Prediction Model for Dendrolimus punctatus Walker in Coastal Shelterbelt in Zhejiang Province of China

[Objective] The paper was to establish prediction model for Dendrolimus punctatus Walker in coastal shelterbeh in Zhejiang Province of China. [ Method] Using the principles and methods of SAS software, and according to the correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis, we selected the relevant meteorological factors from April 1982 to March 2006 as the variables and the population density of D. punctatus from 1983 to 2006 as the dependent variables, to establish the prediction model between insect population density and meteorological factors for D. punctatas in coastal shelterbelt. [ Result] By fitting test, the his- torical compliance rate of the equation was above 85%. When the related data from 2007 to 2011 were used for prediction test, the occurrence condition had small relative error with prediction results except the years seriously affected by natural disasters. [ Conclusion] The paper provides certain reference for pest control against D. punctatus in coastal shelterbelt.

Metal pollution in relation to mass outbreaks of Dendrolimus punctatus Walker on Pinus massoniana Lamb.in China

Insects with their ecological superpower have enormous capacity to transform small pollution damage in forests to full scale calamities. Acid rain resulting from extensive coal burning is the chief pollutant in China. Acid rain activates from soil deposits toxic metals, which are transferred to trees and further to insects eating them. We studied the levels of the toxic Cd, its antagonists Zn and Cu, and acid rain indicators Fe and Mn in the forest pest moth Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lepidoptera:Lasiocampidae) in variously polluted Pinus massoniana Lamb forests in China.\; The highest density of D. punctatus , as well as the highest Cd levels developed in the moderately polluted forests. Possibly Cd had there broken down the pest resistance of the pines. The paradoxical coexistence of high Cd level and elevated population density of the pest seems to result from the high accumulation of Cd in its ichneumonid parasitoid. In the most heavily polluted forests the Cd level in needles was low, possibly because the strong acid rain had washed away most of the Cd deposit in the soil. It existed there no D.punctatus population. Absence of pest insects from the most heavily polluted areas is a common phenomenon.

Spatial Distribution Pattern of Overwintering Larvae of Dendrlimus punctatus

Based on the data of mean population density of overwintering larvae of Dendrolimus punctatus in Shatang forest farm in Guangxi Province, the spatial pattern of overwintering larva of D. punctatus were analyzed by the distribution index and regression model method. The results showed that the spatial pattern of overwintering larvae of D. punctatus assumed the aggregation pattern, the basic component of distribution was individual group. The optimal sampling number of forest survey and the sequential sampling analysis were presented, and the upper and low bound index for controlling D. punctatus were put forward to provide certain theoretical basis for integrated pest management.

Effect of pine foliage damage on the incidence of larval diapause in the pine caterpillar Dendrolimus punctatus （Lepidoptera： Lasiocampidae）

The pine caterpillar Dendrolimus punctatus （Walker） with a larval facultative diapause is one of the most destructive insect pests of the pine tree Pinus massoniana in China. The larvae feeding on pine trees with different damage levels were studied to determine the induction of diapause under both laboratory and field conditions. Developmental duration of larvae before the third instar was the longest when fed with 75%-90% damaged needles, followed by 25%-40% damaged needles and intact pine needles, whereas mortalities did not differ among different treatments under the conditions of 25℃ and critical photoperiod 13.5：10.5 L：D. At 25 ℃, no diapause was induced under 15：9 L：D, whereas 100% diapause occurred under 12：12 L：D regardless of the levels of needle damage. Incidences of larvae entering diapause when they were fed with intact, 25%-40% and 75%- 90% damaged pine needles were 51.7%, 70.8% and 81% under 13.5：10.5 L：D, respectively. Similar results were obtained in the field experiment. Incidence of diapause was significantly different among the pine needle damage levels of pine trees when the photoperiod was close to the critical day length, indicating that the effect of host plants on diapause induction was dependent on the range of photoperiod. The content of amino acid and sugar decreased and tannin increased in pine needles after feeding by the pine caterpillars, suggesting that changed levels of nutrients in damaged needles or a particular substance emitted by damaged pine trees was perhaps involved in the diapause induction of the pine caterpillar.

Newly discovered insect RNA viruses in China

Insects are a group of arthropods and the largest group of animals on Earth,with over one million species described to date.Like other life forms,insects suffer from viruses that cause disease and death.Viruses that are pathogenic to beneficial insects cause dramatic economic losses on agriculture.In contrast,viruses that are pathogenic to insect pests can be exploited as attractive biological control agents.All of these factors have led to an explosion in the amount of research into insect viruses in recent years,generating impressive quantities of information on the molecular and cellular biology of these viruses.Due to the wide variety of insect viruses,a better understanding of these viruses will expand our overall knowledge of their virology.Here,we review studies of several newly discovered RNA insect viruses in China.