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Leaffooted bugs (Leptoglossus spp; Hemiptera: Coreidae) are phytophagous insects native to the Western Hemisphere. In California, Leptoglossus clypealis and Leptoglossus zonatus are occasional pests on almonds. Early season feeding by L. clypealis and L. zonatus leads to almond drop, while late season feeding results in strikes on kernels, kernel necrosis, and shriveled kernels. A field cage study was conducted to assess feeding damage associated with L. clypealis and L. zonatus on four almond varieties, Nonpareil, Fritz, Monterey, and Carmel. The objectives were to determine whether leaffooted bugs caused significant almond drop, to pinpoint when the almond was vulnerable, and to determine the final damage at harvest. Branches with ~20 almonds were caged and used to compare almond drop and final damage in four treatments: (1) control branches, (2) mechanically punctured almonds, (3) adult Leptoglossus clypealis, and (4) adult Leptoglossus zonatus. Replicates were set up for eight weeks during two seasons. Early season feeding resulted in higher almond drop than late season, and L. zonatus resulted in greater drop than L. clypealis. The almond hull width of the four varieties in the study did not influence susceptibility to feeding damage. The final damage assessment at harvest found significant levels of kernel strikes, kernel necrosis, and shriveled almonds in bug feeding cages, with higher levels attributed to L. zonatus than L. clypealis. Further research is warranted to develop an Integrated Pest Management program with reduced risk controls for L. zonatus.

BACKGROUND: Rising global temperatures are associated with emerging insect pests, reflecting earlier and longer insect activity, faster development, more generations per year and changing species' ranges. Insecticides are often the first tools available to manage these new threats. In the southeastern US, sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) has recently become the major threat to vegetable production. We used data from a multi‐year, regional whitefly monitoring network to search for climate, land use, and management correlates of whitefly activity. RESULTS: Strikingly, whiteflies were detected earlier and grew more abundant in landscapes with greater insecticide use, but only when temperatures were also relatively warm. Whitefly outbreaks in hotter conditions were not associated with specific active ingredients used to suppress whiteflies, which would be consistent with a regional disruption of biocontrol following sprays for other pests. In addition, peak whitefly detections occurred earlier in areas with more vegetable production, but later with more cotton production, consistent with whiteflies moving among crops. CONCLUSION: Altogether, our findings suggest possible links between warmer temperatures, more abundant pests, and frequent insecticide applications disrupting biological control, though this remains to be explicitly demonstrated. Climate‐initiated pesticide treadmills of this type may become an increasingly common driver of emerging pest outbreaks as global change accelerates. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-allergic activity of the ethanolic bark extract of Amoora cucullata (EBAC) in mice followed by molecular docking analysis and also to quantify the major bioactive polyphenolic constituents by HPLC analysis. Anti-allergic activity was evaluated using Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI)-sensitized allergy model mice by determining nasal allergy-like symptoms as well as counting the total and differential leukocytes profile of blood and Broncho Alveolar Lavage (BAL) fluid. In silico molecular docking study was performed using Schrödinger Maestro 10.1 on eight isolated compounds against Histamine Methyltransferase receptor in order to justify the anti-allergic activity of the extract. Acute toxicity test was performed to determine the safety of the extract. HPLC analysis exhibited the presence of 3,4-dihydroxy benzoic acid, catechol, (-) epicatechin, caffeic acid, syringic acid, rutin hydrate and trans-cinnamic acid. In anti-allergic activity test, oral administration of the EBAC improved nasal-allergic symptoms of TDI-induced allergic rhinitis in experimental mice. There was also a conspicuous decrease in the number of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, monocytes and basophils in both blood and Broncho Alveolar Lavage (BAL) fluid of the mice treated with EBAC as compared to TDI-sensitized mice. Among the identified compounds from this plant, the docking score of Chrysin, Apigenin, Kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and Stigmasterol against Histamine Methyltransferase receptor were comparable with that of standard drug Cetirizine (-9.519 kcal/mol). The EBAC did not exhibit any mortality in mice even at 3 gm/kg dose. The results of this study confirm the antiallergic activity of the plant in both in vivo and in silico investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]