hossein allahyari

Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is an important generalist predator used to control several important crops' pests such as spider mites, whiteflies, and thrips. In this study, the lethal concentrations of Mentha piperita L. (Lamiaceae) and Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae) essential oils (EOs) were calculated on the adult stage of the Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). The side effects of EOs were investigated on the functional response of A. swirskii on F. occidentalis 1st instar larvae. The females of A. swirskii were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (LC30 and LC50) of EOs for 12 h with the fumigant exposure method. In the control, the treatment was performed by using Triton X-100 (0.02). Treated predatory mites were selected randomly, and transferred to the experimental arenas containing 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 thrips. The predators were kept in the experimental arenas for 24 h at 25 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 10% RH, and a photoperiod of 16: 8 h (L: D). Results indicated that A. swirskii exhibited a type II functional response, regardless of EOs applications. The shortest (1.62 ± 0.046 h) and the longest (1.91 ± 0.049 h) handling times, were recorded in the control and the LC50 treatment of M. piperita EO, respectively. There was not a significant difference between attack rate coefficients (α) under sub-lethal concentrations. Based on the results, the two EOs have the potential to be used in F. occidentalis management, but their side effects on A. swirskii should be considered in IPM programs.

Cereal ground beetle Zabrus tenebrioides is the most important pest of wheat in Golestan province, which causes great damage to the crop in fields without crop rotation despite chemical control by spraying in the tillering stage. This research investigated the simultaneous effect of nutrition by fertilizing, planting density, and seed treatment by imidacloprid, on the infestation, the number of pest larvae, and the grain yield in rainfed wheat during 2020 to 2022. The research was conducted using a split split plot the main factor is fertilizing with two levels. The optimum level: 100 kg/ha is urea fertilizer, 75 kg/ha is phosphate fertilizer, and 25 kg/ha is potash fertilizer. The custom level: of 100 kg/ha is urea fertilizer. Sub factor is the planting density including 160, 180, and 210 kg/ hectare of seeds. Sub subfactor, imidacloprid including doses: 0, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 g/100 kg seeds wheat. According to the results of the recent study and considering the environmental hazards and the importance of grain yield in relationship with the farmer's income - compared to the infestation and the number of pest larvae -thus, two treatments with the highest grain yield which have no significant difference based on the PLSD test at the 5% probability suggested: the planting density by 160 kg seeds per hectare with a concentration 1.5 gr pesticides per 100 kg seeds or planting density by 210 kg seeds per hectare with a concentration 1gr imidacloprid per 100 kg seeds with optimal nutrition by fertilizing.

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and are one of the most successful insects in number and diversity. Despite their favorable impact on the ecosystem, they are sometimes regarded as serious pests due to damage to agricultural products and construction facilities. Baiting is a suitable alternative to many traditional ant control methods. In the present study, the effect of oral toxicity of fipronil, imidacloprid and borax on Tapinoma karavaievi workers was evaluated under laboratory conditions at 72, 96 and 120 hours after treatment and then the survival rate of workers treated with the LC50 of the studied compounds was compared in two weeks. According to the results, the highest oral toxicity in all three-time points was related to fipronil, imidacloprid and borax, respectively. In addition, the evaluation of the effect of pesticides on the survival of workers showed a faster control of workers treated with the LC50 of fipronil (2.46 mg ai L-1) compared to imidacloprid (32.61 mg ai L-1) and borax (2654.4 mg ai L-1). The results showed that 90% effectiveness of fipronil and imidacloprid occurred on days 7 and 11 after treatment, respectively, and it seems that 90% effectiveness of borax will probably take place in the third week after treatment. In general, the current study showed that all three studied pesticides have sufficient potential to control workers and the selection of the most suitable pesticide depends on considering the pesticide concentration, strategy of control and attention to the side effects of pesticides.

The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood, is one of the most important pests in the world and Iran, which causes great damage to agricultural products annually. In this study, the effect of 50% lethal concentration (LC50) of mayonnaise and emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation (50 ml/lit) on life-table parameters of greenhouse whitefly was investigated using leaf-deaping method under laboratory conditions. The experiment was performed on second nymphs instar. The lowest number of eggs was related to mayonnaise treatment (38.92 eggs) which was less than EC (40.16 eggs) and control (97.39 eggs) treatment. The intrinsic rate of increase reduction (rm) of oil treatment showed the effect of oil on pest population dynamic.The intrinsic rate of increase of both formulations and control were 0.065 d-1 and 0.105 d-1, respectively. The finite rate of increase (λ) was also significantly lower for whitefly treated with oil 1.067 d-1 than whitefly in control 1.111 d-1. Furthermore, the net reproductive rate (R0) was 9.49 and 9.53 nymphs/female for mayonnaise and EC formulations which was less than control 26.97 nymphs/female, respectively. The highest generation time (T) was observed in EC oil .formulation with 34.26 d-1 and the lowest was recorded in control treatment with 31.12 d-1, respectively. According to the results of this study, EC and mayonnaise formulations can reduce reproductive capacity of greenhouse whitefly population.

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticaeKoch is one of the polyphagous pests that attack a wide range of crops. In recent decades, excessive application of synthetic acaricides has led toitsresistance to pesticidesand environmental pollution. However, considering the importance of the role of pesticides in controlling plant pests, it is impossible to cease using these compounds. In recent decades, new methods such as the use of plant extracts have been proposed that not only control pests but also have no residues and harmful environmental effects. Also, the use of plant extracts in combination with synthetic pesticides while controlling the pest, reduces the amount of pesticide usage. In this study, the efficacy of methanolic extracts of Zataria multifloraand Rosmarinus officinaliswasinvestigated individually and in combination withspirodiclofen and propargite to control two-spotted spider mites. Bioassay tests were performed using the leaf dipping method. Each treatment was performed in three independent biological replications and the mortality was recorded 24 h after exposure. The 50% lethal dose (LC50) of spirodiclofen and propargite as well as methanolic extracts of Z. multifloraand R.officinaliswere estimated to 1.89, 12.76, 1934.13, and 4382.07 mg/l, respectively. In addition, results of experiments related to mixing plant extracts with acaricides showedthat the combination of Z. multifloraextract with spirodiclofen and propargite caused a synergistic effect with a co-toxicity coefficient of 66.66 and 55.55, respectively. However, the combination of R.officinalisextract with spirodiclofen and propargite caused an antagonistic response with −77.78 and −80.56, respectively.

Water hardness and acidity are the important properties that can influence the performance of pesticides. The effect of water hardness and pH on the efficacy of insecticides on second instar nymph of Bemisia tabaci was determined by leaf dip method. In the first experiment, well water samples at 1869, 645, and 265 mg L-1 hardness, standard, and deionized water with malathion, acetamiprid, and spiromesifen used for bioassay. In another experiment, the effect of water pH at four levels 4, 6, 7, 9 on the toxicity of the above three insecticides was investigated. Increasing water hardness reduced the performance of the experimental insecticides. LC50 values showed that the toxicity of malathion, acetamiprid, and spiromesifen was 40, 157, and 84 times less in water with 1869 mg L-1 hardness than deionized water. The efficiency of malathion, acetamiprid, and spiromesifen was 13, 65, and 39 times less in water with 645 ppm hardness than deionized water. Pesticides were less effective at pH 9 compared to other pH levels. Malathion efficacy was 11.41 and 7.16 times better when it was diluted in water with pH 6 and 7 than pH 9. Acetamiprid provided 10.72 and 5.89 times greater toxicity when applied at pH 7 and 6 respectively than water with pH 9. Spiromesifen in deionized water with pH 7 and 6 has exhibited 5.51 and 3.82 times better efficacy compared to the water at the pH level of 9. Overall, the performance of insecticides reduced at hardness levels above 265 ppm and in alkaline pH.

Water acidity is an important property that can influence the performance of pesticides Acidic or alkaline water pH can negatively influence the solubility, uptake, biological activity and hydrolysis of the pesticide molecule. The effect of water pH on the efficacy of insecticides on second instar nymph of Bemisia tabaci was determined by leaf dip method. The experiment was conducted with deionized and standard water at 4 pH levels 4, 6, 7, 9 and three insecticides as malathion, acetamiprid and spiromesifen. Based on LC50 values, there was a significant difference between the toxicity of insecticides at different pH levels. All pesticides were less effective at pH 9 compared to other pH levels. The lethal dose ratio LC50 of standard to deionized water for malathion at pH 6, acetamiprid and spiromesifen at pH 7 was statistically different. The toxicity of insecticides was affected by water type at the mentioned pH levels. Malathion performance in deionized water at pH 6 was 2.82 times higher than standard at the same pH. For acetamiprid was observed that toxicity in deionized water at pH 7 was 2.55 fold more than standard. The results also revealed that spiromesifen in deionized water with pH 7 and 6 has exhibited 2.1 and 1.85 times better efficacy compared to the same pH levels in standard D. Overall, this study showed that experimental insecticides in a specific pH have a relevant effect on Bemisia tabaci.

The common pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) is the key pest of pistachio trees in Iran. Nowadays, pistachio growers use detergents widely to control this pest in pistachio orchards. Consequently, the study was carried out to investigate the effects of applying liquid soap (Jonobgan®) 3500 ppm, dishwashing detergent (Rika®) 3500 ppm, and conventional insecticides (spirotetramat (Movento®) 300 ppm and phosalon (Zolon®) 2500 ppm, periodically on some characteristics of “Fandoghi” pistachio trees, including sodium and potassium contents of leaves and bud abscission rate over three years. The field experiments were done in a randomized complete block design with three treatments and three replications in Rafsanjan. The results showed that the application of liquid soap and dishwashing detergent caused no significant variation in sodium and potassium contents of leaves and bud abscission compared to other conventional insecticides. Therefore, detergents can be used safely to control pistachio psyllid.

The response of a natural enemy to its host’ densities has been defined as “functional response”. It has been considered a feasible technique to measure the efficacy of biocontrol agents. We employed the concept to evaluate the functional response of adult female and male of Nesidiocoris tenuis under laboratory conditions by feeding on different densities (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 96) of Ephestia kuehniella and Tuta absoluta eggs in 7 replicates. The predators were kept unfed for 24 hours. Then the number of eaten prey was recorded after 24 hours. The results showed type III functional response for all tests based on logistic regression. The attack constants (b) of females and males fed on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs were 0.0061 ± 0.0018, 0.0048 ± 0.0009, and 0.0093 ± 0.0037, 0.0042 ± 0.001, respectively. The estimated handling times (Th) for females and males on the respective preys were 0.3598 ± 0.0193, 0.2905 ± 0.0136, and 0.9032 ± 0.0511 and 0.5859 ± 0.0303 h. In conclusion, N. tenuis females had shorter handling time, greater attack rate and maximum daily consumption (73.86 eggs) compared with those of males. Therefore, results strongly support that female predators could be more effective in controlling T. absoluta.

The common pistachio psyllid (CPP: Agonoscena pistaciae) is the key pest of pistachio orchards in Iran. At the moment, insecticides despite their known adverse effects on human health and environment, are the only and the last option for controlling CPP in most cases. However, selection pressure of insecticides has resulted in establishing highly resistant populations of CPP. Nowadays, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of plants presenting opportunities for sustainable plant protection. In this regard, VOCs of pistachio trees (Ohadi and Kaleh ghoochi cultivars) were collected by headspace method in the pistachio orchards and identified chromatographically (GC–MS). VOCs, including monoterpenes, esters, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, and aromatics, were identified in both cultivars, numbering 43 in the Ohadi cultivar and 37 in the Kaleh ghoochi. The quantitatively dominant constituents were (E)-β-Ocimene (32.5%), limonene (14.8%) and methyl benzoate (12.1%) in the Ohadi cultivar and (E)-β-Ocimene (29.2%), limonene (20.1%) and α-Thujene (6.6%) in the Kaleh ghoochi. To study whether olfactory cues elicit responses in adult CPP, the odor of pistachio leaves (Ohadi cultivar) were offered in a Y-tube olfactometer to field-collected populations. Significant positive responses to volatiles of leaves were found in both males (P<0.03) and females (P<0.001). These data may be useful in semiochemically-based management strategies in the pistachio orchards such as mass trapping or deter of CPP or attraction of natural enemies.

The predatory bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis is an effective biocontrol agent against Tuta absoluta and Trialeurodes vaporariorum in tomato greenhouses. The life table parameters of the predator were compared using Ephestia kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs on tomato leaflets under laboratory conditions. The data analysis was performed using age–stage two-sex life-table theory. The mean premature periods of the predator were 24.15 ± 0.23 and 29.58 ± 0.47 days feeding on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs, respectively. Furthermore, the female and male longevities were 46.58 ± 3.9, 42.64 ± 4.17 and 47.39±0.72, 43.62±0.73 days on the above-mentioned eggs, respectively. Total fecundity of N. tenuis feeding on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs was 79.08 ± 14.91 and 66 ± 3.53 eggs/female, respectively. Eventually, the population growth parameters were estimated: intrinsic rate of increase (r) 0.078 ± 0.009 and 0.084 ± 0.006 day-1, finite rate of increase (λ) 1.082 ± 0.01 and 1.087 ± 0.006 day-1, net reproductive rate (R0) 17.88 ± 5.55 and 22.42 ± 4.46 offspring/individual, gross reproductive rate (GRR) 66.41 ± 17.91 and 56.85 ± 6.62 offspring/individual, and mean generation time (T) 36.10 ± 1.04 and 37.24 ± 0.70 days, on the respective prey. However, there was not any significant difference between predators reared on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs considering demographic parameters. In an applied conclusion, N. tenuis can be mass reared on E. kuehniella eggs and then be released against T. absoluta, especially in greenhouse environments, without any concern over possible decline on its demographic potential.

Induced resistance was studied in two resistance and susceptible (Naz and Akhtar, respectively) common bean cultivars against two spotted spider mite, Tetranuychus urticae Koch (Acari; Tetranychidae(. In this study the amounts of total phenols, malondialdehyde, antioxidant activity, and the activity of plant defensive enzymes [guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)] were measured for uninfected (control) and infected (1, 3 and 5 days after infestation) plants. The amounts of total phenols and antioxidant activity were higher in cultivar Naz (max: 0.8 and 53.67 respectively) compared to Akhtar, but the amount of malondialdehyde was low in Naz. Also, cultivar Naz exhibited greater enzymatic activity (GPX: 37.29 and APX: 21.87), than cultivar Akhtar. These results suggested that the plant defensive enzymes such as GPX, and APX were involved in common bean resistance to T. urticae. Thus, increased activity of GPX and APX along with accumulation of total phenols increased plant resistance to T. urticae.

Induced defense responses of a plant to herbivory can influence interactions of that plant with subsequent organisms that use it as a food source. In this study, we conducted several experiments in order to understand whether preference and performance of Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Tetranychus urticae, and Aphis gossypii are affected by the previous herbivory of conspecific on the cucumber plant; and whether these effects are local or systemic. Longevity, fecundity, and pre-imaginal development period were measured as performance criteria. About A. gossypii; longevity andfecundity, about of T. urticae; fecundity and pre-imaginal development period, and about T. vaporariorum fecundity negatively affected by the previous herbivory of conspecifics. Results indicated that herbivory of these pests can induce resistance in cucumber, and can affect preference and performance of conspecifics. Results of performance experiments variedfrom negative to neutral depending on the performance criteria and the studied level (local or systemic). No positive effect was observed in studied interactions. According to results, all three herbivores tested here were able to induce resistance in cucumber and affect the preference of conspecifics. However, whitefly was unable to detect the previous herbivory of conspecifics, although these plants negatively affected whiteflies. According to results of preference experiments, it can be concluded that T. urticae was much more accurate than others at detection of the induced plants. Effect of induced defense on herbivore performance is not always aligned with the preference of the herbivore. Conducting both performance and preference experiments not only revealed the effect of induction of plant defense, but also showed the sensitivity of the herbivore at detection of changes in plant and ability to choose the appropriate host.

Thrips are important greenhouse pest that cause transmitting viruses in addition to direct damage. Functional response is an important factor in selection of natural enemies for the biological control of pests. The general predator Amblyseius swirskii and entomopathogenic fungus are the most important natural enemies of western flower thrips (WFT) Frankliniella occidentalis in most area. The functional response of the predatory mite, A. swirskii was examined on either untreated or Beauveria bassiana (isolate JEF-007) treated larvae of the WFT after three time intervals: 0, 24 and 36-h treatments. The functional response were studied in the laboratory condition (25±1 ºC, 70±10 % RH and photoperiod of 16:8 h (L: D)), and densities of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 larvae per Petri dish, over 24h. The data were good fit to Rogers-II functional response model for all of untreated and B. bassiana-treated insects. Comparisons of the results of functional response parameters in different treatments indicated that the handling time on western flower trips 24 hours after infection had significantly different with the control but there were no significantly different among treatments control, 0 hour after infection and 36 hour after infection of the fungus.

Organophosphorus chemicals, used as pesticides and warfare nerve agent, are highly toxic compounds that inhibit acetylcholine esterase enzyme rapidly. A novel effective treatment for nerve gas poising is using of hydrolytic enzymes to degradation of these agents. DFPase from loligo vulgaris is highly stable and robust biocatalyst for the hydrolysis of various chemical warfare agents such as sarin, soman, tabun. Unfortunately, wild-type DFPase prefers less toxic isomers of these agents leading to slower detoxification. Also, due to non-human origin of the enzyme, immunological reactions occur when it injects into body. Engineering of the enzyme for creating of new efficient variants is an interesting research field which leads to occurrence of novel and prominent bioscavengers.

Greenhouse whitefly and two-spotted spider mite are two important pests on greenhouse crops. The polyphagous predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii preys on both of these pests. In this research, predation of the predatory mite on different stages of both pests, prey stage preference of pests, prey preference and switching behavior of predator between preferred stage of greenhouse whitefly and two-spotted spider mite were investigated in laboratory conditions (25 ± 1°C, 70 ± 10% RH and 16L: 8D hour photoperiod). The preference index for each experiment was calculated by Manly’s β index. Results showed that, young instars (first and second instars) of greenhouse whitefly and non-sessile stages of spider mites (larvae, protonymph and deuonymph) were preferred stages. Comparison of the mean preference index between young instars of greenhouse whitefly and protonymphs of two-spotted spider mite showed that this predator showed a significant preference to T. urticae. The variation in different ratio of preys had no effect on predatory mite preference so switching didn’t observed in A. swirskii.

Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep.: Plutellidae), is the most destructive insect pest of cruciferous crops throughout the world. Crucifer production has been seriously affected by developing resistance of P. xylostella populations to a wide range of insecticides. In population studies, the knowledge of herbivore's population growth on different host plants is of prime importance. In the present study, the influence of host-plant species including rapeseed cv. Okapi, cauliflower cv. Arizona and Chinese cabbage cv. Hero on P. xylostella life-history parameters was studied in the laboratory condition (25±1°C, 70±10% RH and 16L:8D h photoperiods). The parameters longevity, the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm), net reproductive rate (R0), mean generation time (T) and finite rate of increase (λ) were measured on these host plants. Differences between host plants for fertility life table’s parameters were analyzed using the Birch and Jack-knife methods. The results showed that there were significant differences for the studied parameters between host plants. The lowest and highest rate of P. xylostella regeneration occurred on rapeseed (63.67(♀♀/♀/generation)) and Chinese cabbage (86.08(♀♀/♀/generation)), respectively. Generation period of P. xylostella on rapeseed and Chinese cabbage was estimated 23.78 and 18.1 days, respectively. The lowest rate of finite population increase was obtained on rapeseed, 1.191(♀♀/♀/day), and the highest on Chinese cabbage, 1.279(♀♀/♀/day). The maximum and minimum time needed for doubling P. xylostella population were found on rapeseed (3.965 days) and Chinese cabbage (2.814 days). The highest and lowest intrinsic rates of population were on Chinese cabbage and rapeseed with 0.246 and 0.174 (♀♀/♀/day), respectively.

Germ-line transformation of insects is now widely used for analyzing gene function and for the development of genetically modified strains for various purposes. There is not enough information on the embryonic development of some brain parts in insects. In order to study the genetic control of embryonic brain development, we established some transgenic lines to identify some genes involved in embryonic brain development. The genome has been sequenced and transgenic approaches are established for this model organism. Transposable element piggyBac was used as a vector for the transformation of T. castaneum. Tc-vermilion line- a Tribolium eye-color mutant- was also used for the microinjection of the donor vector. The donor vector contained the Tc-vermilion gene under the control of 3xP3 promoter, resulting in black eyes as a marker of their identity. In the present study, several transgenic lines bearing the regulatory regions of some importantgenes were generated. Additionally, transgenic lines for tracing of neuroblast development from the onset to the respective fully developed structure in the brain were established. Taken together, valuable tools which allow investigations of the complex genetic network needed for embryonic brain development in T. castaneum were established.Furthermore, the system will allow identification of genes and their functions in Tribolium brain formation.

The green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) is one of the important natural enemies of pest insects. Present study conducted to evaluate the side effects of some plant extracts, Calotropis procera (Willd.) R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae), Fumaria parviflora Lam. (Fumariaceae), Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtaceae) and pesticide amitraz on biological parameters of the second instar larvae of the green lacewingon. Experiments were conducted at controlled conditions (26 ±20 C, 60±5 RH and 16:8 h-L:D)feeding on common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer using two methods of exposure, ingestion and topical application. Results showed that total developmental period (second instar larva to adult) when 2nd instar larvae was treated with C. procera extract and amitraz was longer than control (water). Results showed that maximum survival period for adult was observed in Eucalyptus spp. with 127 days and minimum with 110 and 113 days in amitraz, and C. procera treatment. There was no significant difference between, treatments with control. In topical application method, there was no significant difference between treatment effects on developmental period in immature stage. The developmental period for F. parviflora treatment with 22.76 was the highest and for C. procera treatment with 21.96 was the lowest. The results showed that predators feeding on infected Psylhay more local exposure to pesticides. Increase effect of treatments on developmental stages of predator with increase of life, Shows the effects of sub lethal effect of treatments.

Production of a recombinant and immunogenic antigen using dengue virus type-3 envelope protein is a key point in dengue vaccine development and diagnostic researches. The goals of this study were providing a recombinant protein from dengue virus type-3 envelope protein and evaluation of its immunogenicity in mice. Multiple amino acid sequences of different isolates of dengue virus type-3, corresponding to the envelope protein domain III, were achieved from GenBank. Clustal V alignment tool was used to provide a consensus amino acid sequence. Nucleotide sequence of the coding gene was optimized using “Optimizer”. The origami (DE3) strain of Escherichia coli was used as the host in order to express the protein. A commercial affinity chromatography method was used to purify the recombinant protein. Immunogenicity of the recombinant protein was evaluated in mice using ELISA, MTT and cytokine assays. A consensus amino acid sequence corresponding to the most important region of dengue virus type-3 envelope protein (domain III) was provided. A high concentration (≥ 20 mg/L culture medium) of soluble recombinant antigen (EDIII3) was achieved. Immunized mice developed specific antibody responses against EDIII3 protein. The splenocytes from EDIII3-immunized mice showed a high proliferation rate in comparison with the negative control. In addition, the concentrations of two measured cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-4) were increased markedly in immunized mice. The results showed that the expressed recombinant EDIII3 protein is an immunogenic antigen and can be applied to induce specific immune responses against dengue virus type-3.

Buprestid beetles are one of the important components of the biodiversity of forest ecosystem in Kurdistan Province. Different characteristics of biodiversity of buprestid beetles were studied by use of window trap، colored pan and colored sticky trap in these forests during 2009 and 2010. A total of 1205 specimens of 44 species were caught by use of considered traps during appearance of adults. Evaluation of dominance structure of species composition by use of Heydemann’s، classification showed that Buprestid beetles of Kurdistan forests include 3 dominant species، 3 subdominant species، 12 rare species and 26 subrare species. X2 test of parametric indices showed that structure of species diversity conformed logarithmic series. Investigation of fluctuations of species richness during appearance of adults showed that maximum and minimum of considered index in May and October were 30 and 1 respectively. As well as maximum of obtained species diversity was 4/02 bit in June.

In this study، the possible effects of host plant resistance on some demographic parameters and predation rate of Hippodamia variegata Goeze life stages have been investigated. Demographic data and predation rate have been analyzed by the age-stage two-sex life table and consumption rate program. Obtained results showed that preadult diuration and total preoviposition period (TPOP) of ladybirds that fed by Omid (resistant cultivar) originated aphids were significantly shorter (14. 99±0. 04 and 16. 96±0. 09 respectively). Additionally، time from egg to death (54. 09±3. 2)، adult longevity (48. 67±2. 8) and oviposition period (24. 24±1. 42) of these lady beetles were significantly longer. The average predation rate of first، second، third، fourth larval stages and male and females feeding on Omid cultivar were 30. 37±1. 77، 50. 51±2. 57، 83. 39±4. 39، 259. 52±6. 05، 4965. 47±241. 35 and 8516. 62±406. 67 and for Sardari were 28. 1±1. 16، 39. 37±2. 53، 86±4. 12، 210±6. 66،4750±376. 11 and 6971. 04±29، respectively.

Tetranychus urticae Koch is one of the most injurious tetranychid mites on greenhouse roses. Typhlodromus bagdasarjani Wainstein & Arutunjan is a generalist indigenous phytoseiid mite with a wide distribution in Iran and frequently reported from plants infested by tetranychids. In this research, the preference of protonymph, deutonymph and adult of T. bagdasarjani on different stages of T. urticae was studied under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1°C, 75 ± 5% RH and 16L: 8D h. of photoperiod). The experiment was carried out on rose leaf square (blarodje variety). The preference index for each predator stage was calculated with Manly’s β index. Comparison of the mean preference index for protonymph (F = 135.61; df = 3, 84; P

In this research, the effect of entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota, Hypocreales), on functional response (in laboratory) and reproduction (in microcosm) of parasitoid wasp, Aphidius matricariae Haliday (Hym.: Braconidae) on its host, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hem.: Aphididae) was investigated. Illustrating number of mummified aphids versus initial density of green peach aphid showed type III functional response. The results declared the parasitoid wasp had maximum efficiency to parasite green peach aphid when both wasp and aphid were not exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus. In this case, values of b and Th were 0.1053 and 0.0179, respectively. The previous infection of green peach aphid significantly affected the number of produced mummies and fungus-sporulating cadavers after 16 days. The mean numbers of produced mummies for control, parasitized aphids in 24 and 72 h intervals after fungal infection were 14.33±2.86, 10.66±2.13 and 6.66±1.33, respectively and indicated that relative timing for parasitism and fungal infection was determinant in ultimate result of the competition.

Virulence of blastospores and conidia of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae were investigated on different instar nymphs and adults of Sunn pest، Eurygater integriceps. Experiments were carried out through a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design of three replications. The bioassays were performed through immersion method. Results revealed significant differences among virulence of blastospores and of conidia produced in different media. The highest vs the lowest total mortality percentages of the second instar nymphs were recorded as 100 and 41. 6% on rice bran vs wheat bran+ rice bran media respectively in blastopore treatments. As for conidia، the highest total mortality percentage of second instar nymphs was 100% on wheat bran، Behnoush waste barley and rice flour media whilst the lowest total mortality percentage recorded as 86. 1% on maize medium. Minimum LT50 was recorded (2. 3 days) on wheat bran + yeast extract medium in the second instar nymphs whilst the highest LT50 recorded (10. 1 days) on wheat bran+ rice bran extract medium for the fourth instar nymphs in blastopore treatments. Minimum LT50 was recorded (4. 7 days) on the rice bran medium and at second instar nymphs while the highest recorded (13. 1 days) for the fourth instar nymphs by conidia harvested from non-broken rice medium.