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Aim: The mango stem borer, Batocera rufomaculata De Geer has been observed to cause an alarming in old and young orchards. ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru has developed a formulation called “Arka Borer Control” (ABC) for effective management of stem borers. The present study aimed to test the efficacy of ABC product against B. rufomaculata. Methodology: The ABC formulation (T1) was tested among 17 centers across the country through All India Coordinated Research Project on Fruits (AICRP-F) with other three treatments viz., pasting trunk with Bordeaux paste (BP) @ 10% + chlorpyriphos 20 % EC @ 10 ml l-1 of BP (T2), recommended/existing practice of the region (T3) and untreated control (T4) in RBD design with five replications during 2021 and 2022. Persistency of ABC product applied was also noted as supplementary observation. Results: The application of ABC minimized the stem borer infestation (79.75 % reduction over control) with lower number of live borer hole (76.00 % reduction over control) at Gangian, Lembuchera, Ludhiana, Medziphema, Rahuri, Rewa, Sabour, Sangareddy and Udaipur centres. The product also persisted for a longer period of time. Interpretation: In the present era of organic farming, ABC can be applied as a prophylactic measures on mango tree trunk up to height of 2.5 to 3.0 ft from ground level before the onset of rain for management of stem borer. Key words: Arka Borer Control, Bordeaux paste, Live borer hole, Mango stem borer

Ants play a fundamental role in coffee pest control. Despite this, there is a lack of understanding about how landscape configuration and composition regulate the ecosystem service provided by ants in sun coffee farms within highly fragmented landscapes. We measured whether landscape structure influences ants’ ability to regulate coffee berry borer (CBB) in sun coffee farms in Southeastern Brazil. Considering the ecological interactions between ants and CBB at three different stages of pest control (reduction of CBB presence, CBB infestation, and CBB bean damage), we measured pest control among 10 landscapes that represented a gradual difference in forest and coffee cover. We manipulated ants through exclusion experiments and tested whether interactions between ants and different landscape structure metrics (distance to forest fragments, 2‐km‐level forest cover, and 300‐m‐level forest and coffee cover) influenced pest control. The presence of ants reduced CBB presence and CBB damage by up to 40%. We show how pest control service indicators change depending on the landscape level. The probability of CBB presence increased with expanding coffee and forest cover at the 300‐m‐level but decreased at the 2‐km‐level. CBB infestation reduced further after 25 m from forest edges, suggesting ants that provide these ecosystem services are adapted to matrix conditions in sun coffee farms. Ants reduced CBB presence, CBB infestation, and CBB damage in landscapes with at least 40% 2‐km‐level forest cover. Beyond this threshold, there is a turning point for ecological processes involved in pest control. Synthesis and applications. This is the first long‐term branch‐level exclusion experiment to present strong evidence of ants as efficient providers of pest control in sun coffee farms. We show how landscape structure modulates key ecological processes involved in three different ant‐CBB interactions that regulate CBB populations. Forest cover measured at different landscape levels yielded different results for CBB presence, emphasizing the importance of multi‐scale studies for landscape management. Considering surrounding forest cover and crop proximity to forest fragments in planning the spatial arrangement of coffee farms can thus both improve pest control as well as contribute to biodiversity conservation. Foreign Language Resumo As formigas desempenham um papel fundamental no controle de pragas de café. Apesar disso, há uma falta de entendimento sobre como a configuração e a composição da paisagem regulam os serviços ecossistêmicos fornecidos pelas formigas em plantações de café a pleno sol em paisagens altamente fragmentadas. Medimos se a estrutura da paisagem influencia a capacidade das formigas de regular a broca do café (CBB) em plantações de café a pleno sol no sudeste do Brasil. Considerando as interações ecológicas entre formigas e CBB em três fases diferentes de controle de pragas (redução da presença de CBB, infestação de CBB e danos no grão por CBB), medimos o controle de pragas em 10 paisagens que representaram uma diferença gradual na cobertura florestal e de café. Manipulamos as formigas através de experimentos de exclusão e testamos se as interações entre formigas e diferentes métricas da estrutura da paisagem (distância de fragmentos florestais, cobertura florestal em 2 km e cobertura de floresta e café em 300 m) influenciavam no controle de pragas. A presença de formigas reduziu a presença de CBB e o dano de CBB em até 40%. Mostramos como os indicadores do serviço de controle de pragas mudam dependendo de processos que ocorrem no nível da paisagem. A probabilidade de presença de CBB aumentou com a expansão do café e cobertura florestal em 300 m, mas diminuiu na análise com 2 km. A infestação de CBB reduziu ainda em áreas de café distantes a mais de 25 m das bordas da floresta, sugerindo que as formigas que fornecem esses serviços ecossistêmicos são adaptadas às condições matriciais nas fazendas produtoras de café. As formigas reduziram a presença de CBB, a infestação de CBB e os danos de CBB em paisagens com pelo menos 40% de cobertura florestal em 2 km. Além deste limite, há um ponto de virada para os processos ecológicos envolvidos no controle de pragas. Síntese e aplicações. Este é o primeiro experimento de exclusão no nível do ramo a longo prazo que apresenta fortes evidências que as formigas agem como eficientes provedores de controle de pragas em fazendas produtoras de café. Mostramos como a estrutura da paisagem modula os principais processos ecológicos envolvidos em três diferentes interações das formigas com a broca do café (CBB), que resultam na regulação desta praga. A cobertura florestal medida em diferentes escalas produziu resultados diferentes para a presença de CBB, enfatizando a importância de estudos com multi‐escalas para o manejo da paisagem. Considerar a cobertura florestal circundante e a proximidade das plantações aos fragmentos florestais no planejamento do arranjo espacial das fazendas de café pode, assim, tanto melhorar o controle de pragas quanto contribuir para a conservação da biodiversidade. This is the first long‐term branch‐level exclusion experiment to present strong evidence of ants as efficient providers of pest control in sun coffee farms. We show how landscape structure modulates key ecological processes involved in three different ant‐CBB interactions that regulate CBB populations. Forest cover measured at different landscape levels yielded different results for CBB presence, emphasizing the importance of multi‐scale studies for landscape management. Considering surrounding forest cover and crop proximity to forest fragments in planning the spatial arrangement of coffee farms can thus both improve pest control as well as contribute to biodiversity conservation.

63 I. 64 II. 64 III. 65 IV. 71 V. 72 75 References 75 SUMMARY: We review the literature on host resistance of ash to emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis), an invasive species that causes widespread mortality of ash. Manchurian ash (Fraxinus mandshurica), which coevolved with EAB, is more resistant than evolutionarily naïve North American and European congeners. Manchurian ash was less preferred for adult feeding and oviposition than susceptible hosts, more resistant to larval feeding, had higher constitutive concentrations of bark lignans, coumarins, proline, tyramine and defensive proteins, and was characterized by faster oxidation of phenolics. Consistent with EAB being a secondary colonizer of coevolved hosts, drought stress decreased the resistance of Manchurian ash, but had no effect on constitutive bark phenolics, suggesting that they do not contribute to increased susceptibility in response to drought stress. The induced resistance of North American species to EAB in response to the exogenous application of methyl jasmonate was associated with increased bark concentrations of verbascoside, lignin and/or trypsin inhibitors, which decreased larval survival and/or growth in bioassays. This finding suggests that these inherently susceptible species possess latent defenses that are not induced naturally by larval colonization, perhaps because they fail to recognize larval cues or respond quickly enough. Finally, we propose future research directions that would address some critical knowledge gaps.

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an invasive forest pest that is causing a rapid decline in ash (Fraxinus spp.). As EABs spread across North America to 35 U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces, detection of the pest has proven difficult, especially at low population density sites. Panel traps have been commonly used in detection and monitoring of EAB populations. Over two sampling periods from 2016 through 2019, adult catches and detection rates were compared among four combinations of panel trap color, lure, and crown placement in southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, and eastern Texas. The four combinations were as follows: (1) dark purple baited with (Z)-3-hexenol alone in the mid–upper crown; (2) light green with (Z)-3-hexenol plus (3Z)-lactone in the mid–upper crown; (3) dark purple with (Z)-3-hexenol in the lower crown; and (4) dark purple with (Z)-3-hexenol plus (3Z)-lactone in the lower crown. Mid–upper tree crown placement, ~13 m, of panel traps were more effective for EAB detection and adult capture, especially of males. The sex pheromone (3Z)-lactone deterred females but attracted males, while (Z)-3-hexenol attracted females. The green panel trap with both lures and mid–upper crown placement did not drastically increase male catches, contrary to previous studies at low EAB densities. The use of (3Z)-lactone on dark purple traps at low crown placements, such as those used in the National Survey Program, is not recommended for EAB detection due to its repellent effect on EAB females.