Control of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) according to EU Decision 2007/365/EC in the Marche region (Central-Eastern Italy)

Multiple Aspects of the Fight against the Red Palm Weevil in an Urban Area: Study Case, San Benedetto del Tronto (Central Italy)

The fight against alien invasive insect pests of plants in the urban environment often affects varied sectors of the economy, landscape gardening, public health, and ecology. This paper focuses on the evolution of the red palm weevil in San Benedetto del Tronto, a coastal urban area in central Italy. We investigated the evolution of this insect pest of palm trees in the 2013-2020 period, considering both the effectiveness of the chemicals used and their potentially harmful effects. With a multidisciplinary approach, we carried out a spatio-temporal analysis of the extent and mode of pest spread over time using historical aerial photos, freely available remote sensing images, and field surveys integrated in a GIS environment. We also assessed the toxicity risk associated with the chemicals used to protect the palms from the red weevil. The fight against this weevil is now concentrated in specific areas such as parks, roads, villas, hotels, farmhouses, and nurseries. The preventive chemical treatments applied are very effective in preserving the palms, but they show a toxic potential for all organisms. We discuss current local management of this pest, focusing on several aspects involved in the fight against this beetle in an urban area.

Microplastics and their associated organic pollutants from the coastal waters of the central Adriatic Sea (Italy): Investigation of adipogenic effects in vitro

Even though microplastic (MP) pollution in aquatic environment is nowadays widely studied, a huge gap of knowledge exists on their actual biological effects. In this study we first reported environmental baseline data on the occurrence and characterization of floating MPs in Italian coastal waters of the Central Adriatic Sea by using a standardized monitoring protocol. Further, we analyzed the concentrations of MP-associated chemicals and evaluated their potential adipogenic effects using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MPs were found in each sampling stations showing the highest abundance (1.88 ± 1.78 items/m³) in the sites more distant from the coast with fragments as the most common shape category. All targeted organic pollutants (i.e. polychlorinated biphenyls - PCBs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -PAHs, organophosphorus - OP, and organochlorine - OC pesticides) have been detected on the surface of the collected MPs. The highest concentrations of PAHs were found on MPs from inshore (i.e. <1.5 NM) surface waters with low-ring PAHs as dominant components. Similarly, MPs from inshore waters had higher ΣPCB concentrations (64.72 ng/g plastic) than those found in offshore (i.e. >6 NM) waters (10.37 ng/g plastic). Among pesticides, all measured OPs were detected in each sample analyzed with pirimiphos-methyl as the most representative compound. For OCs, the sum of all concentrations of congeners was higher in coastal with respect to offshore waters. Moreover, in vitro 3T3-L1 screening of MP extracts indicated potential metabolic effects resulting in both adipogenesis and lipid uptake/storage.

Which came first: The disease or the pest? Is there a host mediated spread of Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) by invasive palm pests?

The red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is threatening the palm family worldwide, causing important economic losses. Current tactics to manage the weevil are largely based on chemical control, although the use of pesticides is hampered by several environmental constraints. Since the first introduction of RPW in Spain in 1996 and during its progressive spread around the Mediterranean basin, the number of reports of natural infection of RPW populations by entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) has been rising for 15 years, and this rise could support a pest-mediated EPF spread. To challenge this hypothesis, we assessed the usefulness of the region of elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α), Bloc nuclear intergenic region (Bloc) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers, alone or in combination, to infer the relationships among Mediterranean Beauveria and Metarhizium strains isolated from the RPW. Second, the effect of abiotic factors, such as temperature, humidity and UV-B radiation, on the germination and growth of these EPFs strains as a function of their genealogy and geographic origin were determined. Finally, the pathogenicity of strains from different genetic clades was evaluated against larvae and adults of R. ferrugineus. The phylogenetic analysis based on the EF-1α gene identified eight different sequences among 24 fungal isolates of four fungal species. Similar clades were clustered when Bloc and ISSR analyses were performed. The results showed that strains of different origins were clustered in the same clade, and this outcome could be explained by an RPW-mediated EPF spread that was also influenced by time, geographical and other RPW related factors. Neither the response to abiotic factors nor virulence to RPW larvae and adults were related to the sequence type, with all B. bassiana strains well adapted to Mediterraneam climatic conditions. Taken together, these findings may help to select the best strain for RPW management.

Potential Distribution Predicted for Rhynchophorus ferrugineus in China under Different Climate Warming Scenarios

As the primary pest of palm trees, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has caused serious harm to palms since it first invaded China. The present study used CLIMEX 1.1 to predict the potential distribution of R. ferrugineus in China according to both current climate data (1981–2010) and future climate warming estimates based on simulated climate data for the 2020s (2011–2040) provided by the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research (TYN SC 2.0). Additionally, the Ecoclimatic Index (EI) values calculated for different climatic conditions (current and future, as simulated by the B2 scenario) were compared. Areas with a suitable climate for R. ferrugineus distribution were located primarily in central China according to the current climate data, with the northern boundary of the distribution reaching to 40.1°N and including Tibet, north Sichuan, central Shaanxi, south Shanxi, and east Hebei. There was little difference in the potential distribution predicted by the four emission scenarios according to future climate warming estimates. The primary prediction under future climate warming models was that, compared with the current climate model, the number of highly favorable habitats would increase significantly and expand into northern China, whereas the number of both favorable and marginally favorable habitats would decrease. Contrast analysis of EI values suggested that climate change and the density of site distribution were the main effectors of the changes in EI values. These results will help to improve control measures, prevent the spread of this pest, and revise the targeted quarantine areas.