Effects of Transgenic Bt+CpTI Cotton on Field Abundance of Non-Target Pests and Predators in Xinjiang, China

Transgenic insect-resistant cotton is being increasingly planted in Xinjiang cotton-planting regions, where geographical climate conditions and species composition of pests and natural enemies are greatly unique in China. Limited studies have been conducted on the ecological impacts of transgenic insect-resistant cotton, especially for transgenic double genes （Bt＋CpTI） cotton, in this region. In this study, the potential effects of transgenic Bt＋CpTI cotton on the seasonal abundance of non-target pests and predators were assessed from 2009 to 2011 in Korla, Xinjiang. The results showed that species composition and seasonal abundance of 5 groups of pests and 5 groups of predators were not significantly different between transgenic Bt＋CpTI cotton and non-transgenic cotton every year. It suggests that transgenic Bt＋CpTI cotton per se does not affect the population dynamics of non-target pests and predators on this crop in Xinjiang.

Efficiency of Botanical and Chemical Pesticides on the Control of Field Insect Pests under Cowpea Production

The pulse cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] holds a significant agricultural position in Uganda, ranking fourth among legume crops, following common beans, groundnuts, and soybeans. Known for its versatility, cowpeas are consumable at various developmental stages, from early seedling to maturity. However, the crop faces persistent pest challenges at each stage, leading to substantial yield losses. In Uganda, chemical insecticides are the primary pest control means, but their increased and excessive use raises environmental, health, and economic concerns. This has prompted a quest for alternative and sustainable solutions, prompting an exploration of botanical insecticides. This study, conducted at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute (MUARIK), aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three selected botanical insecticides versus four established chemical insecticides for managing cowpea insect pests under field conditions. The treatments included: Carbofuran, Cypermethrin 10% EC, Dimethoate, Pestwin, Pyrethrum ewc , Pyrethrum 5ew, Profenofos 40% Cypermethrin 4% EC mix, and Untreated, arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The significant pests studied were aphids, thrips, pod-sucking bugs, and legume pod borer. Results indicated substantial impacts of the treatments on pest infestation, with Profenofos 40% Cypermethrin 4% EC being the most effective against most pests. The plant parameter, plant height, was significantly affected by treatments in 2016B, while the number of pods was impacted in 2017A. Pestwin, a botanical insecticide blend (containing Azadirachtin indica, Pongamia pinnata, and Ricinus communis extracts) demonstrated superior efficacy against cowpea aphids. Moreover, it positively influenced plant height, number of pods, and pod biomass, surpassing many chemical insecticides. Pestwin’s environmental friendliness positions it as a potential contributor to reducing environmental pollution, making it a promising candidate for inclusion in IPM programs. Overall, the study underscores the importance of exploring botanical alternatives to chemical insecticides for sustainable pest management in cowpea cultivation.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of an Aloe barbadensis Based Biological Insecticide against Pests of Abelmochus esculentus for Promoting Ecological Agriculture (Far-North, Cameroon)

Chemical insecticides have been considered as a means to combat crop pests. Although their effectiveness is evident, their impact on the environment is increasingly being discussed. The aim of this study is to determine the agro-ecological potential of a biological insecticide (C25H32O12) based on Aloe barbadensis in a Sahelian context. For this purpose, a completely randomized block experimental design with 3 replications and 4 treatments was set up to experiment with Aloe barbadensis as a bioinsecticide against pests of Abelmoschus esculentus. However, data were collected using an observation and parameter monitoring grid. This includes the cultivation of Abelmoschus esculentus, soil preparation, seeding and watering, plot labeling, preparation of the bioinsecticide (selection and preparation of raw materials, grinding of Aloe barbadensis miller and extraction of the crude bioinsecticide, quantification of treatment doses and dilution, and obtaining the formulated bioinsecticide), plant watering, plant treatment, and finally parameter monitoring. The results obtained reveal that the level of damage is significantly high in the control treatment T0 (63%) compared to the other treatments, with 29% for treatment T1, 7% for T2, and 1% for T3, implying a strong action capability of this insecticide against pests of Abelmoschus esculentus. Therefore, it can be concluded that for a normal growing season of Abelmoschus esculentus, this biological insecticide should be sprayed 12 times. Furthermore, this biological insecticide is unique in that it does not inflict any gastric toxicity on the pests, which gives it the characteristic of being a repellent. It is a biological insecticide whose efficacy period has been tested, with a minimum duration of 21 days. In conclusion, this formulated bioinsecticide based on Aloe barbadensis demonstrates significant efficacy against pests of Abelmoschus esculentus. In the future, we will consider experimenting with its effectiveness against pests of other plants.

A Review on the Application of Deep Learning Methods in Detection and Identification of Rice Diseases and Pests

In rice production,the prevention and management of pests and diseases have always received special attention.Traditional methods require human experts,which is costly and time-consuming.Due to the complexity of the structure of rice diseases and pests,quickly and reliably recognizing and locating them is difficult.Recently,deep learning technology has been employed to detect and identify rice diseases and pests.This paper introduces common publicly available datasets;summarizes the applications on rice diseases and pests from the aspects of image recognition,object detection,image segmentation,attention mechanism,and few-shot learning methods according to the network structure differences;and compares the performances of existing studies.Finally,the current issues and challenges are explored fromthe perspective of data acquisition,data processing,and application,providing possible solutions and suggestions.This study aims to review various DL models and provide improved insight into DL techniques and their cutting-edge progress in the prevention and management of rice diseases and pests.

Social Cost Analysis of Biological Control Technology for Crop Diseases and Insect Pests

With the rapid development of modern agriculture,the prevention and control of crop diseases and insect pests has become an important part to ensure the safety of agricultural production,the quality of agricultural products and the safety of agricultural ecological environment.Although the effect of traditional chemical prevention and control technology is remarkable,the health risks and environmental problems brought by it should not be ignored.As a green and environmentally friendly means of prevention and control,biological prevention and control technology has gradually become a hot research topic and a trend of agricultural production.This paper is intended to comprehensively evaluate the social costs of biological control technologies for crop diseases and pests,including the health risks reduced,environmental improvements,economic benefits,and barriers to promotion,and put forward corresponding policy recommendations.

Review of Plant Essential Oils for Plant Pests Management

This paper reviews the origins and classification of plant essential oil resources,along with prevalent extraction techniques for their active constituents.By integrating insights on the utilization of plant essential oils for plant pest management,the comprehensive analysis reveals multiple functionalities exhibited by plant essential oils,including fumigation,contact toxicity,repellent action,antifeedant activity,and growth inhibition.Furthermore,the paper highlights the challenges associated with plant essential oils in plant protection and outlines future research directions,aiming to offer valuable insights for the advancement of botanical insecticides.

Technical Points of Green Prevention and Control Technology of Major Diseases and Pests in Lixian Rhubarb(Rheum palmatum L.)

Based on different types of diseases,pests and weeds in the whole growth period of rhubarb(sowing period-harvesting period),the corresponding green prevention and control technology is proposed,aiming to further reduce the application amount of pesticides and fertilizers in the production of medicinal sources of Lixian rhubarb during the"14 th Five-Year Plan"period.The results will provide a theoretical basis for increasing the promotion and application of agricultural prevention and control(including disease-resistant varieties,ecological regulation),physical prevention and control,biological prevention and control measures,thus ensuring effective protection of the ecological environment,green,healthy and sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine agriculture in Longnan,and source quality of authentic medicinal materials.

Major Diseases and Pests of Blueberry in Guizhou Province and Progress in Their Prevention and Control

As the blueberry industry continues to evolve,the effective control of its diseases and pests has become an essential component of local agricultural development.This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the principal types of blueberry diseases and pests in Guizhou Province,along with the corresponding control measures,in order to serve as a valuable reference for blueberry growers.

Comprehensive Prevention and Control Technology of Vegetable Diseases and Pests in Shandong Province

An in-depth research and practice has been conducted on vegetable diseases and pests in Shandong Province,and the principles of comprehensive and ecological control of diseases and pests are put forward,including agricultural control measures such as crop rotation,field cleaning,fertilizer and water management,physical control measures such as catching and killing,trapping,blocking,photoelectric energy treatment,biological control measures such as the use of natural enemies,pathogenic microorganisms,other beneficial organisms and metabolites,and scientific and rational chemical control measures.Comprehensive prevention and control not only controls vegetable diseases and pests effectively,but also protects the ecological environment.

Design and Development of Web-based Expert System for the Diagnosis of Disease and Pests of Fruits and Vegetables

According to the requirements of agricultural production and usem, taking diagnosis and decision-making of prevention for common diseases and pests in fruits and vegetables in southern China as the core, with communication and sharing as principle, adopted diagnosis, inquiries and guiding prevention of diseases and pests in fruits and vegetables as purpose, expert examination system of plant disease and pests in fruits and vegetables based on Web highly integrates the knowledge and prevention techniques of common diseases and pests for main fruit and vegetable in south China. In this system, the users can browse and inquiry the information about the fruit and vegetable diseases and pests, as well as their diagnosis and control. The implementation of the system plays an active role in promo- ting plant protection knowledge and guiding farms to scientifically control diseases and pests in fruits and vegetables

Law of Occurrence and the Damage of Main Diseases and Pests in Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort Field

[Objective]The aim was to provide scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of the main diseases and pests. [Method]The systematic investigation was carried out in the process of seedling and field cultivation of Ligusticum chuanxiong. [Result]The main diseases were root rot,Powdery mildew and Spot blight,while the main pests were Epinotia leucantha Meyrick,Prodenia litura Fabr.,Scarabaeoidea,Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisduval and Delia platura Meigen. [Conclusion]The law of occurrence of main diseases and pests were confirmed.

Effects of Six Cultivation Patterns on Occurrence of Major Diseases and Pests and Yield of Rice

The occurrence rules of major diseases and pests in rice were investigated under six cultivation patterns, i.e., mechanical plowing-artificial transplanting, mechanical plowing-mechanical transplanting, mechanical plowing-scattered transplanting,cattle plowing-artificial transplanting, cattle plowing-mechanical transplanting and cattle plowing-scattered transplanting. The results showed that the six cultivation patterns showed small effects on the occurrence of rice sheath blight, second-generation rice planthopper, rice stem borer and rice false smut, but showed great effects on the occurrence of rice leaf folder, third-and fourth-generation rice planthopper and weeds; there were certain differences in the rice yield among different cultivation patterns, and the rice yield under the pattern of mechanical plowing-mechanical transplanting ranked first, while that under the pattern of cattle plowing-scattered transplanting ranked last.

Construction of Early-warning Model for Plant Diseases and Pests Based on Improved Neural Network

By studying principles and methods related to early-warning model of plant diseases and using PSO method, parameter optimization was conducted to backward propagation neural network, and a pre-warning model for plant diseases based on particle swarm and neural network algorithm was established. The test results showed that the construction of early-warning model is effective and feasible, which will provide a via- ble model structure to establish the effective early-warning platform.

Short-term Prediction of Occurrence Period of Main Diseases and Pests of Flos lonicerae using Phenoecology

The occurrence periods of Semiaphis heraclei Takahashi,Frankliniella sp.,Haptonchus luteolus and Microsphara linicerae Enchson wint.in Rabenh.causing damage on Flos lonicerae were investigated in F.lonicerae planting area in XinCheng county of Guangxi Province during 2008-2010,which were coincided with the occurrence periods of related phenology of local Prunus persica Rootstock.With P.persica Rootstock as indicator plant,the occurrence periods of three species of pests and one species of disease were predicted,respectively,and the method was simple and accurate,which could be the foundation for preventing these pests and diseases in the local field.

Effect of Carbon Dioxide (CO_2) Controlled Atmosphere on Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) Activity of Three Storage Pests in Chinese Medicinal Materials

[ Objective ] The paper was to study the effect of controlled atmosphere stress of carbon dioxide （ CO2 ） on Superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity of in- sect, so as to analyze the biological mechanism of the action of controlled atmosphere stress on insect. [ Method] Using nitrotetrazolium blue chloride （NBT） light reduction method, SOD activity of drugstore beetle （ Stegobium panlceum ）, cigarette beetle （ Lasioderma serricorne） and coffee bean beetle （Araecerus fasciculatus） was studied, and the stress response of the enzyme under controlled atmosphere stress of CO2 was analyzed. [ Result ] SOD activity of drugstore beetle, cigarette beetle and coffee bean beetle exposed to controlled atmosphere stress of high concentrations of CO2 for 3 and 6 h had certain degree of increase, and the activity sig- nificantly increased from 2.011±0.954,2.664±0.218 and 1.458±0.718 to 3. 135±0. 105,3.050±0.673 and 2.975±0.229 U/（per pest · 30 min） after treat- ment for 6 h. [ Conclusion] Controlled atmosphere stress of high concentrations of CO2 had certain activation effect on SOD activity of storage pest in Chinese me- dicinal material within the context of sub-lethal events. The results could enrich the insecticidal mechanism of controlled atmosphere and theoretical system of analy- sis on insect resistance to controlled atmosphere.

Effects of Rice-duck Mutualism on Diseases Insect Pests and Weeds and Economic Benefits

[Objective] Study on the effects of rice-duck mutualism on weeds and insects pests and economic benefits of paddy field. [Method] Comparison of the incidence of weeds, sheath blight and insects pest under rice-duck mutualism, conventional cultivation and control treatment, the yield and economic benefits were analyzed under the 3 treatments. [Result] Average occurrence of weeds in rice-duck mutualism group decreased by 2.33 and 52.0g ind/m^2 compared with that in conventional cultivation and control treatment ; the control rate of mutualism was up to 75% against rice hopper, but just between 25% -60% against rice leaf roller and Chilo suppressalis. The rates of diseased plant and diseased bell against rice sheath blight were higher and disease indices were lower compared with control group. The yield of mutualism group was identical with conventional cultivation, Which was greatly higher than that of control group. The results suggested an higher economic benefits and lower cost benefit ratio for rice-duck mutualism treatment. [Conclusion] Rice-duck mutualism gives birth to a positive effect to control the diseases, insect pests and weeds, as well as to economic benefits, providing basis on extension of rice-duck mutualism system.

Main Diseases and Pests of Lonicerae japonica in Guangxi Province and Fluctuation Pattern of Their Natural Enemies

[ Objective ] The paper was to study the main diseases and pests in Lonicerae japonica in Guangxi Province and fluctuation pattern of their natural ene- mies. [Method] The population change of main diseases and pests, and main predatory naturaI enemies of pests in different species of Lonicerae japonica in Xincheng County of Guangxi Province were systematically investigated during 2008 -2010. [ Result ] The variation cycle of population number of Semiaphis heraclei （Takahashi） belongs to single peak type, and it has large occurrence in April. The variation cycle of population number of Franklinlella sp. and Haptonchus luteo- ius （Erichson） belongs to double peak type, and they have large occurrence at April and September. The variation cycle of disease severity of Microsphaera lonicerae （ Wint. ） belongs to double peak type, and the disease index will be larger at April and September. The variation cycle of diseased shoot rate belongs to single peak type; diseased shoot rote of Lonicera dasystyla Rehd. and Loniccra hvpolzlauca Miquel is relatively high during April to June, while the index of Lonice- ra confusa （Sweet） DC. is relatively high during February to May. The variation cycle of population number of main natural enemies such as Lemnia biplagiata （ Swartz）, Coccinella septcmpunctata （ Linnaeus ） and Harmonia axyridis （Pallas） belongs to double peak type, and they have large occurrence at April and Sep- tember. [ Conclusion] The results could provide scientific basis for determination of optimum control period against major diseases and pests in Loniceraejaponica and development of integrated control programs.

Application of Remote Sensing Technology in Monitoring Forest Diseases and Pests

Forest diseases and pests affect the forest health and forestry production, the monitoring of forest diseases and pests by remote sensing has great advantages and potential. The principles, the technical methods and the main aspects of monitoring forest diseases and pests by remote sensing are described, and the application prospect of this technology is forecasted.

Study on Pests Forecasting Using the Method of Neural Network Based on Fuzzy Clustering

Aimed to the characters of pests forecast such as fuzziness, correlation, nonlinear and real-time as well as decline of generalization capacity of neural network in prediction with few observations, a method of pests forecasting using the method of neural network based on fuzzy clustering was proposed in this experiment. The simulation results demonstrated that the method was simple and practical and could forecast pests fast and accurately, particularly, the method could obtain good results with few samples and samples correlation.

Investigation on Species of Diseases and Pests in Pelargonium graveolens L.Her and Control Technique

[ Objective] The study aimed to confirm species and damage status of the diseases and pests in Pelargonium graveolens L. Her, and explore the control technique of the main pests. [Method] Investigation of pests and diseases was conducted in main growing base of P. graveolens in Guangxi Province during 2007 -2008, and randomized block design was adopted to conduct field efficacy trials. [-Result] There were 22 kinds of pests and 5 kinds of diseases causing damage on P. graveolens, the occurrence peak of main pest P. litura were in June and September. Field control test showed that 5% hexaflumuron SC and 1% emamectin microcapsule suspension had relatively high control effect on P. litura, the control effect all over 88.58% after spraying for 7 d, and the persistent effect was about 14 d. [ Conclusion] The study would provide useful support for disease and oest control in standardized cultivation of P. oraveolens.