Diel periodicity of pheromone release by females of Planococcus citri and Planococcus ficus and the temporal flight activity of their conspecific males

The diel periodicity of sex pheromone release was monitored in two mealybug species, Planococcus citri and Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera; Pseudococcidae), using sequential SPME/GCMS analysis. A maximal release of 2 ng/h pheromone by 9–12-day-old P. citri females occurred 1–2 h before the beginning of photophase. The highest release of pheromone by P. ficus females was 1–2 ng/2 h of 10–20-day-old females, approximately 2 h after the beginning of photophase. Mating resulted in termination of the pheromone release in both mealybug species. The temporal flight activity of the males was monitored in rearing chambers using pheromone baited delta traps. Males of both P. citri and P. ficus displayed the same flight pattern and began flying at 06:00 hours when the light was turned on, reaching a peak during the first and second hour of the photophase. Our results suggest that other biparental mealybug species display also diel periodicities of maximal pheromone release and response. Direct evaluation of the diel periodicity of the pheromone release by the automatic sequential analysis is convenient and will be very helpful in optimizing the airborne collection and identification of other unknown mealybug pheromones and to study the calling behavior of females. Considering this behavior pattern may help to develop more effective pheromone-based management strategies against mealybugs.     

Reevaluation of the sex pheromone of the lesser date moth, Batrachedra amydraula, using autosampling SPME-GC/MS and field bioassays

In a previous study of the sex pheromone of the lesser date moth, Batrachedra amydraula, using laboratory females, (Z4,Z7)-4,7-decadien-1-yl acetate, Z4-decen-1-yl acetate, Z5-decen-1-yl acetate and decyl acetate were identified by sequential SPME-GC/MS analysis. Traces of Z5-decen-1-ol were detected only in airborne collections. Concomitant field tests and re-evaluation of the composition of the sex pheromone of B. amydraula with feral female moths, using an improved sequential SPME-GC/MS procedure revealed a complex mixture of candidate pheromonal compounds. The same unsaturated acetates and the corresponding alcohols: (Z4,Z7)-4,7-decadien-1-ol, Z4-decen-1-ol, Z5-decen-1-ol were positively identified. In addition, the corresponding aldehydes, octanol and octyl acetate were also detected. All compounds were found to be released in a circadian rhythm, in a narrow time window of 2 h, approximately 1 h before sunrise. Comprehensive field bioassays indicated that the optimal attractive blend is a three-component mixture of (Z4,Z7)-4,7-decadien-1-yl acetate, Z5-decen-1-yl acetate and Z5-decen-1-ol in a ratio of 1:2:2. This blend gave about fivefold higher trap catch of B. amydraula males as compared to the previously published binary blend of (Z4,Z7)-4,7-decadien-1-yl acetate and Z5-decen-1-yl acetate in a ratio of 1:2. The alcohol Z5-decen-1-ol is an essential synergistic component of the sex pheromone of B. amydraula. All other identified compounds are inert, being neither synergists nor inhibitors of the pheromone. The optimal pheromone blend will be a useful tool in monitoring and control of B. amydraula, which is a serious pest of date plantations throughout the Middle East and northern Africa.     

RESERVOIR SEDIMENTATION WITH RANDOM DEPOSITS1

ABSTRACT: The accumulated volume of sediment in reservoris is investigated in this paper using a statistical method. Based on the fact that sediment load and river discharge are highly correlated, a relationship between them is established. With longer records of stream flows, this relationship will serve either as a data generation mechanism which produces a sediment S-sequence having the same length as the river discharge Q-sequence, or as a transformation of variables, by which the distribution of S is transferred from the distribution of Q. The mean and variance of the sediment volume accumulated in the design life of a reservoir are then derived, assuming the S- and Q-sequences follow the log-normal distribution. Finally, case studies are given for illustrating the proposed method.     

Frequent summer nuptial flights of ants provide a primary food source for bats

In many ant species, nuptial flight tends to be short in time and assumed to be synchronous across a large area. Here, we report that, in the upper Jordan Valley, northern Israel, massive nuptial flights of Carpenter ants (Camponotus sp.) occur frequently throughout the summer, and their alates form up to 90% of the diet of the greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) during this period. This fat and protein-rich diet enables female bats to lactate during summer, and the large amount of fat that both sexes accumulate may serve as an energy source for their following winter hibernation and posthibernation mating in early spring (March–April). We suggest that the annual movement of these bats to the Mediterranean region of Israel may have evolved in order to enable them to exploit the extremely nutritious forms of ant alates when the bats’ energetic demands are highest.     

Pesticide Use and Residual Occurrence in Thailand

This paper addresses pesticide use, environmental problems, and regulations in Thailand. Annually, Thailand imports several thousand metric tons of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Agricultural goods are among the country's primary exports. Over the past decade, Thailand's agricultural sector has shifted from labor- to machine-intensive farming practices. Pressures to sustain high crop yields have led to heavy usage of pesticides. Residues, especially organochlorine and organophosphate compounds, have been found in soil, water, and agricultural products throughout the country. Occupational exposure and suicide are the main causes of pesticide poisoning to Thailand's residents. Recognizing the growing problem, Thailand's government has enacted environmental laws and education programs aimed at minimizing adverse effects of pesticides.     

Development of sol–gel formulations for slow release of pheromones

A new type of dispenser for slow-release of sex pheromones and other semiochemicals was developed based on sol–gel polymers that can be useful for monitoring, mass trapping, and mating disruption in integrated pest management (IPM). Sol–gel matrices exhibit glass characteristics and allow control of the degree of cross-linking during the polymerization process in order to provide an optimal release rate for a particular pheromone. The advantages of sol–gel (silica) matrixes include keeping the added molecules chemically stable and enabling the sol–gel material to be applied in any desired thickness and pheromone quantity, and thereby readily modify release rates. In addition, sol–gels are primarily silica and water that are common in the environment and therefore safe for field dispensing. We developed a method for the entrapment of pheromones in sol–gel matrices that allowed release at an almost constant rate over many days in the field. For example, 2.5 mg (E)-5-decenyl acetate pheromone of peach twig borer, Anarsia lineatella, entrapped in various sol–gel formulations released 14–45 μg/day for up to 28 days. The codling moth (Cydia pomonella) pheromone in sol–gels was used in field tests to capture more codling moth males than unbaited control traps. We describe how the method may be modified to entrap other types of pheromones by making sol–gels with different pore sizes.     

Quantifying RDX biodegradation in groundwater using δ15N isotope analysis

Isotope analysis was used to examine the extent of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) biodegradation in groundwater along a ca. 1.35-km contamination plume. Biodegradation was proposed as a natural attenuating remediation method for the contaminated aquifer. By isotope analysis of RDX, the extent of biodegradation was found to reach up to 99.5% of the initial mass at a distance of 1.15–1.35 km down gradient from the contamination sources. A range of first-order biodegradation rates was calculated based on the degradation extents, with average half-life values ranging between 4.4 and 12.8 years for RDX biodegradation in the upper 15 m of the aquifer, assuming purely aerobic biodegradation, and between 10.9 and 31.2 years, assuming purely anaerobic biodegradation. Based on the geochemical data, an aerobic biodegradation pathway was suggested as the dominant attenuation process at the site. The calculated biodegradation rate was correlated with depth, showing decreasing degradation rates in deeper groundwater layers. Exceptionally low first-order kinetic constants were found in a borehole penetrating the bottom of the aquifer, with half life ranging between 85.0 to 161.5 years, assuming purely aerobic biodegradation, and between 207.5 and 394.3 years, assuming purely anaerobic biodegradation.The study showed that stable isotope fractionation analysis is a suitable tool to detect biodegradation of RDX in the environment. Our findings clearly indicated that RDX is naturally biodegraded in the contaminated aquifer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported use of RDX isotope analysis to quantify its biodegradation in contaminated aquifers.