Vignette d'image

Turlings, Ted

Nom
Turlings, Ted
Affiliation principale
Fonction
Professeur ordinaire
Email
ted.turlings@unine.ch
Identifiants
https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/330

Résultat de la recherche

Filtres

1
53
8
Réinitialiser les filtres

Paramètres

Voici les éléments 1 - 8 sur 8
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Entomopathogenic nematodes as an effective and sustainable alternative to control the fall armyworm in Africa
    (2024-04-16)
    Fallet, Patrick 
    ;
    Didace Bazagwira
    ;
    Livio Ruzzante
    ;
    Geraldine Ingabire
    ;
    Sacha Levivier
    ;
    Bustos Segura, Carlos 
    ;
    Joelle Kajuga
    ;
    Stefan Toepfer
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    ;
    Joann Whalen
    The recent invasion of the fall armyworm (FAW), a voracious pest, into Africa and Asia has resulted in unprecedented increases in insecticide applications, especially in maize cultivation. The health and environmental hazards posed by these chemicals have prompted a call for alternative control practices. Entomopathogenic nematodes are highly lethal to the FAWs, but their application aboveground has been challenging. In this study, we report on season-long field trials with an innocuous biodegradable gel made from carboxymethyl cellulose containing local nematodes that we specifically developed to target the FAW. In several Rwandan maize fields with distinct climatic conditions and natural infestation rates, we compared armyworm presence and damage in control plots and plots that were treated with either our nematode gel formulation, a commercial liquid nematode formulation, or the commonly used contact insecticide cypermethrin. The treatments were applied to the whorl of each plant, which was repeated three to four times, at 2-week intervals, starting when the plants were still seedlings. Although all three treatments reduced leaf damage, only the gel formulation decreased caterpillar infestation by about 50% and yielded an additional ton of maize per hectare compared with untreated plots. Importantly, we believe that the use of nematodes can be cost-effective, since we used nematode doses across the whole season that were at least 3-fold lower than their normal application against belowground pests. The overall results imply that precisely formulated and easy-to-apply nematodes can be a highly effective, affordable, and sustainable alternative to insecticides for FAW control.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Comparative Screening of Mexican, Rwandan and Commercial Entomopathogenic Nematodes to Be Used against Invasive Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda
    (2022-2-16)
    Fallet, Patrick 
    ;
    De Gianni, Lara
    ;
    Machado, Ricardo A. R.
    ;
    Bruno, Pamela 
    ;
    Bernal, Julio S.
    ;
    Karangwa, Patrick
    ;
    Kajuga, Joelle
    ;
    Waweru, Bancy
    ;
    Bazagwira, Didace
    ;
    Degen, Thomas 
    ;
    Toepfer, Stefan
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important pest of maize originating from the Americas. It recently invaded Africa and Asia, where it causes severe yield losses to maize. To fight this pest, tremendous quantities of synthetic insecticides are being used. As a safe and sustainable alternative, we explore the possibility to control FAW with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). We tested in the laboratory whether local EPNs, isolated in the invasive range of FAW, are as effective as EPNs from FAW native range or as commercially available EPNs. This work compared the virulence, killing speed and propagation capability of low doses of forty EPN strains, representing twelve species, after placing them with second-, third- and sixth-instar caterpillars as well as pupae. EPN isolated in the invasive range of FAW (Rwanda) were found to be as effective as commercial and EPNs from the native range of FAW (Mexico) at killing FAW caterpillars. In particular, the Rwandan Steinernema carpocapsae strain RW14-G-R3a-2 caused rapid 100% mortality of second- and third-instar and close to 75% of sixth-instar FAW caterpillars. EPN strains and concentrations used in this study were not effective in killing FAW pupae. Virulence varied greatly among EPN strains, underlining the importance of thorough EPN screenings. These findings will facilitate the development of local EPN-based biological control products for sustainable and environmentally friendly control of FAW in East Africa and beyond.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    The prospect of applying chemical elicitors and plant strengtheners to enhance the biological control of crop pests
    (2014)
    Sobhy, Islam S.
    ;
    Erb, Matthias 
    ;
    Lou, Yonggen
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    An imminent food crisis reinforces the need for novel strategies to increase crop yields worldwide. Effective control of pest insects should be part of such strategies, preferentially with reduced negative impact on the environment and optimal protection and utilization of existing biodiversity. Enhancing the presence and efficacy of native biological control agents could be one such strategy. Plant strengthener is a generic term for several commercially available compounds or mixtures of compounds that can be applied to cultivated plants in order to 'boost their vigour, resilience and performance'. Studies into the consequences of boosting plant resistance against pests and diseases on plant volatiles have found a surprising and dramatic increase in the plants' attractiveness to parasitic wasps. Here, we summarize the results from these studies and present new results from assays that illustrate the great potential of two commercially available resistance elicitors. We argue that plant strengtheners may currently be the best option to enhance the attractiveness of cultivated plants to biological control agents. Other options, such as the genetic manipulation of the release of specific volatiles may offer future solutions, but in most systems, we still miss fundamental knowledge on which key attractants should be targeted for this approach.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Capsules containing entomopathogenic nematodes as a Trojan horse approach to control the western corn rootworm
    (2012)
    Hiltpold, Ivan 
    ;
    Hibbard, Bruce Elliott
    ;
    French, B. W.
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    Aims The use of entomopathogenic nematodes in the biological control of soil insect pests is hampered by the costly and inadequate application techniques. As a possible solution we evaluated a nematode encapsulation approach that offers effective application and may possibly attract the pest by adding attractants to the capsule shell. Methods Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes, which show high virulence against the maize root pest Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, were encapsulated in a polysaccharide shell derived from the algae Laminaria ssp. Shells of varying thickness and composition were evaluated. Results Nematodes readily survived the encapsulation process and were able, varying with shell thickness and temperature, to break through the shell and subsequently infect hosts. The added attractants and feeding stimulants to the shell attracted the pest larvae as much as maize roots. In field trials, encapsulated H. bacteriophora nematodes were more effective in controlling D. v. virgifera than those sprayed in water over the soil surface, but in these trials the addition of stimulants did not increase the control efficiency. Conclusions The study demonstrates that nematodes can be successfully applied in capsules in the field. Further improvements are needed to make the capsules a cost effective alternative to conventional field application of nematodes.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Selection of entomopathogenic nematodes for enhanced responsiveness to a volatile root signal helps to control a major root pest
    (2010)
    Hiltpold, Ivan 
    ;
    Baroni, Mariane
    ;
    Toepfer, Stefan
    ;
    Kuhlmann, Ulrich
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    The efficacy of natural enemies as biological control agents against insect pests can theoretically be enhanced by artificial selection for high responsiveness to foraging cues. The recent discovery that maize roots damaged by the western corn rootworm (WCR) emit a key attractant for insect-killing nematodes has opened the way to explore whether a selection strategy can improve the control of root pests. The compound in question, (E)-beta-caryophyllene, is only weakly attractive to Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, one of the most infectious nematodes against WCR. To overcome this drawback, we used a six-arm below-ground olfactometer to select for a strain of H. bacteriophora that is more readily attracted to (E)-beta-caryophyllene. After six generations of selection, the selected strain responded considerably better and moved twice as rapidly towards a (E)-beta-caryophyllene source than the original strain. There was a minor trade-off between this enhanced responsiveness and nematode infectiveness. Yet, in subsequent field tests, the selected strain was significantly more effective than the original strain in reducing WCR populations in plots with a maize variety that releases (E)-beta-caryophyllene, but not in plots with a maize variety that does not emit this root signal. These results illustrate the great potential of manipulating natural enemies of herbivores to improve biological pest control.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Restoring a maize root signal that attracts insect-killing nematodes to control a major pest
    (2009)
    Degenhardt, Jörg
    ;
    Hiltpold, Ivan 
    ;
    Köllner, Tobias G.
    ;
    Frey, Monika
    ;
    Gierl, Alfons
    ;
    Gershenzon, Jonathan
    ;
    Hibbard, Bruce E.
    ;
    Ellersieck, Mark R.
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    When attacked by herbivorous insects, plants emit volatile compounds that attract natural enemies of the insects. It has been proposed that these volatile signals can be manipulated to improve crop protection. Here, we demonstrate the full potential of this strategy by restoring the emission of a specific belowground signal emitted by insect-damaged maize roots. The western corn rootworm induces the roots of many maize varieties to emit (E)-β-caryophyllene, which attracts entomopathogenic nematodes that infect and kill the voracious root pest. However, most North American maize varieties have lost the ability to emit (E)-β-caryophyllene and may therefore receive little protection from the nematodes. To restore the signal, a nonemitting maize line was transformed with a (E)-β-caryophyllene synthase gene from oregano, resulting in constitutive emissions of this sesquiterpene. In rootworm-infested field plots in which nematodes were released, the (E)-β-caryophyllene-emitting plants suffered significantly less root damage and had 60% fewer adult beetles emerge than untransformed, nonemitting lines. This demonstration that plant volatile emissions can be manipulated to enhance the effectiveness of biological control agents opens the way for novel and ecologically sound strategies to fight a variety of insect pests.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Parasitism of non-target lepidoptera by mass released Trichogramma brassicae and its implication for the larval parasitoid Lydella thompsoni
    (2004)
    Kuske, Stefan
    ;
    Babendreier, Dirk
    ;
    Edwards, Peter
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    ;
    Bigler, Franz
    The release of high numbers of the eggparasitoid Trichogramma brassicae Bezd.(Hym. Trichogrammatidae) to control the European corn borer (ECB), Ostrinianubilalis Hb. (Lep.: Crambidae) in maize hasraised concerns about potential negativeeffects on native natural enemies. The nativelarval parasitoid Lydella thompsoni Herting (Dipt.: Tachinidae) is the most frequent and important ECB parasitoid insouthern Switzerland and can achieve highparasitism rates. Its first generation emerges too early to find ECB larvae and must rely onalternative hosts living in natural habitats close to maize fields. Inundative releases of T. brassicae coincide with the oviposition period of the alternative hosts ofthe tachinid. T. brassicae moving out of release fields may attack and diminish the population of these hosts, creating abottleneck situation for L. thompsoni in the subsequent spring. Laboratory hostspecificity tests showed that the tachinid's two most abundant spring hosts Archanarageminipuncta Haworth (1809) (Lep.: Noctuidae)and Chilo phragmitellus Hübner (1805)(Lep.: Crambidae) are successfully parasitisedby T. brassicae females in no-choice situations. Our extensive field surveys, however, showed that the two tested springhosts escape parasitism since their eggs are well hidden or not attractive. Negative effects of inundative releases of T.brassicae on the native tachinid fly L. thompsoni, such as population density reduction, displacement, or local extinction, are very unlikely.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Host stage preference and sex allocation in Aenasius vexans, an encyrtid parasitoid of the cassava mealybug
    (2000)
    Bertschy, Catherine
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    ;
    Bellotti, Anthony
    ;
    Dorn, Silvia
    The solitary endoparasitoid Aenasius vexans Kerrich (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is used for augmentative releases against the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus herreni Cox & Williams (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae), an important pest on cassava in South America. In light of the need for large numbers of high quality females, experiments were conducted on host stage suitability and sex allocation. In choice and no-choice experiments, individual female wasps were offered second and third instar, as well as adult, hosts. During the first five days after emergence, the wasps showed a steady increase in the number of hosts they successfully parasitised per day, but the respective secondary sex ratio for each instar remained constant. Parasitism was highest for third instar hosts in no-choice tests, while in choice tests parasitism was highest in both third instars and adults. The later the developmental stage of the host at oviposition, the faster the parasitoids developed and emerged, and for each host stage, the development time of males was shorter than for females. The sex ratio of the wasps emerging from hosts that were parasitised as second instars was strongly male-biased, while the apparently preferred later stages yielded significantly more females than males. Female and male A. vexans emerging from hosts parasitised at the third instar were significantly larger than for the other stages. This may explain the preference for the third instar as well as the female-biased sex ratio, as size is usually positively correlated with higher fitness, especially in females. The results suggest that third instar hosts are the most suitable for rearing high numbers of large females.