Effects of Age, Phase Variation and Pheromones on Male Sperm Storage in the Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria.

In general, sperm produced in the testis are moved into the seminal vesicle via the vas deferens in insects, where they are stored. How this sperm movement is controlled is less well understood in locusts or grasshoppers. In this study, the effects of age, phase variation and pheromones on male sperm storage were investigated in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål). In this locust, a pair of ducts, the vasa deferentia, connect the testes to a pair of the long, slender seminal vesicles that are folded approximately thirty times, and where the sperm are stored. We found that phase variation affected the level of sperm storage in the seminal vesicle. Moreover, adult males that detected pheromones emitted by mature adult males showed enhanced sperm storage compared with males that received the pheromones emitted from nymphs: The former, adult male pheromones are known to promote sexual maturation of immature adults of both sexes, whereas the latter, nymphal pheromones delay sexual maturation. Most mature adult males had much sperm in the vasa deferentia at all times examined, suggesting daily sperm movement from the testes to the seminal vesicles via the vasa deferentia. As adult males aged, sperm were accumulated from the proximal part to the distal end of the seminal vesicle. Many sperm remained in the seminal vesicle after mating. These results suggest that young or new sperm located near the proximal part of the seminal vesicle could be used for mating, whereas old sperm not used for mating are stored in the distal part of the seminal vesicle.

Effects of photoperiod and aging on the adult spermatogenesis of Polygonia c-aureum (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in relation to adult diapause.

Adult spermatogenesis of Polygonia c-aureum was compared between non-diapausing and diapausing butterflies before overwintering. This butterfly has seasonal polyphenism, i.e., summer and autumnal forms. Summer form butterflies that emerged in summer reproduce shortly after emergence, while autumnal forms that emerged in autumn mate in spring. Immatures were reared under either a long photoperiod, which produced the summer form without diapause or under a short photoperiod, which produced the autumnal form with diapause. We found almost no differences in adult spermatogenesis between the two seasonal forms, indicating that adult spermatogenesis is not related to adult diapause. Although adult diapause in the autumnal form is maintained under short photoperiods and terminated under long photoperiods, such a photoperiod did not affect the spermatogenesis of the autumnal form. Our earlier studies indicate that relatively few eupyrene and apyrene sperm are produced after overwintering. Although apyrene spermatogenesis occurred in young adults, eupyrene spermatogenesis did in a small scale before overwintering. These results suggest strongly that male autumnal form butterflies prepare the sperm until overwintering, which had been formed during the larval, pupal and young adult stages.

Potential Host Range of the Larval Endoparasitoid Cotesia vestalis (=plutellae) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Many parasitoid wasps are highly specialized in nature, attacking only one or a few species of hosts. Host range is often determined by a range of biological and ecological characteristics of the host including diet, growth potential, immunity, and phylogeny. The solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid wasp, Cotesia vestalis, mainly parasitizes diamondback moth (DBM) larvae in the field, although it has been reported that to possess a relatively wide lepidopteran host range. To better understand the biology of C vestalis as a potential biological control of hosts other than the DBM, it is necessary to determine suitability for potential hosts. In this study, the potential host range of the wasp and its developmental capacity in each host larva were examined under laboratory conditions using 27 lepidopteran species from 10 families. The wasp was able to parasitize 15 of the 27 species successfully. Some host species were not able to exclude C vestalis via their internal physiological defenses. When parasitization was unsuccessful, most hosts killed the parasitoid at the egg stage or early first-instar stage using encapsulation, but some host species disturbed the development of the parasitoid at various stages. No phylogenetic relationships were found among suitable and unsuitable hosts, revealing that host range in some endoparasitoids is not constrained by relatedness among hosts based on immunity.

Two year field study to evaluate the efficacy of Mamestra brassicae nucleopolyhedrovirus combined with proteins derived from Xestia c-nigrum granulovirus.

Japan has only three registered baculovirus biopesticides despite its long history of studies on insect viruses. High production cost is one of the main hindrances for practical use of baculoviruses. Enhancement of insecticidal effect is one possible way to overcome this problem, so there have been many attempts to develop additives for baculoviruses. We found that alkaline soluble proteins of capsules (GVPs) of Xestia c-nigrum granulovirus can increase infectivity of some viruses including Mamestra brassicae nucleopolyhedrovirus (MabrNPV), and previously reported that MabrNPV mixed with GVPs was highly infectious to three important noctuid pests of vegetables in the following order, Helicoverpa armigera, M. brassicae, and Autographa nigrisigna. In this study, small-plot experiments were performed to assess concentrations of MabrNPV and GVPs at three cabbage fields and a broccoli field for the control of M. brassicae. In the first experiment, addition of GVPs (10 µg/mL) to MabrNPV at 106 OBs/mL resulted in a significant increase in NPV infection (from 53% to 66%). In the second experiment, the enhancing effect of GVP on NPV infection was confirmed at 10-times lower concentrations of MabrNPV. In the third and fourth experiments, a 50% reduction in GVPs (from 10 µg/mL to 5 µg/mL) did not result in a lowering of infectivity of the formulations containing MabrNPV at 105 OBs/mL. These results indicate that GVPs are promising additives for virus insecticides.

Effects of Pyramiding Quantitative Resistance Genes pi21, Pi34, and Pi35 on Rice Leaf Blast Disease.

Development of resistant cultivars has been an effective method for controlling rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. Quantitative blast resistance genes may offer durable resistance because the selection pressure on M. oryzae to overcome resistance is low as a result of the genes' moderate susceptibility. Because the effects of individual resistance genes are relatively small, pyramiding these genes in rice cultivars is a promising strategy. Here, we used near-isogenic and backcross lines of rice cultivar Koshihikari with single- or two-gene combinations of blast resistance genes (pi21, Pi34, and Pi35) to evaluate the suppression of leaf blast. The severity of the disease was assessed throughout the infection process. Resistance varied among the lines: Pi35 conferred the strongest resistance, while Pi34 showed the weakest effects. Two types of combined-gene interactions were observed, and they varied on the basis of gene combination and characteristic of the infection: (i) the combination of two resistance genes was more effective than either of the genes individually or (ii) the combination of two resistance genes was similar to the level of the most effective resistance gene in the pair. The most effective gene combination for the suppression of leaf blast was pi21 + Pi35.