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Last name: BENELLI
First name: Giovanni
International audience
The introduction of sown wildflower strips favours the establishment of pollinator communities, with special reference to social Apoidea. Here, we evaluated the late summer flowering Cephalaria transsylvanica as suitable species for strips providing food for pollinators in paucity periods. C. transsylvanica showed no particular requirements in...
The purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is a species native to Eurasia. It is rustic, produces both pollen and nectar, and may be a helpful food source for bees in Mediterranean wetlands, helping them to overcome hot summer periods characterised by food paucity. In this research, we investigated the flowering of L. salicaria plants in...
Plant secondary metabolites are fascinating weapons in the fight against herbivores. Of note, products of the plant secondary metabolism can be highly useful in developing insecticides for insect pest management. In this framework, the present review focuses on a group of plant secondary metabolites, i.e., essential oils (EOs), and a major...
Stevia rebaudiana (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant of economic importance in the food market for the manufacture of natural sweeteners, namely steviol glycosides. The plant biomass used on an industrial level may also be the source of an essential oil (EO) of potential interest for developing novel insecticides. Here, the leaf EO chemical...
In many animals, after experiencing an intraspecific aggressive interaction, winners are more likely to win again (the winner effect) and losers more likely to lose again (the loser effect). However, the winner and loser effect has been studied in few arthropod models, and comparative approaches between the sexes are hard to find. In this...
Diet is one of the most common influences on parasitoid reproductive traits. The life span, mating ability, fecundity, fertility and sex ratio of parasitoids can be affected by the quality of the adult diet. In the field, parasitoids can rely on different hosts and non-host nutrient sources, such as floral and extrafloral nectar, hemipteran...
In several animal species, aggressive experience influences the characteristics and outcomes of subsequent conflicts, such that winners are more likely to win again (the winner effect) and losers more likely to lose again (the loser effect). We tested the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae), as a model system to evaluate...
The Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnicalis, is a serious corn pest in south-east Asia, causing huge economic losses every year. Trichogramma dendrolimi and Trichogramma ostriniae, two egg parasitoids, have previously been identified as key biological control agents. To determine the age impact of ACB eggs on their effective biocontrol...
In the current paper, we reviewed the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in crop protection, emphasizing the control of pests in the agricultural and urban environment. At the same time, we provide the framework on which the technology of NPs is based and the various categories of NPs that are currently used for pest control. Apart from the use of NPs...
Thymus longicaulis subsp. longicaulis, Th. picentinus, Th. spinulosus, and Th. zygiformis var. magellensis are chamaephytes occurring in rocky places of central and southern Italy and are poorly explored for the chemical composition and biological activity of their essential oils. In the present work, we analysed the essential oil composition...
Lateralization is a fundamental principle of the brain organization widespread among vertebrates but rather unknown in invertebrates. Evidences of lateralized courtship and mating behavioral traits in parasitic wasps are extremely rare. Here, courtship and mating sequences and the presence of mating lateralization in Anagyrus sp. near...
Diapause variation is a key factor affecting the development and success of parasitoids employed as biological control agents. Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura is mass-reared for biocontrol purposes in several countries around the world. Here we investigated the rate of diapause induction in three populations of T. dendrolimi from different...
Banker plant systems have the advantages of introducing natural enemies preventively and maintaining by providing alternative prey, thus controlling the pests sustainably. Banker plant systems are usually composed of three factors: a banker (secondary) plant, an alternative prey, and a shared predator (attacking an alternative prey on the...
Predator-prey interactions form the core of biological control of arthropod pests. Which tools can be used to monitor and collect carnivorous arthropods in natural habitats and targeted crops? Eco-friendly and effective field lures are urgently needed. In this research, we carried out olfactometer experiments assess innate positive chemotaxis...
Beta-cypermethrin has long been recommended as an effective pesticide to control the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, a serious pest in soybean crops. Besides acute toxicity, it leads to changes in life history traits of A. glycines, notably its reproductive potential. This study has assessed the effects of five sublethal concentrations...
Herbivory defense systems in plants are largely regulated by jasmonate-(JA) and salicylate-(SA) signaling pathways. Such defense mechanisms may impact insect feeding dynamic, may also affect the transmission-acquisition relationship among virus, plants and vectoring insects. In the context of the tomato - whitefly - Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl...
Insects are prominent, crucial, and exposed to many stressors in agroecosystems. • Mild chemical, heat, or nutrition stress can stimulate insects hormetically. • Insect herbivores, predators, parasitoids, detritivores and pollinators may be stimulated. • Multiple areas of insect-hormesisagroecology remain to be explored.
Recently, spices have attracted the attention of scientists and agrochemical companies for their potential as insecticidal and acaricidal agents, and even as repellents to replace synthetic compounds that are labeled with detrimental impacts on environment and human and animal health. In this framework, the aim of this study was to evaluate the...
Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) has been widely used for biological control of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), in China. The yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), an important resource insect species distributed worldwide, is considered to be a potential alternative...
The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, has a peculiar sexual chemoecology, guided by both male- and female-borne olfactory cues, mostly produced in rectal glands. Despite the research on B. oleae female pheromones has a long history, only few components (mainly 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane) have been deeply investigated. Detailed evidences about...