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Simple Summary: Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive insect pest that in the last two decades became a major problem for several agricultural commodities, including kiwifruit. Its management relies on integrating different control methods, including board-spectrum insecticides. Nevertheless, chemical control measures may not achieve satisfactory results and there is still margin for improvement, considering for instance the optimization of the spray technique. This problem is even more relevant in kiwifruit due to its peculiar training system, which reduce fruit exposure to insecticide sprays. In this study, two spray techniques were tested to maximize the insecticides efficacy in controlling H. halys in both yellow- and green-flesh kiwifruit cultivars ('Jintao' and 'Hayward'). The effects of a conventional ray atomizer and a trumpet-modified atomizer, which localizes insecticide applications in the fruit area, were assessed on H. halys mortality (with artificial infestations) and fruit damage (due to H. halys naturally occurring in the orchards). The localized spray technique resulted in an overall significantly higher H. halys mortality in 'Hayward', but not in 'Jintao' cultivar. This is likely due to differences in the canopy size and structure of these cultivars. However, the fruit injury level was not different between the spray techniques. Further investigations in this direction are needed also to assess the efficiency of localized spray technique in reducing the insecticide rates, in accordance with European strategies that foreseen restrictions in the authorized active substances usage. Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) cultivation is expanding worldwide, with China, New Zealand, and Italy being the major producing countries. Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug, is raising serious concerns to kiwifruit cultivation both in China and Italy. This study aimed at improving the chemical control efficacy against this pest by comparing two insecticide spray techniques (a conventional ray atomizer and a trumpet-modified atomizer adapted for localized spray application) in kiwifruit. In fact, kiwifruit is often grown with a 'pergola' training system, which may reduce the effectiveness of insecticide penetration into the canopy. Experiments were performed in naturally infested orchards of both Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis 'Jintao' and A. chinensis var. deliciosa 'Hayward'. Furthermore, mesh cages containing H. halys adults were deployed within orchards to assess the insects' mortality at 1, 3, 7, and 10 days after an insecticide application with two spray techniques during two consecutive seasons. In the cultivar 'Jintao', the two systems performed similarly, while in the cultivar 'Hayward', an overall significantly higher insect mortality was recorded with the trumpet atomizer (94–100%) compared to the conventional atomizer (59–78%). Crop damage was also evaluated on both cultivars, simulating the grower insecticide applications with the two spray techniques. At harvest, no difference emerged between the spray techniques, which provided a significantly better protection compared to the untreated control (12–17% compared to 33–47% of injured fruits). Further investigations in this direction are needed also considering the restriction of insecticidal active substances ongoing in the European Union and the need to maximize the efficacy of the available tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is causing extensive losses in agricultural products, especially tree fruit crops. Attract-and-kill (AK) strategies, which drive pests out of the cash crop to a circumscribed area where control interventions are applied, could be a more sustainable method for suppressing BMSBs while reducing the use of pesticides. This study assessed the effectiveness of an AK strategy against the BMSBs on pear, comparing sites with and without AK stations, consisting of pheromone lures coupled with insecticide-treated nets. The BMSB abundance was monitored using monitoring traps, and the fruit damage was recorded at harvest. In spring and early summer, the AK stations did not decrease pest density nor the fruit damage. Instead, after harvest, fewer BMSBs were detected in the AK sites than in sites without AK stations. Whilst this study supports the efficacy of the lures, the killing method needs to be refined and improved. The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is causing extensive economic losses in tree fruit crops. Including attract-and-kill (AK) strategies targeting BMSBs in an integrated pest management framework could reduce the amounts of insecticides sprayed and benefit growers, consumers and the environment. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an area-wide AK strategy across an intensive fruticulture region of Northern Italy, comparing four paired pear sites with and without two AK stations ha−1. These stations consisted of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets containing alpha-cypermethrin, baited with the BMSB aggregation pheromone and synergist. BMSB abundance was estimated using black-standing monitoring traps, and fruit damage upon harvest was recorded across all sites. The AK stations did not decrease the BMSB abundance nor the fruit damage, while after harvest significantly lower BMSB captures were detected in the AK sites compared to the control sites. Whilst the lures' efficacy was corroborated by this research, the killing method requires improvement and refinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Botanical insecticides and soaps are frequently considered environmentally friendly and compatible with the biological control of pests because of their purported higher selectivity towards beneficial insects when compared with synthetic insecticides. These claims are, however, only partially backed up by the scientific literature, thus justifying a case-by-case evaluation of botanical insecticides. Here, we tested the efficacy of five botanical insecticides and soaps belonging to different categories (pyrethrins, essential oils, crude plant extracts and insecticidal soaps) on the important aphid pest Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and their selectivity towards two of its biological control agents, the ladybird beetle Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) and the parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Dalman). The pyrethrin-based product was the most effective against aphids but more detrimental to ladybird beetle larvae when compared to the alternatives. Some detrimental effects on ladybird beetles were also caused by white thyme essential oil, sweet orange essential oil and Marseille soap. Additionally, although pyrethrins have a broader spectrum of insecticidal activity compared to most botanical insecticides, they had no significant adverse effect on adult ladybird beetles and parasitoids within aphid mummies, similar to most of the other tested natural products. Botanical insecticides and soaps are frequently proposed as environmentally safer alternatives to synthetic insecticides. However, the efficacy and selectivity of these products are often only partially supported by empirical evidence. Here, we tested the effectiveness of five botanical insecticides, belonging to different categories, on the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and their selectivity towards two natural enemies, the ladybird beetle Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) and the parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Dalman). White thyme essential oil (EO), sweet orange EO, crude garlic extract and Marseille soap were tested and compared with a pyrethrin-based commercial product. Both direct spray assays and residual contact assays on treated cabbage leaf disks were carried out. The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins but were in general less detrimental to ladybird beetle larvae, meaning that if applied against other pests, they have a lower chance of harming this agent of aphid biocontrol. Some of the products (soap, orange EO) did, however, show direct exposure toxicity toward ladybird larvae, and thyme EO had extensive phytotoxic effects on cabbage leaves, possibly indirectly leading to higher mortality in ladybird adults. These results underline the necessity for case-by-case evaluations of botanical insecticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Alessandro. Laghi, Antonio. Masetti, Donato. Nunno, Stefano. Astorino, Valentina. Mandese Sir, Aquagenic keratoderma (AK) is a rare and benign skin disorder consisting in a transient water reactive papulotranslucent acrokeratoderma.[1] [...]

Recent studies have opened the way for using elicitor‐induced resistance in plants as a method to control arthropod pests. In this study, 1,3‐β‐glucan laminarin, an elicitor of disease resistance in plants, was tested on the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), on peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, Rosaceae] plantlets and evaluated its effects on short‐term mortality and population growth. Laminarin exposure did not affect aphid survival in the short term; however, laminarin‐treated peach plants sustained fewer nymphs and adults in comparison with the control. Aphid populations on plants treated with laminarin declined significantly over the sampling period compared to the control. Moreover, the demographic parameters net reproductive rate (R0), finite rate of increase (λ), and intrinsic rate of increase (rm), all showed decreasing trends in aphid populations reared on laminarin‐treated plants. The decline in aphid populations exposed to laminarin seemed to mainly be linked to reduced adult survival, slower nymph development, and lower nymph survival and only marginally to changes in reproduction outcome. Changes in gene expression causing the final production of defence chemicals by peach plants may contribute to explaining the results. However, potential direct effects of laminarin on M. persicae feeding activity and probing behaviour cannot be ruled out. This study provides evidence that, although laminarin did not display insecticidal activity in the short term, this elicitor caused sublethal effects, significantly reducing aphid populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agro-ecological service crops (ASC) can increase the vegetation complexity of agroecosystems leading to a positive impact on natural enemies of arthropod pests and on weed control. In this study, two ASC terminations (green manure and roller crimper) and a Mater-Bi-mulched control (MB) were compared in order to describe the effects on pests and beneficial dynamics in an organic vegetable system. The trials were conducted over two consecutive growing seasons in 2014 and 2015. Zucchini were grown as cash crop and barley as ASC. Pests and natural enemies were monitored fortnightly by visual samplings along the whole zucchini-growing season. Zucchini plants showed a faster vegetative growth in MB treatment than in ASC terminations. In both years, MB plots were characterized by higher soil temperature and higher leaf nitrogen concentration resulting in plants more susceptible to Aphis gossypii infestations. In all the experimental plots, natural enemies controlled aphid infestations and no insecticide and sprays were necessary. In conclusion, the tested ASC techniques have been suggested as a tool to mitigate aphid infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lepidoptera are the phytophagous group most at risk of impact by insect-resistant genetically modified (GM) plants since most of these crops have been developed to express toxins to specifically target lepidopteran pests. In the case of Bt-maize cultivation, pollen grains released by GM plants could dust larval host plants growing inside or nearby maize fields, thus leading to the exposure of caterpillars to the Cry toxins. This way of exposure has been studied mainly for butterflies, whereas moths, in spite of their great diversity and abundance, were rarely considered. To evaluate the potential exposure of moth species to maize pollen in absence of Cry-expressing plants, macro-moths were sampled by means of light traps in three protected areas of Northern, Central and Southern Italy where conventional maize is among the main crops. Light traps were activated in two consecutive years (2010- 11) from the beginning of June to the end of July, a period that encompasses the anthesis of most maize cultivars grown in Italy. Overall, 11446 individuals belonging to 201 species and nine families were collected. Given that larvae of several sampled species are likely to match the criteria of potential exposure to maize pollen and susceptibility to Cry toxins, macro-moths might be considered among the potential assessment endpoints for environmental risk assessment of GM plants, especially in the vicinity of protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potato tuberworm ( PTW) Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is key pest of potato in tropical and subtropical regions. From 2002 onward, PTW has emerged as a problem in the Bologna province, the main potato production area in Northern Italy., Field investigations were performed to study the temporal and spatial dynamics of PTW. Adult moths were monitored using pheromone-baited traps over 3 years (2009-2011). Traps were georeferenced and catches were analyzed by geostatistical maps. Each year, the percentage of damaged tubers at harvest was assessed., Pheromone trapping, integrated with temperature-dependent developmental times, showed that PTW completed two generations throughout the potato-growing season; the remaining generations developed in the noncrop season. Maps showed a clumped distribution of PTW at the landscape scale. The hot spots of infestation corresponded to the areas most intensively cropped with potato. Trap catches from hilling to harvesting were linearly and positively correlated with the percentage of damage in 2 out of 3 years and in the pooled data set., The present study demonstrated the widening of PTW areal to Northern Italy. In this area, georeferenced pheromone traps were validated as a useful monitoring technique for describing the phenology and distribution of PTW, thus providing crucial knowledge for the rational management of this pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]