abundance of bumble-bees ( Bombus hortorum) and honey bees ( Apis mellifera) was highest in the three treatments that contained phacelia, while hoverfly ( Melanostoma fasciatum) numbers were high in all four flower treatments. Bumble-bees and honey bees probed almost exclusively phacelia flowers, even when provided with a choice of other flower species in the simple and complex mixture treatments. In contrast, hoverflies probed the flowers of all plant species in single and multiple species treatments, with no apparent difference in acceptance. However, in mixture treatments, the majority of individual bumble-bees, honey bees and hoverflies probed the flowers from only one species, despite the presence of alternative flower species. Our results illustrate how an appreciation of insect floral attractiveness can be used to customise the species composition of floral patches to potentially maximise biological control and pollination in targeted agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Field and laboratory experiments on the conservation biocontrol of lepidopteran leafroller pests were carried out in apples at Lincoln, New Zealand. 2 Apple understoreys were planted with replicated treatments of alyssum ( Lobularia maritima), phacelia ( Phacelia tanacetifolia) and buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum). 3 Rates of parasitism of experimentally released larvae of the light-brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), by Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were significantly lower in phacelia and control treatments, and leafroller pupae were significantly more abundant in controls than in buckwheat and alyssum treatments. 4 Naturally occurring leafroller damage was up to 29% lower above all the floral understorey treatments compared with controls and there were more than twice as many D. tasmanica cocoons in the alyssum and buckwheat treatments than in controls. 5 Suction sampling of the understoreys gave D. tasmanica adult densities that were significantly more abundant in alyssum compared with other treatments. Numbers of Anacharis zealandica (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) (a parasitoid of larvae of the predatory brown lacewing) did not differ between treatments. 6 In the laboratory, flowering buckwheat and alyssum enhanced D. tasmanica longevity by up to 78% compared with the control, and buckwheat also enhanced potential fecundity by 62%. 7 In choice experiments, leafroller larvae in the laboratory consumed more than three-fold more apple leaf material than they did of the three understorey species, although alyssum increased leafroller fecundity and longevity. 8 The use of floral understoreys for conservation biocontrol of apple pests is discussed, along with the potential negative effects of some flowering species on pest populations and orchard agronomic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variation in the susceptibility of lepidopterous pest larvae of different ages to transgenic crops and the potential for survivors to reproduce could have important consequences for the development of resistance in such pests. Experiments were undertaken in the laboratory to determine if larvae of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella, of different ages (0 (< 1 day old), 3, 5, 7 days) varied in their susceptibility to cry1Ac9–transgenic potato ( Solanum tuberosum) foliage grown in the glasshouse or field. The survival and fecundity of larvae reared on transgenic tubers was also determined in the laboratory. There were no apparent differences in susceptibility of larvae of different ages to transgenic foliage. Larvae fed glasshouse or field-grown non-transgenic foliage had significantly larger relative growth indices and more larvae pupated, than those fed transgenic foliage, regardless of larval age. Eggs from a laboratory colony were placed on transgenic or non-transgenic tubers to measure survival and fecundity. Between 6% and 15% of eggs placed on transgenic tubers developed into pupae for three of the four transgenic potato lines tested. On one transgenic line, only six adults emerged from 1300 eggs. In contrast, between 71% and 97% of the eggs placed on non-transgenic tubers developed into pupae. Male and female pupae from transgenic lines weighed less than those from non-transgenic lines. The fecundity of females from two of four transgenic lines was lower than from the non-transgenic parent cultivar. Although larvae of different ages did not exhibit any overall age-dependent pattern of increasing or decreasing susceptibility to transgenic foliage of glasshouse or field-grown plants, the ability of larvae to survive and reproduce on transgenic tubers suggests this pest has the ability to evolve resistance to the transgenic plants used in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable performance of insect-resistant transgenic plants across field seasons and between plant organs damaged by the insect pest is critical for management of this resistance in the field. To evaluate this, potato (Solanum tuberosum) lines transgenic for a cry1Ac9 gene with resistance to potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) were established in the field during the southern hemisphere summers of 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/00 as small field plots, each of 10 plants. Replicate plots of the non-transgenic parent cultivars (at least one for every three independently derived transgenic lines) were planted randomly throughout the trials. Field-grown foliage was challenged with larvae in the laboratory and a growth index (GI) was calculated for recovered larvae from each transgenic and non-transgenic potato line. Larval growth on young and mature leaves, and on newly harvested or stored tubers was also measured in the laboratory. Foliage from the transgenic lines inhibited larval growth in all seasons tested. For both control and transgenic lines, larvae had slightly lower GIs when reared on mature leaves compared with young leaves, although the correlation between mean GI for young and mature transgenic leaves was high (r = 0.97). The correlation between the mean GIs of larvae on newly harvested tubers and on those stored for 5 months was also high (r = 1.0). However, the GIs of larvae on newly harvested transgenic tubers were larger than on transgenic tubers stored for 5 months. The relative growth indices (RGI = mean GI/number days before final weighing) of larvae reared on newly harvested tubers from transgenic lines were generally higher than those from young transgenic foliage, while the RGIs of larvae reared on non-transgenic tubers were slightly lower than those fed non-transgenic foliage. The correlation between mean RGIs of larvae fed tubers or foliage was 0.62. The transgenic potato lines exhibited stable resistance to larvae across field seasons, bet... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Significant differences in the overwintering densities of predatory carabid and staphylinid beetles and spiders occurred on an ‘island’ grassy bank habitat composed of blocks of Agrostis stolonifera, Dactylis glomerata, Holcus lanatus and Lolium perenne, within and between winters during a 7-year study. 2 Densities of the predators over the last three winters of the study were greater in the bank than in the boundary of the field in which the bank was situated. 3 Succession occurred in plots of L. perenne, with D. glomerata fully replacing this species. Plots of D. glomerata and H. lanatus remained virtually mono-specific. 4 Over the period of study, the beetle bank maintained its role in providing overwintering habitat for polyphagous predators and carabid diversity has increased since the bank was first established. Beetle banks were therefore shown to contribute to conservation biodiversity in an agroecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 1 Eighty four-unit domiciles for introduced bumble bees (Bombus spp.) were placed in 16 field margins at Lincoln, New Zealand in the 1995–96 southern summer. Fifty-five were placed in the margins of intensively managed fields, with the remaining 25 being in less disturbed habitats, which had more spring/summer floral resources. 2 The number of nests founded over the four-year study period increased from one to 27. Bombus hortorum was a much more frequent colonist than was B. terrestris, with B. ruderatus colonizing only in the fourth year. 3 In the ‘intensive’ sites, mean four-year occupancy was only 2%, whereas in the less disturbed sites it was 13%. 4 There was a positive association between bumble bee occupancy of the domicile compartments in the previous year and occupancy in the current year. No association was found between previous occupancy by mice and subsequent occupancy by bumble bees. 5 The potential for adding Bombus nest sites to agricultural land to enhance local populations, and, potentially, pollination of seed crops, is discussed. Adding domiciles in intensively managed landscapes may not be very effective unless spring floral resources are enhanced as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data are presented from a 3-year study on the creation of grass overwintering habitats for the arthropods which are the natural enemies of cereal aphids. During the course of the study, densities of individual predatory species varied considerably, with Araneae and Carabidae showing successional changes from pioneer to more specialized species as the newly created habitats matured. The role of such a habitat creation scheme in increased stability and enhanced biocontrol within the agro-ecosystem is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An equation is proposed to quantify invertebrate predation using data on biomass ingested (from an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)) and information on the digestion rate of prey. The new equation is compared with four previously published methods. Laboratory and insectary experiments with polyphagous predators and the cereal aphid Sitobion avenae are used to calibrate the equation. The proposed equation showed marked collinearity between observed and estimated consumption rates, and the ratio of the two (0.20) was close to the theoretically expected value of 0.28. One of the published equations showed a good correlation between observed and estimated consumption, but consumption was underestimated by 80–93% A further equation, which could only be used in an aggregated form, showed good correlation but still underestimated consumption by 47–80%. Limitations of the methods are discussed. The experiments showed that ‘maximum feeding rates’ measured in the laboratory can be lower than those recorded in an insectary. The new equation represents, with ELISA, a significant advance over previously available methods for estimating consumption rates by invertebrate predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]