"One-Pot" Method Preparation of Dendritic Mesoporous Silica-Loaded Matrine Nanopesticide for Noninvasive Administration Control of Monochamus alternatus: The Vector Insect of Bursapherenchus xylophophilus.

Monochamus alternatus is an important stem-boring pest in forestry. However, the complex living environment of Monochamus alternatus creates a natural barrier to chemical control, resulting in a very limited control effect by traditional insecticidal pesticides. In this study, a stable pesticide dendritic mesoporous silica-loaded matrine nanopesticide (MAT@DMSNs) was designed by encapsulating the plant-derived pesticide matrine (MAT) in dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs). The results showed that MAT@DMSNs, sustainable nanobiopesticides with high drug loading capacity (80%) were successfully constructed. The release efficiency of DMSNs at alkaline pH was slightly higher than that at acidic pH, and the cumulative release rate of MAT was about 60% within 25 days. In addition, the study on the toxicity mechanism of MAT@DMSNs showed MAT@DMSNs were more effective than MAT and MAT (0.3% aqueous solutions) in touch and stomach toxicity, which might be closely related to their good dispersibility and permeability. Furthermore, MAT@DMSNs are also involved in water transport in trees, which can further transport the plant-derived insecticides to the target site and improve its insecticidal effect. Meanwhile, in addition, the use of essential oil bark penetrants in combination with MAT@DMSNs effectively avoids the physical damage to pines caused by traditional trunk injections and the development of new pests and diseases induced by the traditional trunk injection method, which provides a new idea for the application of biopesticides in the control of stem-boring pests in forestry.

Mitochondrial genome provides species-specific targets for the rapid detection of early invasive populations of Hylurgus ligniperda in China.

BACKGROUND: Hylurgus ligniperda, a major international forestry quarantine pest, was recently found to have invaded and posed a serious threat to the Pinus forests of the Jiaodong Peninsula in China. Continuous monitoring and vigilance of the early population is imperative, and rapid molecular detection technology is urgently needed. We focused on developing a single-gene-based species-specific PCR (SS-PCR) method. RESULTS: We sequenced and assembled the mitochondrial genome of H. ligniperda to identify suitable target genes. We identified three closely related species for detecting the specificity of SS-PCR through phylogenetic analysis based on 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs). Subsequently, we analyzed the evolution of 13 PCGs and selected four mitochondrial genes to represent slow-evolving gene (COI) and faster-evolving genes (e.g. ND2, ND4, and ND5), respectively. We developed four species-specific primers targeting COI, ND2, ND4, and ND5 to rapidly identify H. ligniperda. The results showed that the four species-specific primers exhibited excellent specificity and sensitivity in the PCR assays, with consistent performance across a broader range of species. This method demonstrates the ability to identify beetles promptly, even during their larval stage. The entire detection process can be completed within 2-3 h. CONCLUSIONS: This method is suitable for large-scale species detection in laboratory settings. Moreover, the selection of target genes in the SS-PCR method is not affected by the evolutionary rate. SS-PCR can be widely implemented at port and forestry workstations, significantly enhancing early management strategies and quarantine measures against H. ligniperda. This approach will help prevent the spread of the pest and effectively preserve the resources of Chinese pine forests.

Fatigue or satisfaction at crowded attractions?

Based on arousal theory, we argue that clarifying the mechanism of tourist fatigue on tourist satisfaction is critical for better understanding tourists visiting crowded attractions. A field survey was conducted in Zengcuoan, China's most artistic fishing village. We revealed that, contrary to expectations, tourist fatigue does not always have a negative impact on tourist satisfaction, implying that, similar to the contrast phenomenon of "poor but happy", "fatigue but satisfaction" may exist in tourism because there must be something to entice tourists in congested areas. Furthermore, we demonstrated that tourists with high experience quality may mitigate the negative effects of tourist crowding on tourist satisfaction from the theoretical perspective of arousal theory. We then propose that tourism authorities improve experience quality by creating a high-quality tourism experience, and even a one-of-a-kind and unforgettable experience for tourists. Nonetheless, we argue that finding more creative ways to reduce "fatigue" and increase "satisfaction" for tourists is critical for the tourism industry's success, especially given the industry's current competitive conditions. As a result, we believe there is still room for further research into these methods.

Design and Preparation of Avermectin Nanopesticide for Control and Prevention of Pine Wilt Disease.

Pine wilt disease is a devastating forest disaster caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which has brought inestimable economic losses to the world's forestry due to lack of effective prevention and control measures. In this paper, a porous structure CuBTC was designed to deliver avermectin (AM) and a control vector insect Japanese pine sawyer (JPS) of B. xylophilus, which can improve the biocompatibility, anti-photolysis and delivery efficacy of AM. The results illustrated the cumulative release of pH-dependent AM@CuBTC was up to 12 days (91.9%), and also effectively avoided photodegradation (pH 9.0, 120 h, retention 69.4%). From the traceable monitoring experiment, the AM@CuBTC easily penetrated the body wall of the JPS larvae and was transmitted to tissue cells though contact and diffusion. Furthermore, AM@CuBTC can effectively enhance the cytotoxicity and utilization of AM, which provides valuable research value for the application of typical plant-derived nerve agents in the prevention and control of forestry pests. AM@CuBTC as an environmentally friendly nanopesticide can efficiently deliver AM to the larval intestines where it is absorbed by the larvae. AM@CuBTC can be transmitted to the epidemic wood and dead wood at a low concentration (10 mg/L).

Sustainable nano-pesticide platform based on Pyrethrins II for prevention and control Monochamus alternatus.

BACKGROUND: Pine wilt disease as a devastating forest disaster result from Bursaphelenchus xylophilus that spread by stem-borers Monochamus alternatus feeding on pine leaves, which has brought inestimable economic losses to the world's forestry due to lack of effective prevention and control measures. In this paper, we put forward a proposal for utilizing nanoHKUST-1 to encapusulate the Pyrethrins II that a nerve agent extracted from plant to control M. alternatus, including toxicity mechanism research, traceable biopesticide monitoring, and environment assessment for the first time. The highly biocompatible nanoHKUST-1 can solve the problems of poor water solubility, easy degradation and low control efficiency of Pyrethrins II. RESULTS: The results illustrated the biopesticide loading efficiency of PthII@HKUST-1 reached 85% and the cumulative release of pH-dependent PthII@HKUST-1 was up to 15 days (90%), and also effectively avoid photodegradation (pH 7.0, retention 60.9%). 50 nm PthII@HKUST-1 made it easily penetrate the body wall of MA larvae and transmit to tissue cells through contact and diffusion. Moreover, PthII@HKUST-1 can effectively enhance the cytotoxicity and utilization of Pyrethrins II, which will provide valuable research value for the application of typical plant-derived nerve agents in the prevention and control of forestry pests. PthII@HKUST-1 as an environmentally friendly nano-pesticide can efficiently deliver Pyrethrins II to the larval intestines and absorbed by the larvae. PthII@HKUST-1 could also be transmitted to the epidemic wood and dead wood at a low concentration (10 mg/L). CONCLUSION: Here we speculate that nanoHKUST-1 will bring new opportunity to research biopesticide inhibition mechanism of different agricultural and forestry pests, which will break through the existing research limitations on development, utilization and traceable monitoring of biopesticide, especially for the study of targeting specific proteins.

Green Degumming Technology of Hemp and a Comparison between Chemical and Biological Degumming.

This paper provides an efficient and environmentally friendly biochemical degumming method for hemp fiber, which can address the problems of high temperature, high pressure, and extreme pollution of the traditional chemical method and the harsh reaction conditions of biological degumming, such as a long reaction time and pH. In the biochemical method, dilute solutions of alkali pectinase lyase and chemical additives were used to process the hemp fiber and then the fiber composition and structure were investigated. A comparison of the chemical, biological, and biochemical degumming methods shows that the biochemical method can replace the chemical one causing a similar degumming effect, both being better than the biological method. The best proportion of the biochemical solution was found to be 1.5% alkali pectinase lyase, and for chemical auxiliaries the total amount of alkali was ≤0.4% and the total amount of salt was ≤0.8%. The best conditions of the biochemical degumming process were determined to be a bath ratio of 1:10, reaction temperature of 60 °C, and the time of 60 min. After degumming, the composition of the fiber was as follows: lignin 3.69%, pectin 4.09%, hemicellulose 13.34%, and cellulose 78.87%. The fiber quality index of fibers dealt by the biochemical method shows that the linear density was 4.66 dtex, length was 35.6 mm, and fracture strength was 64.5 cN/dtex, which were higher than those treated by the chemical method. This shows that the biological degumming method can be a green degumming method with higher efficiency, lower consumption, and pollution, as well as has a broad application scope.

Effect of the event strength of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on potential online organic agricultural product consumption and rural health tourism opportunities.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has raised consumer concerns about health. By employing 306 online questionnaires, we identify COVID-19's effect on online organic agriculture product consumption and rural health tourism intention based on stimulus-organism-response theory and event system theory by incorporating risk information disclosure of COVID-19 as the moderating variable and health consciousness and risk perception as the mediating variables. These findings suggest that considering the impact of COVID-19 can help focus the production and online sales of organic agricultural products, the establishment and improvement of rural health facilities, and the marketing of rural health tourism.

Influence of temperature on the development and reproduction of Cinara cedri (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Lachninae).

Temperature is one of the main factors affecting insect growth, development and reproduction. The effects of temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C) on the development and reproduction of Cinara cedri Mimeur (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Lachnidae) fed on Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don were evaluated in this study. With the increase of temperature from 10 to 30°C, the development duration at different development stages gradually shortened. There was a significant positive correlation between the developmental rates and temperature, following a quadratic regression model. The lower developmental threshold temperature (C) and effective accumulated temperatures (K) for completing a generation were 4.13°C and 263.4 degree-days, respectively. The highest fecundity was observed at 20°C with 25.74 first-instar nymphs/female. Both the highest intrinsic rate of increase (r, 0.11 ± 0.03) and net reproduction rate (R0, 19.06 ± 2.05) were observed at 20°C, whereas the lowest values of r (0.05 ± 0.01) at 10°C and R0 (5.78 ± 0.88) at 30°C were observed. The results suggest that temperature significantly affects the biology of C. cedri and the optimal temperature for its development is 20°C.

Esteya floridanum sp. nov.: An Ophiostomatalean Nematophagous Fungus and Its Potential to Control the Pine Wood Nematode.

The nematophagous fungal genus Esteya is reported as a natural enemy of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which causes pine wilt in Asia and Europe. During a survey of fungi associated with ambrosia beetles in Florida, an undescribed Esteya species was found. A phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear large subunit and ß-tubulin DNA sequences supported this isolate as a new species, E. floridanum. Morphological and phylogenetic characteristics and a species description are provided here. The fungus was observed to kill the pine wood nematode in vitro. To evaluate the ability of E. floridanum to protect trees against the pine wood nematode in vivo, the effect of prophylactic inoculation was tested on Pinus koraiensis and Larix olgensis in Liaoning, China. The results suggest that the fungus is not a plant pathogen and that it delays wilt and postpones death of two conifer trees. This presents a potential new avenue for research on biocontrol of pine wilt disease and stresses the value of research on pest organisms in their native regions.

Self-assembled bovine serum albumin nanoparticles as pesticide delivery vectors for controlling trunk-boring pests.

BACKGROUND: Trunk-boring pests (TBPs) are an important type of forest pest, TBPs not only feed on the branches and trunks of trees, but also spread quarantine diseases in forests. However, because the larvae of TBPs live inside the trunk and are well concealed, prevention and control are difficult. The lack of effective control methods leads to the death of many trees in forests. In this study, a novel nanopesticide featuring high bioactivity and slow-release properties was developed to control TBPs. Thiacloprid (THI), which is commonly used to control Coleoptera species, was used as a model pesticide. RESULTS: The oleophobic properties of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were exploited to encapsulate the hydrophobic pesticide THI by self-assembly, and the size of the obtained nanoparticles, THI@BSA·NPs, was approximately 23 nm. The loading efficiency reached 70.4%, and THI@BSA·NPs could be released continuously for over 15 days, with the cumulative release reaching 93.5%. The fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled nanoparticles were evenly distributed in the digestive tract and body surface of a typical TBPs, M. alternatus, and the stomach and contact toxicities increased by 33.7% and 25.9%, respectively, compared with those of free THI. Furthermore, the results showed that the transport efficiency of THI@BSA·NPs was highest at a concentration of 50 µg/mL, and the THI@BSA·NPs content in the trunk, from to lower to higher layers, was 8.8, 8.2, 7.6, and 5.8 µg/g. At the same time, THI@BSA·NPs also exhibited high transport efficiency in dead trees. CONCLUSION: The transport efficiency and toxicity of the active ingredients are the key factors for the control of TBPs. This work provided idea for the application of biological delivery system encapsulated hydrophobic pesticides. The novel self-assembled THI@BSA·NPs have promising potential for sustainable control of TBPs.

Density-Dependent Growth and Fitness in Dastarcus helophoroides (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae).

The ectoparasitoid Dastarcus helophoroides Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) is an important natural enemy insect, which is artificially mass-reared and released into woodland to control medium and large longhorn beetle species. This study examined the developmental duration (days) of larvae and adult fitness (including numbers of adults emerging per host and mean body size) by exposing a single substitute host, a pupa of Zophobas morio (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), to different densities of D. helophoroides larvae. We showed that there was no significant effect on the rate of successful parasitism and cocoon formation, but emergence success and measures of individual adult body size (length, width, and weight) declined with increasing larval density. Larval period and cocoon period increased with larval density, while total weight of adults emerging per host increased initially before reaching a plateau. Our results suggest that a pupa of Z. morio could be successfully parasitized by a single D. helophoroides larva, but multiple D. helophoroides larvae can share one host. Excessive larval density caused intraspecific competition among D. helophoroides larvae, manifesting in extended developmental duration of immature stage and reduced fitness of adults. Furthermore, the tradeoff between the numbers of adults and body size may stabilize the population dynamics with detectable mutual interference, particularly in competing for limited host resources. These findings suggest six larvae per host would achieve the highest adult fitness and would enhance mass-rearing techniques as part of IPM strategies for longhorn beetles.

Oviposition Behavior and Distribution of Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus and E. brandti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Ailanthus altissima (Mill.).

(1) Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorrhychinae) is a major quarantine forest pest in China. It often co-occurs with E. brandti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorrhychinae) on a single host Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (tree of heaven). (2) In this study, to explain the coexistence of the two weevils on a single host, we investigated the oviposition behavior of E. scrobiculatus and oviposition sites of E. scrobiculatus and E. brandti under afield and laboratory conditions. (3) The characteristic behaviors of E. scrobiculatus females prior to oviposition included searching, locating, excavation, turning, locating the oviposition cavity, egg deposition, and hiding. (4) The oviposition sites used by E. scrobiculatus and E. brandti differed. Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus females laid eggs in the soil near A. altissima and compound leaf petioles, while E. brandti females laid eggs in A. altissima trunks. The eggs in compound leaf petioles did not hatch in the field. (5) Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus and E. brandti utilized different oviposition sites and these differences in habitat use may reduce the competition for resources between species during the larval period, thus facilitating their coexistence on A. altissima.

Effects of Trap Color and Shape on the Capture of Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) is an important pest in China that specifically damages Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae). Trembler grid lamps and food attractant traps frequently were used to monitor and control E. scrobiculatus; however, the effect of these methods is poor in actual application. The purpose of this study was to develop a new monitoring method. Traps of seven colors and two shapes were compared with respect to the attraction of E. scrobiculatus adults, and a field trapping test was performed. We found that E. scrobiculatus adults were most sensitive to red (16.11 ± 7.72) and black traps (14.44 ± 8.07) and to tall vertical black shapes in the laboratory. In the field, red (70.50 ± 5.74) and black traps (60.75 ± 8.22) were most effective at catching E. scrobiculatus, and traps with color and attractant still were more attractive to E. scrobiculatus than traps with colors only. These results provide a reference for monitoring E. scrobiculatus adults.

Projecting potential distribution of Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus Motschulsky and E. brandti (Harold) under historical climate and RCP 8.5 scenario.

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle and its variant A. altissima var. Qiantouchun are notorious invasive weeds. Two weevils, Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (ESC) and E. brandti (EBR) are considered as candidates for biological control of A. altissima. The aim of this study was to model the potential distributions of ESC and EBR using CLIMEX 4.0. The projected potential distributions of ESC and EBR included almost all current distribution areas of A. altissima, except Southeast Asia. Under historical climate, potential distribution area of EBR is larger than that of ESC, 46.67 × 106 km2 and 35.65 × 106 km2, respectively. For both ESC and EBR, climate change expanded the northern boundary of potential distributions northward approximately 600 km by the middle of 21st century, and 1000 km by the end of 21st century under RCP 8.5. However, the suitable range decreased to the south in the Southern Hemisphere because of heat stress. The modelled potential distributions of ESC and EBR in the United States demonstrated that the climate was suitable for both weevils. Therefore, considering only climate suitability, both ESC and EBR can be considered as potential biological control agents against A. altissima with some confidence that climatic conditions are likely suitable.

Contribution to the knowledge of seed-beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae) in Xinjiang, China.

Nineteen species of seed-beetles belonging to the subfamily Bruchinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) were collected in Xinjiang, China. Of these, the following four were new records for China: Bruchusaffinis Frolich, 1799, Bruchusatomarius L., 1761, Bruchusloti Paykull, 1800 and Kytorhinuskergoati Delobel & Legalov, 2009. We provide an annotated checklist, illustrations and a key to the 19 species.

Hydrolysis of hemicellulose to produce fermentable monosaccharides by plasma acid.

In this paper, plasma acid was obtained by treating distilled water with dielectric barrier discharge to hydrolyze hemicellulose. The orthogonal experiment L25(5(6)) was used to optimize such hydrolysis conditions. The total reducing sugar (TRS) was measured by the DNS method. To determine whether the oligosaccharide existed in the hydrolysis products, it was hydrolyzed by sulfuric acid for a second time following the same procedure as reported earlier. The monosaccharide compositions of the hydrolyzed sample were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that pH 2.81 of plasma acid, 100 °C and 50 min were assigned as an optimal hydrolysis condition by plasma acid. Under this condition, the hemicellulose was hydrolyzed completely to produce monosaccharides including xylose, glucose, and galactose with the mole ratio being 17:3:1. The yields of xylose, glucose, and galactose were 38.67%, 9.28% and 3.09%, respectively. Compared with the hemicellulose hydrolysis results by sulfuric acid, it is concluded that plasma acid is an environmental-friendly and efficient method to explore and hydrolyze the hemicellulose existed in biomass.