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The rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), threatens global rice production, with invasion events driven by its parthenogenetic populations. However, the global establishment risk in global rice-growing areas and potential economic losses and control benefits of the populations in invaded areas remain unclear. We applied an optimized MaxEnt model to predict the global suitable areas of the populations under current and future climate scenarios. Furthermore, we used @Risk software to estimate the potential economic losses and controlling benefit of this populations to rice production in China. Compared to its native range (North America), this populations has explored novel climates ecological niches in invaded areas (Europe and Asia) and occupies the broadest range of climatic ecological niches in Asia. The highly suitable area is primarily covered in rice-growing areas in China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, with all major rice-growing areas concentrated in these countries and regions. Under SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 emission scenarios, sum of suitable area for the populations in global rice-growing regions is projected to decrease by 0.35% and 0.26%, respectively, by the 2030s and 2050s. Moreover, @Risk analysis indicates that without control measures, the populations could cost China's rice industry $18.95 billion, but management efforts could recover $17.54 billion. These results provide in-depth reference about the impact of climatic changes on the potential global suitable range of L. oryzophilus parthenogenetic populations and its economic impact on the rice industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm (FAW), is a widespread and polyphagous crop pest, causing serious crop yield losses worldwide, especially maize and other cereals. Biological control (biocontrol) is considered as the generally safer and more environmentally benign strategies compared to chemical insecticides in managing FAW. Chelonus insularis and Eiphosoma laphygmae are two promising classical biocontrol parasitoids against FAW. However, the optimal control areas for FAW with the two parasitoids in its invasive ranges remain unclear. This study is first time to integrate species distribution models and hotspot analysis to estimate the optimal areas for controlling FAW with these two parasitoids worldwide. Key variables influencing distribution include human influence index, temperature, and precipitation. The optimal control areas of FAW with C. insularis and E. laphygmae are in most of sub-Saharan Africa, Mediterranean regions, eastern, southern, and southeastern Asia, and Oceania. These areas are expected to expand to high-latitude areas under changing climatic conditions. Niche comparisons indicated that the FAW and C. insularis niches were closely aligned. Chelonus insularis and E. laphygmae are potentially effective against FAW in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Our findings offer insights into the strategic use of the two parasitoids against FAW worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrowetting display (EWD) device is a new type of electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) equipment that can achieve a paper-like display effect under the control of an electric field. In this microfluidic system, the stability of grayscale can be affected by various factors, such as the physicochemical properties of the materials, the device structure, and electric field distribution. To improve the grayscale stability of active matrix electrowetting displays (AM-EWDs), the impact of different polarities of driving voltage on oil backflow was investigated in this study. Based on the driving principles of AM-EWD, an optimized inter-frame bipolar reset driving waveform was designed to overcome oil backflow. The proposed driving waveform maintained the stability of the oil state by periodically and rapidly releasing trapped charges in the dielectric layer through a reverse driving voltage. Additionally, the effect of feed-through voltage on pixel driving voltage was eliminated by compensating for the driving voltage on a common electrode. Finally, the performance of the designed driving waveform was evaluated with a 6-inch AM-EWD driving platform. Compared to the conventional unipolar reset driving waveform, the backflow speed decreased by 2.70 a.u./s. The standard deviation of the display luminance was also reduced by 11.24 a.u. Experimental results indicated that both the oil backflow speed and the fluctuation range of luminance were effectively suppressed by the proposed driving waveform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solanum fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an invasive alien insect that causes huge economic losses to pepper and other solanaceous plant industries. It is mainly distributed in South and Southeast Asia, SW Europe, Western USA, and in some African countries. However, the potential global geographical distribution of B. latifrons is unknown. Therefore, in this study, based on the current (1981–2010) and future (2040–2059) climatic scenarios determined using the CNRM-CM5, Access1.0, GFDL-ESM-2M, and NorESM1-M models, we used a species distribution model (CLIMEX 4.0) to project the potential global geographic distribution of B. latifrons to prevent further invasion and harm. In the current climate scenario, South America (1286.06 × 104 km2), Africa (1435.47 × 104 km2), and Oceania (410.66 × 104 km2) have the largest proportions of suitable land areas for B. latifrons colonization. Under all four future climate models, the global potential suitable area for Bactrocera latifrons is projected to decrease and shift towards higher latitudes. This study provides an important baseline upon which researchers, quarantine personnel, and governments can develop the appropriate control strategies against B. latifrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The tomato leaf miner Phthorimaea absoluta is a harmful invasive pest first reported in China in 2017. As an alternative to chemical methods for pest control, recent research has focused on green prevention, specifically light-induced control. However, current light-trapping technology is non-specific, attracting both pests and non-target organisms. Our study aimed to understand the phototactic behavior of P. absoluta and to develop a targeted light-trapping technology. Using in situ hybridization, we found widespread opsin expression throughout the insect body. We also investigated tropism using a wavelength-lamp experiment, revealing that 365 ± 5 nm light accurately traps P. absoluta without affecting natural enemies. Additionally, we found that long-wavelength opsin gene mutants (LW2−/−) and short-wavelength opsin gene mutants (BL−/−) showed significant differences in phototactic behavior. The LW2(−/−) strain was attracted to light at 390 ± 5 nm, whereas the BL(−/−) strain was unresponsive. Our findings contribute to the development of precise light-trapping technology for controlling the tomato leaf miner, contributing to our understanding of pest population dynamics and the protection of crops from natural enemies. Phthorimaea absoluta (Meyrick) is an invasive pest that has caused damage to tomatoes and other crops in China since 2017. Pest control is mainly based on chemical methods that pose significant threats to food safety and environmental and ecological security. Light-induced control, a green prevention and control technology, has gained attention recently. However, current light-trapping technology is non-specific, attracting targeted pests alongside natural enemies and non-target organisms. In this study, we characterized the phototactic behavior of tomato leaf miners for the development a specific light-trapping technology for pest control. In situ hybridization revealed opsin expression throughout the body. Furthermore, we investigated the tropism of pests (wild T. absoluta, Toxoptera graminum, and Bemisia tabaci) and natural enemies (Nesidiocoris tenuis and Trichogramma pintoi) using a wavelength-lamp tropism experiment. We found that 365 ± 5 nm light could accurately trap wild P. absoluta without trapping natural enemies and other insects. Finally, we analyzed the phototactic behavior of the mutant strains LW2(−/−) and BL(−/−). LW2 and BL mutants showed significant differences in phototactic behavior. The LW2(−/−) strain was attracted to light at 390 ± 5 nm and the BL(−/−) strain was unresponsive to any light. Our findings will help to develop specific light-trapping technology for controlling tomato leaf miners, providing a basis for understanding pest population dynamics and protecting crops against natural enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The invasion of Spodoptera eridania and the damage it has caused to crop systems in recent years has raised concerns about its potential risks. In this study, we aimed to map the invasion risk of S. eridania worldwide based on an optimized MaxEnt model. The results indicated the suitable habitat concentrated in southern North America, South America, western Europe, central Africa, southern Asia, and eastern Oceania. Under climate change, suitable habitats for S. eridania will expand and shift to higher latitudes in the future. Countries without S. eridania invasion but that are at invasive risk, such as the European Union, Southeast Asian countries, and Australia should take appropriate quarantine measures to prevent the entry of this pest. The southern armyworm (Spodoptera eridania), a polyphagous crop pest native to tropical America, has been found in Africa (2016) and India (2019), causing defoliation and damage to the reproductive structures of cassava, soybean, and tomato. The damage caused by this pest to crop systems has raised concerns regarding its potential risks. Therefore, we predicted the potential geographical distribution of S. eridania under climate change conditions using 19 bioclimatic variables based on an optimized MaxEnt model. The results showed that annual precipitation (bio12), mean temperature of the warmest quarter (bio10), and precipitation of the driest month (bio14) were important bioclimatic variables influencing the potential distribution. The prediction showed that the suitable habitat area was approximately 3426.43 × 104 km2, mainly concentrated in southern North America, South America, western Europe, central Africa, southern Asia, and eastern Oceania. In response to global climate change, suitable habitats for S. eridania will expand and shift to higher latitudes in the future, especially under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. Because of the current devastating effects on crop production, countries without S. eridania invasion, such as the European Union, Southeast Asian countries, and Australia, need to strengthen phytosanitary measures at border ports to prevent the introduction of this pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]