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Cereals, as fundamental agricultural products, are a global food security concern. In Türkiye, cereals account for 50% of arable land, with wheat representing 67% of all cereal production. Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps (Puton) is the main pest of wheat and other cereals in Türkiye. This study was motivated by the need to understand regional variability in Sunn pest population parameters and their influence on pest management efficiency. We hypothesized that nymph density, parasitism rate, and feeding damage would show significant spatial differences, which could guide more targeted control strategies. This study was conducted between 2016 and 2022 in the southeastern provinces of Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Siirt, Şırnak and Şanlıurfa, where wheat production is intensive. Key parameters such as valuation survey area, egg parasitism rate, nymph survey area, average nymph density, management area, and suction rate were assessed. The relationships among these variables were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques, including regression analysis and spatial clustering methods. Understanding key parameters such as valuation survey area, egg parasitism rate, nymph density, and management strategies is essential for mitigating the impacts of Sunn pest. The results showed substantial variation between provinces. For example, Adıyaman exhibited high nymph densities despite limited sampling coverage, while Mardin showed zero egg parasitism throughout the study period. A moderate positive correlation was observed between nymph density and parasitism rate, but no significant correlation was found with feeding damage. The study highlights that understanding these interrelated factors is essential for developing effective management strategies against Sunn pest. It also shows that the dynamics of these parameters can vary significantly between years and regions. Further research is recommended to better understand pest behavior and improve control strategies through region-specific approaches supported by statistical evaluations.

A field study was carried out to find presence egg parasitoids on egg masses of sunn pest Eurygaster testudinaria Geoffroy and effect of some climatic conditions such as temperature and relative humidity in Kufa/Najaf province during 2017-2020 seasons. the results showed difference in the prevalence of parasitoids according to the species of parasitoids. The parasitoid O. telenomicida is the most common egg parasitoid in region of study and percentage parasitism ranged 6.06 -18.80% in March and 32.24-55.04% in April for all season. The results also showed that egg parasitoids activity begin in the early spring. The time of presence of parasitoid in the field has varied from year to year depending on the presence of Sunn pest and prevailing weather conditions of temperatures and relative humidity.

A field study was conducted to determine the effect of overwintering time on the survival adult of Eurygaster testudinaria Geoffroy in Kufa/Najaf Governorate during the season 2019-2020. The results showed there is a difference in the survival rate of females and males according to the time of laying sunn pest in the overwintering site. The results showed the lowest survival rate for adults was in the first and second treatment of placing insects in overwintering site, and the maximum survival period for adults was three months. while the highest survival rate for females and males was 100 and 98% on the fourth treatment after a month of placing insects in overwintering site respectively, then this percentage gradually decreased until reached 77 and 66% at the end of January, respectively. The results also showed that the weight of sunn pest adults differed according to the date of entry the insect into overwintering site. The highest percentage of weight loss for females and males was 2.3,3.94% and 2.26,2.08% in the first and second treatment in May after a month from Putting insects in overwintering site respectively. The lowest percentage of weight loss was0.2 and 0.21% on the fourth treatment after a month of treatment, then this percentage gradually increased reached 3.22% at the end of January for females and 4.36% in December for males.

The article considers the ecological and biological characteristics of Eurygaster integriceps (Rut.) in the dry steppe and semi-desert areas of the Lower Volga region. Analyzes the main factors affecting the number and harmfulness phytophage.

The tortoise bug Eurygaster maura (L.) can cause significant losses of grain in some regions of Russia. In this regard, we studied the topical specificity of Eu. maura and assessed the damage to soft and durum spring wheat caused by this pest in Altai Territory. From 6.2 to 18.2% of spring wheat kernels were found to be damaged by the tortoise bug. Among the studied varieties, soft wheat of Altayskaya 70 variety and durum wheat of Salyut Altaya and Solnechnaya 573 varieties were the least damaged. The punctures made by Eu. maura , similar to those made by Eu. integriceps Put., were mostly located on the dorsum and sides in the lower part of the endosperm, near the germ.

Neuropeptides regulate diverse physiological processes in insects, including feeding, reproduction, and development, and have therefore emerged as promising species-specific targets for next-generation pest control strategies. In this study, we focused on 13 feeding-related neuropeptides previously identified from our whole-body RNA-seq dataset of Eurygaster integriceps. Using a combination of bioinformatics and expression analyses, we characterized precursor structures, predicted mature peptides, and quantified expression across developmental stages, between sexes, and in key feeding-associated organs of head and gut. Several neuropeptides, including Ast-A, Ast-B, Ast-C, AKH, SIF, ITP, Burs, sNPF, NPF, and Crz showed higher expression in males than in females, suggesting sexually dimorphic regulation of feeding and metabolism. Moreover, most neuropeptides were expressed at higher levels in the head compared to the gut, which is consistent with central neuro-regulatory functions. Furthermore the expression pattern of neuropeptides of life cycle developmental stages revealed peak expression in early developmental stages, along with stage-specific variation indicating coordinated regulation of growth, feeding behavior, and digestive physiology. Taken together, these findings provide the first detailed molecular and expression atlas of feeding-related neuropeptides in E. integriceps and offer foundational insights for developing future neuropeptide-based, species-specific, and environmentally safe biocontrol strategies.

The honeybee, Apis mellifera, is undergoing a worldwide decline whose origin is still in debate. Studies performed for twenty years suggest that this decline may involve both infectious diseases and exposure to pesticides. Joint action of pathogens and chemicals are known to threaten several organisms but the combined effects of these stressors were poorly investigated in honeybees. Our study was designed to explore the effect of Nosema ceranae infection on honeybee sensitivity to sublethal doses of the insecticides fipronil and thiacloprid. Five days after their emergence, honeybees were divided in 6 experimental groups: (i) uninfected controls, (ii) infected with N. ceranae, (iii) uninfected and exposed to fipronil, (iv) uninfected and exposed to thiacloprid, (v) infected with N. ceranae and exposed 10 days post-infection (p.i.) to fipronil, and (vi) infected with N. ceranae and exposed 10 days p.i. to thiacloprid. Honeybee mortality and insecticide consumption were analyzed daily and the intestinal spore content was evaluated 20 days after infection. A significant increase in honeybee mortality was observed when N. ceranae-infected honeybees were exposed to sublethal doses of insecticides. Surprisingly, exposures to fipronil and thiacloprid had opposite effects on microsporidian spore production. Analysis of the honeybee detoxification system 10 days p.i. showed that N. ceranae infection induced an increase in glutathione-S-transferase activity in midgut and fat body but not in 7-ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase activity. After exposure to sublethal doses of fipronil or thiacloprid a higher mortality was observed in N. ceranae-infected honeybees than in uninfected ones. The synergistic effect of N. ceranae and insecticide on honeybee mortality, however, did not appear strongly linked to a decrease of the insect detoxification system. These data support the hypothesis that the combination of the increasing prevalence of N. ceranae with high pesticide content in beehives may contribute to colony depopulation.

Sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps Puton) is the most destructive insect pest of bread wheat and durum wheat in West and Central Asia and East Europe. Breeding for resistance at the vegetative stage of growth is vital in reducing the damage caused by overwintered adult populations that feed on shoot and leaves of seedlings, and in reducing the next generation of pest populations (nymphs and adults), which can cause damage to grain quality by feeding on spikes. In the present study, two doubled haploid (DH) populations involving resistant landraces from Afghanistan were genotyped with the 90k SNP iSelect assay and candidate gene-based KASP markers. The DH lines and parents were phenotyped for resistance to Sunn pest feeding, using artificial infestation cages at Terbol station, in Lebanon, over three years. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis identified a single major locus on chromosome 4BS in the two populations, with the resistance allele derived from the landrace accessions, IG139431 and IG139883. The QTL explained a maximum of 42 % of the phenotypic variation in the Cham6 × IG139431 and 56 % in the Cham6 × IG139883 populations. SNP markers closest to the QTL showed high similarity to rice genes that putatively encode proteins for defense response to herbivory and wounding. The markers were validated in a large, unrelated population of parental wheat genotypes. All wheat lines carrying the ‘C–G’ haplotype at the identified SNPs were resistant, suggesting that selection based on a haplotype of favourable alleles would be effective in predicting resistance status of unknown genotypes.

Fungi are used to synthesize metal nanoparticles such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) because of their specifications as lower toxicity and eco-friendly behavior. Extracellular mycosynthesis of Lecanicillium lecanii silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was performed, which was done by a redox reaction, where the filtrate crude of L. lecanii acts as a reducing and stabilizing agent for the formation of nanoparticles. The green synthesized AgNPs were evaluated as insecticidal against the adults of sunn pest Eurygaster testudinaria. The AgNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FITR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The UV–Vis spectroscopy showed a characteristic absorption peak at 418.5 nm due to surface plasma resonance. FESEM analysis showed that synthesized AgNPs were semi-spherical with an average size of 39.45 nm. The AgNPs showed strong activity in mortality of adults of E. testudinaria under conditions during different periods of time to recorded 100% at concentration 100 ppm compared with 0.00% in control treatment after 10 days from treatment.

Obligatory reproductive diapause is a hormonally regulated, developmentally programmed state occurring independently of environmental cues. Despite its prevalence in univoltine insects, the molecular regulation remains unclear. The Sunn pest Eurygaster integriceps (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae), a univoltine wheat and barley pest, alternates between a reproductive phase in early spring and diapause during summer to winter. This study investigated the molecular basis of diapause and reproductive activation in this species. Transcriptomic profiling of brain tissues (including corpora allata and corpora cardiaca) and fat body revealed key components of the juvenile hormone (JH) pathway: juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase ( JHAMT ), Methoprene-tolerant ( Met ), and Vitellogenin ( Vg ). De novo assembly of high-quality RNA-seq data yielded 12,557 and 15,684 contigs from brain and fat body tissues, respectively. BUSCO analysis confirmed completeness of 81.6% and 86.5% of core insect orthologs in these assemblies. The full-length JHAMT cDNA (837 bp) encoded a 278-aa cytoplasmic protein; Met (2031 bp) encoded a 665-aa nuclear protein; and Vg (5220 bp) encoded a 1708-aa secretory protein with a signal peptide. Expression profiling via qPCR revealed synchronized transcriptional dynamics of JHAMT , Met , and Vg , with significantly elevated levels in reproductively active females, and reduced expression during diapause phases. These results indicate that diapause in E. integriceps is orchestrated via a conserved JH–Met pathway, with Vg playing a central role in reproductive competence. This study provides the first molecular evidence for hormonally mediated obligatory diapause in E. integriceps , identifying potential RNAi targets for pest control and offering a model for studying diapause evolution in the Sunn pest.