Zhunruo Feng¹, Ruomeng Shi², Yuhan Jiang³, Yiming Han¹, Zeyang Ma¹, Yuheng Ren^4,*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.84, No.2, pp. 3559-3575, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2025.065152 - 03 July 2025

Abstract In this study, we propose Space-to-Depth and You Only Look Once Version 7 (SPD-YOLOv7), an accurate and efficient method for detecting pests in maize crops, addressing challenges such as small pest sizes, blurred images, low resolution, and significant species variation across different growth stages. To improve the model’s ability to generalize and its robustness, we incorporate target background analysis, data augmentation, and processing techniques like Gaussian noise and brightness adjustment. In target detection, increasing the depth of the neural network can lead to the loss of small target information. To overcome this, we introduce the… More >

Lucas Leal Lima¹, Angélica Souza Gouveia¹, Analice Martins Duarte¹, Filipe Schitini Salgado², Nathália Silva Oliveira¹, Monique da Silva Bonjour¹, Iana Pedro da Silva Quadros¹, Maria Goreti Almeida Oliveira¹, Flavia Maria Silva Carmo², Elizabeth Pacheco Batista Fontes¹, Humberto Josué de Oliveira Ramos^1,3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.6, pp. 1787-1810, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.064068 - 27 June 2025

Abstract Sound contains mechanical signals that can promote physiological and biochemical changes in plants. Insects produce different sounds in the environment, which may be relevant to plant behavior. Thus, we evaluated whether signaling cascades are regulated differently by ecological sounds and whether they trigger molecular responses following those produced by herbivorous insects. Soybean plants were treated with two different sounds: chewing herbivore and forest ambient. The responses were markedly distinct, indicating that sound signals may also trigger specific cascades. Enzymes involved in oxidative metabolism were responsive to both sounds, while salicylic acid (SA) was responsive only… More >

Ghizlane Houzi¹, Aimad Allali^2,3,*, Amine Elbouzidi^4,*, Mohamed Taibi⁴, Mohamed Chebaibi^3,5, Ben Khada Zineb⁶, Ramzi A. Mothana⁷, Mohammed F. Hawwal⁷, Rachid Flouchi^3,8, Abdeslam Asehraou⁹, Amal Lahkimi², Soad Khal-Layoun¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.4, pp. 1239-1251, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.063021 - 30 April 2025

Abstract This work uses GC-MS to analyze the bioactive compounds of Salvia rosmarinus essential oils (SREO) and evaluates their antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal effects, as well as the major component, 1,8-cineole. Chemical analysis identified 16 compounds accounting for 99.19% of the oil’s total content, with 1,8-cineole (33.17%), camphor (16.53%), α-pinene (14.46%), and camphene (8.14%) as the major constituents. Antimicrobial activities were assessed against pathogenic strains using minimal inhibit concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. SREO exhibited a minimum MIC of 0.128% against P. aeruginosa, while 1,8-cineole showed a minimum MIC of 2.06% against the same strain,… More >

Pratyush Kumar Das¹, Satyabrata Nanda^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.12, pp. 3217-3235, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.057956 - 31 December 2024

Abstract Insect pests cause severe crop damage, resulting in substantial economic losses and threats to global food security. Conventional insecticides are low-cost chemical agents that kill the target insects and some non-specific beneficial organisms. Due to their toxic and non-biodegradable nature, these conventional insecticides persist in the environment, thus causing pollution and accumulating in the food chain. The development of novel insecticidal products based on double-stranded (dsRNA)-based RNA interference (RNAi) technology is a sustainable tool to effectively control insect pests. The dsRNA-based insecticides are known for their specificity, non-toxicity, and biodegradability. The current review introduces the… More >

Taghreed Alsufyani^1,*, Noura J. Alotaibi², Nour Houda M’sakni¹, Mona A. Almalki¹, Eman M. Alghamdi³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.7, pp. 1523-1542, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.050351 - 30 July 2024

Abstract This study simplifies the complex relationship among grapevine plants, aphids, ladybirds, and ants, which is essential for effective pest management and ecological balance. This study investigated the impact of aphid attacks and the presence of ants and ladybirds on the volatile compounds profile released into the chemosphere of the community consisting of the common vine Vitis vinifera, the aphid Aphis illinoisensis, the ladybird Coccinella undecimpunctata-and the ant Tapinoma magnum. This study aims to analyze the volatile compounds emitted by the grapevine and surrounding insects in response to these intricate interactions. The extraction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was carried… More >

Adelya Khayrova^*, Sergey Lopatin, Valery Varlamov

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.5, pp. 923-950, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.050033 - 17 July 2024

Abstract Due to the expected rise in the world population, an increase in the requirements for quality and safety of food and feed is expected, which leads to the growing demand for new sources of sustainable and renewable protein. Insect protein is gaining importance as a renewable material for several reasons, reflecting its potential contributions to sustainability, resource efficiency, and environmental conservation. Some insect species are known to be able to efficiently convert organic waste into high-value products such as protein, requiring less land and water compared to traditional livestock. In addition, insect farming produces fewer… More > Graphic Abstract

Guangwei Sun^1,2,#, Xuanhao Zhang^3,#, Yi Liu³, Liguang Chai², Daisong Liu², Zhenguo Chen^1,*, Shiyou Lü^3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.4, pp. 641-659, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.049285 - 29 April 2024

Abstract The Nicotiana genus, commonly known as tobacco, holds significant importance as a crucial economic crop. Confronted with an abundance of herbivorous insects that pose a substantial threat to yield, tobacco has developed a diverse and sophisticated array of mechanisms, establishing itself as a model of plant ecological defense. This review provides a concise overview of the current understanding of tobacco’s defense strategies against herbivores. Direct defenses, exemplified by its well-known tactic of secreting the alkaloid nicotine, serve as a potent toxin against a broad spectrum of herbivorous pests. Moreover, in response to herbivore attacks, tobacco enhances… More >

Arnoldo E. Alfaro-Corres¹, Daniel González-Mendoza², Esaú Ruiz-Sánchez^1,*, Carlos Ail-Catzin², Benjamín Valdez-Salas³, Federico Gutiérrez-Miceli⁴, Arturo Reyes-Ramírez¹, Jacques Fils Pierre¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.11, pp. 3933-3943, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.031129 - 31 October 2023

Abstract This work was carried out to evaluate the insecticidal effect of mono, bi and trimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) from leaf extract of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) on the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum herbst.) and cotton mealybug (Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley). The results showed that Cu NPs, Cu/Mn NPs and Zn/Cu NPs had high insecticidal effect against T. castaneum (63%–80% mortality after 96 h). The Cu NPs and Zn/Cu NPs showed also insecticidal effect against P. solenopsis, but to a lesser extent (20%–28% after 96 h). With regards to the physicochemical characterization, Cu NPs had a zeta potential of 21.1 More > Graphic Abstract

Crisanto Velázquez-Becerra^1,*, Gu Yen Ambriz-Ortiz¹, Rafael Torres-Martínez², Mauro Manuel Martínez-Pacheco³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.7, pp. 2165-2181, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.026954 - 29 May 2023

Abstract Wood is a lignocellulosic material that, because of its organic nature, is a source of nutrients for bacteria, fungi, and insects. Incisitermes marginipennis (Latreille) is an interesting dry wood-boring termite. Because it is an extremely destructive pest, difficult to control due to its cryptic lifestyle, and for its role in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon and other elements; it is a fundamental organism. The use of less toxic and eco-friendly substances is important for protecting domestic, cultural, and historical heritage made of wood or lignocellulosic materials. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological… More >

Talha Ali Chohan^1,*, Tahir Ali Chohan^2,*, Muhammad Zahid Mumtaz¹, Muhammad Waqar Alam³, Salah ud Din⁴, Iqra Naseer⁵, Ayesha Riaz¹, Tayyeba Naseem¹, Areeba Iftikhar⁶, Dur E. Najaf Ali¹, Mubashir Hassan⁷, Hayssam M. Ali⁸

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.7, pp. 1943-1954, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.026945 - 29 May 2023

Abstract Myzus persicae (M. persicae) is now considered a threat to agricultural crops due to economic losses. Numerous synthetic insecticides applied every year against M. persicae, are reported to be unsafe for environment, humans, and beneficial insects. Furthermore, several species of Myzus have been found to develop resistance due to over application of these insecticides. Therefore, it is required to find some novel insecticide that would be safe for the environment as well as for humans. In the current study, two major pure constituents α-pinene and β-caryophyllene were evaluated for their insecticidal potential against M. persicae using a fumigant toxicity assay.… More >