This week I have three papers and one news article that I wanted to share with you. 1. Controlling termites in Teak forests using ants 2. Trapping methods for Banana weevils 3. IPM methods for controlling Asian Armyworm 4. Finally, an online article about illegal plantation in Indonesia
1. Potential of Weaver Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius, 1775) as Biocontrol Agent for Pest of Teak Stand in Wanagama Forest, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Musyafa, Suwarno Hasan Bahri, and Haryono Supriyo
Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius, 1775) is an aggressive predator that can be used in controlling the pest of teak stand. The research was done to determine the potential of weaver ant to control termite and defoliator of teak stand. Predatory of weaver ant on termite was observed in Laboratory of Forest Health and Protection. The effects of weaver ant on the termite attack on teak trees and the level of teak defoliation were observed. The results showed that in the laboratory study, mortality of termite was 100 % after 12 h of weaver ant presence. In the teak stand, the presence of weaver ant decreased the termite attacks and the defoliation. The research indicates that weaver ant is potentially used as biocontrol of teak pest
2. Evaluation of different trapping systems for the banana weevils Cosmopolites sordidus and Odoiporus longicollis
Buli Fu, Qiang Li, Haiyan Qiu, Liangde Tang. Xin Zhang, Kui Liu
Banana weevils Cosmopolites sordidus Germar and Odoiporus longicollis Olivier are worldwide pests of banana plants. The present study evaluated different trapping systems for C. sordidus and O. longicollis. Various types of pseudostem traps and pheromone (sordidin) traps were designed. Several factors that can influence the trapping efficacy, such as plant species, placement, height, colour, shading, watering and covering, were evaluated. These findings expand the understanding of the use of trapping systems as a useful strategy for the integrated pest management (IPM) of C. sordidus and O. longicollis.
3. Heavy metal exposure through artificial diet reduces growth and survival of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Sajjad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Ullah, Muhammad Farhan Saeed, Samina Khalid, Muhammad Saqib, Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Afzal, Christos A. Damalas
Insect physiology is affected by the presence of toxins in the surrounding environment of insects as well as their food sources. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of heavy metal exposure to two low concentrations (50 μg/g and 150 μg/g) of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) through artificial diet to the larvae on biological parameters of Asian armyworm (Spodoptera litura Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Overall, the presence of those heavy metals in the environment, even at low concentrations, would exert an adverse impact on larvae development of this insect. From this point of view, findings could provide a basis for long-term evaluation of heavy metal risk and its impact on populations of important agricultural pests.
4. Palm oil’s complex land conflicts
Nabiha Shahab, Dominique Lyons
Getting to the bottom of illegal plantations on Indonesia’s state owned forests