Biophoton emission-based approach of the effects of systemic insecticides on the survival of Eurydema ventralis Kolenati, 1846 (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and on the photosynthetic activity of oilseed rape

Abstract

The choice of effective crop protection technologies is a key factors in the economical production of oilseed rape. Insecticides belonging to the group of active substances butenolides and diamides are active substances available as seed treatments in oilseed rape and promising control tools in the crop protection technologies. Our laboratory experiment demonstrated that the experimental insecticides flupyradifurone and cyantraniliprole are both effective against Eurydema ventralis (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) when used as a seed and in-crop treatments, but there is a fundamental difference in their insect mortality inducing effects. Flupyradifurone was found to have a total mortality 96 h after application based on basipetal translocation. In the case of cyantraniliprole, the insecticidal effect of the same treatment was 27% less. The experiment showed that the acropetal translocation of the tested active substances after seed treatment did not induce efficacy comparable to that of the basipetal translocation. The study of the biophoton emission of the plants demonstrated a verifiable correlation between the different application methods of the insecticides and the photon emission intensity per unit plant surface area. In conclusion, the systematic insecticides tested, in addition to having the expected insecticidal effect, interfere with plant life processes by enhancing photosynthetic activity.

Keywords:

• Biophoton
• insecticide efficacy
• mortality
• photosynthetic activity
• piercing-sucking pest
• rape
• systemic mode of action
• translocation

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Bayer Crop Science and its colleague Marianna Perényi, and to Corteva AgriScience^TM and its colleague Zsolt Lövényi for providing the experimental rape seeds and insecticide activeingredients. We are also grateful to Pacs és Társa Kft. for providing the field to collect cabbage bugs.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasheets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request

Additional information

Funding

Supported by the ÚNKP-23-2 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.