Aijun Zhang

Aijun Zhang
Agricultural Research Service | ARS · Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory

Doctor of Philosophy

About

201
Publications
26,622
Reads
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3,194
Citations
Introduction
I am working at the Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA. My major research currently is in the fields of chemical ecology, electrophysiology, chemical synthesis, natural product, and integrated pest management.
Additional affiliations
March 1998 - present
Agricultural Research Service
Position
  • Research Chemist
Education
March 1987 - October 1992

Publications

Publications (201)
Article
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Understanding the fundamental life cycle and reproductive behavior of a pest insect is essential for developing efficient control strategies; however, much of this knowledge remains elusive for a multitude of insects, including the cotton seed bug, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis. Here, we report the results of our comprehensive study on the cotton seed b...
Article
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We evaluated a novel push–pull control strategy for protecting highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, against spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii. Methyl benzoate (MB) was used as the pushing agent and a previously tested SWD attractive blend of lure-scents was used as the pulling agent. MB dispensers (push) were hung in the canopy...
Article
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Cacao is a promising high-value crop in the Philippines and is considered one of the key players globally in providing the raw materials for chocolate making. However, before the Philippines can take this market opportunity, production constraints from various pests should be addressed. The cacao pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella , is one of...
Article
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Bed bug infestations are on the rise globally, and remediation efforts are becoming more expensive and difficult to achieve due to rising insecticide resistance in the pest populations. This study evaluates Cimex lectularius behavior in the presence of attractive elements—aggregation pheromone or food source (human blood)—and the reported botanical...
Article
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The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis, is a well-known stem borer with high polyphagous properties causing frequent outbreaks in northeast China. An attractant-based trap is needed to improve the sensitivity, reliability, and efficiency for detection of the beetle. In this study, the effects of attractants, trap types and colo...
Article
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(1) Background: Condition-specific competition, when the outcome of competition varies with abiotic conditions, can facilitate species coexistence in spatially or temporally variable environments. Discarded vehicle tires degrade to leach contaminants into collected rainwater that provide habitats for competing mosquito species. We tested the hypoth...
Article
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Simple Summary: We have investigated the efficacy of five potential kairomone attractants for the cocoa pod borer (CPB) in Indonesia. Among them, the organic lychee flavor extract in a primitive formulation was the most attractive and was competitive with the commercial pheromone lures. An improved kairomone lure formulation based on specialty memb...
Article
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The previously identified female sex pheromone of cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), was re-evaluated for male attraction using six different pheromone formulations in Indonesian cocoa plantations. In a dose-response experiment, the 0.1 mg pheromone load was significantly more attractive to male...
Article
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Native to the northeast USA, highbush blueberry is a crop domesticated for close to 100 years and that has been selected mainly for high yields and bigger fruit. We hypothesized that, due to domestication and associated agronomic selection (i.e., cultivation practices), cultivated blueberries differ from their wild ancestors in fruit volatile emiss...
Article
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Background Volatile pyrethroid insecticides, such as transfluthrin, have received increasing attention for their potent repellent activities in recent years for controlling human disease vectors. It has been long understood that pyrethroids kill insects by promoting activation and inhibiting inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels. However, t...
Article
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Cocoa pod borer, Conopomorpha cramerella is is the most devastating pest responsible for the decline of cocoa production in Southeast Asia. Several control methods have been implemented to reduce the impact of C. cramerella including application of the botanical pesticides. Hence, very few reports on the botanical pesticide and insecticide effect o...
Article
Methyl benzoate is a natural product (floral volatile organic compound) that is currently used as a food flavoring ingredient. This compound has shown to be insecticidal in laboratory studies against agricultural and urban pests, including spotted wing drosophila Drosophila suzukii, brown marmorated stink bug Hyalomorpha halys, the diamondback moth...
Article
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The squash bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer) is a serious pest of cucurbit crops. The egg parasitoid, Gryon pennsylvanicum (Ashmead), is the primary parasitoid of the squash bug and has been considered as a biological control agent. In the present study, we conducted both laboratory and greenhouse bioassays to determine the effects of kairomones emitted...
Article
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Drosophila suzukii, more commonly known as the spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is an invasive pest of soft, thin-skinned fruit responsible for significant economic losses for growers worldwide. To detect and monitor this pest, several host attractants have been developed for use in trapping SWD; however, they lack selectivity. Therefore, there is a...
Article
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Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) causes significant economic loss in fruit crops to growers worldwide. There is immediate need for efficacious and selective monitoring tools that can detect infestations early. Previously, volatile organic compounds derived from apple were studied and a quinary chemical component blend (QB) was identified as the key SW...
Article
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The use of botanical extracts derived from potential plants is promising due to their target-specific, biodegradable, and can be implemented in insect management programs. This study was conducted to observe the potential of three Zingiberaceae essential oils; Lesser galanga, Alpinia galanga, Turmeric, Curcuma longa; and ginger, Zingiber officinale...
Article
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• The blueberry maggot fly, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, is a pest of wild and highbush blueberries. In wild blueberries, most flies colonize fields from forest edges annually. Flies were associated with forest canopies adjacent to colonized fields. • Flies were captured up to 6 m high (limited by trap placement height) and may occur at greater tree h...
Article
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We evaluated a botanical compound, methyl benzoate, which was previously shown to have insecticidal activity on several agricultural pests, for its behavioral action on the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. Methyl benzoate, along with acetophenone and Cirkil™, a commercially available bed bug control product, exhibited repellent action against b...
Article
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Efforts to reduce insecticide inputs against plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar, a key pest of apples in eastern North America, include perimeter-row insecticide sprays applied after the whole-orchard petal fall spray to manage dispersing adults and, more recently, insecticide sprays confined to odor-baited trap trees. Entomopathogenic nematodes...
Article
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The spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is an exotic vinegar fly originating from South-East Asia and has invaded many American and European countries. This devastating pest has caused severe damage on soft-skinned fruit crops, which has resulted in large economic losses. Although many D. suzukii detection devices have been developed...
Article
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Methyl benzoate is a newly discovered natural insecticide. In this study, we evaluated methyl benzoate as a potential fumigant for controlling four pests including western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, lettuce aphid, Nasonovia ribisnigri, rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, and bulb mites, Rhizoglyphus spp., at different temperatures...
Article
Most moths utilize sex pheromones released by the female to attract a mate. Females produce the sex pheromone in the pheromone gland in a biosynthetic pathway which consists of several key enzymes. Fatty acyl-CoA reductase is one of the key enzymes, which catalyzes the conversion of fatty acyl-CoA to the corresponding alcohol, playing an important...
Article
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Zingiberaceae (Order: Zingiberales) is recognized as the essential herbaceous species in the tropics. Several species of Zingiberaceae have shown potential in managing some Lepidopteran and Dipteran pests. Currently, there is no report in Malaysia explores the potential use of Zingiberaceae in managing cocoa pests, particularly the Cocoa pod borer...
Article
Common bed bug Cimex lectularius (L.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) infestations are on the rise and due to the development of pesticide resistance they are becoming more difficult to control, affordably. We evaluated a naturally occurring compound methyl benzoate (MB) and related analogs, previously reported to have insecticidal activity on several agric...
Article
This paper tries to reveal the mechanism of the high-efficient adsorption of the sex pheromone by the trichoid sensilla of the male silk moth Bombyx mori. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to acquire the topographies and nanostructures of the surfaces of the trichoid sensilla. SEM and AFM images present...
Article
Historically, stored product insect pest management has been based around the use of methyl bromide and phosphine as fumigants. However, methyl bromide has been phased out for structural fumigations, and there is increasing worldwide insecticide resistance to phosphine. One potential alternative, environmentally friendly option is the use of methyl...
Article
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The emergence of Cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella Snellen (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in Malaysia was first detected in Tawau, Sabah in 1980. Since then, this pest has become a major threat to cocoa growing countries in the Southeast Asia region, particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Various control efforts were...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella Snellen (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), has become a major threat to the cocoa-growing countries of Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Various control efforts have been studied, introduced and implemented in Malaysia. However, less focus has been given to plant-derived products, such as those fro...
Article
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Although insecticidal properties of certain benzoates have been investigated for pest insects and mites, toxicity of benzoates to the red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, has never been reported. In this study, 15 commercially available benzoates were assessed for their contact and fumigation toxicity to S. invicta workers and their ch...
Article
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To determine whether volatiles from bed bug eggs were similar to the defensive secretions from nymphs and adults, headspace volatiles from eggs of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) were collected by aeration, daily until hatch, and subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We now report that eucalyptol (1,8-epoxy-p-ment...
Article
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In South-East Asia, cocoa production is dramatically affected by cocoa pod borer (CPB) infestations. As an alternative tool to chemical control, the efficacy of attract-and-kill strategy (CPB sex-pheromone as attractant and Delta trap without sticky liner sprayed with cypermethrin solution as killing station) was evaluated and compared with current...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Zingiberaceae (Order: Zingiberales) is recognized as the most important herbaceous species in the tropics. Several species of Zingiberaceae have shown a potential in managing some Lepidopteran and Dipteran pests. Currently, there is no report in Malaysia explores the potential use of Zingiberaceae in managing cocoa pests, particularly the Cocoa pod...
Article
Full-text available
Drosophila suzukii, commonly known as the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is an exotic fruit fly from Southeast Asia that was introduced to the temperate regions of North America and Europe in 2008. It attacks a wide variety of fruits and has become a devastating pest of soft-skinned fruit crops. Due to the rapid spread of SWD across the newly invad...
Article
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Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) have been considered to play a key role in chemoreception in insects. As stated in our earlier study, three CSPs genes from rice leaf folder Cnaphalocrocis medinalis have been identified and showed potential physiological functions in olfaction. Here, we conducted western blot, immunolocalization, competitive binding as...
Article
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Benzyl methyl ester, also known as methyl benzoate (MB), is a volatile organic compound that exists naturally as a floral fragrance in many plants. Our behavioral bioassays show that MB and some of its naturally occurring and synthetic analogs kill insects at different life stages. Compared to commercial pesticides containing pyriproxyfen and aceta...
Article
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Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits across the globe. Effective monitoring is necessary to manage this pest, but suitable attractants are still being identified. In this study, we combined lures with fermenting liquid baits to improve D. suzukii trapping specific...
Article
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The cocoa pod borer, Conopomorphacramerella, is a major threat to cocoa plantation in the SouthEast Asia region. Heavy reliance and prolonged use of synthetic chemical insecticide in managing this pest may lead to resistance mechanism. Therefore, alternative for controlling C. cramerella, by Zingiberofficinale, Curcuma longa oils were evaluated in...
Article
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[Objective] This study aims to test trap efficiency of an improved brown color trap for baiting Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian longhorned beetle, ALB), this experiment was conducted in the field with sustained-releasing 1-pentanol or 2-pentanol, combined with male pheromone, to develop an efficiency tool for monitoring and control ALB. [Method] Th...
Article
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Over-reliance on synthetic pesticides in insect pest control has caused widespread public and scientific concerns for human health and the environment, especially since many insect pests have already developed resistances to conventional pesticides and Bt products. For this reason, there is a considerable interest in development of alternative cont...
Article
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Anoplophora glabripennis has a complex suite of mate-finding behaviors, the functions of which are not entirely understood. These behaviors are elicited by a number of factors, including visual and chemical cues. Chemical cues include a male-produced volatile semiochemical acting as a long-range sex pheromone, a female-produced cuticular hydrocarbo...
Article
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It is well known that the odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) play crucial roles in insect olfactory detection. To explore if interactions of OBPs affect olfactory coding in the rice leaffolder Cnaphalocrocis medinalis ligand-binding experiments, molecular docking, RNA interference and electrophysiological recording were performed. The binding activity...
Article
Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are believed to be involved in the recognition of semiochemicals. In the present study, western blot analysis, fluorescence-binding characteristics and immunolocalization of CmedPBP4 from the rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis , were investigated. Western blot analysis revealed that CmedPBP4 showed obvious a...
Article
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Pathogenic infection on plants may affect interactions of host-plants with their herbivores, as well as the herbivores with their predators. In this study, the effects of infection by pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which causes a vascular disease in rice, on rice plants and consequent interactions with a rice herbivore, b...
Article
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Numerous species of mirid bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) are phytophagous insect pests that damage economically important field and horticultural crops. In recent years, Adelphocoris suturalis has become a significant pest in transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton fields. We previously reported that virgin A. suturalis females attracted males in...
Article
Numerous species of mirid bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) are phytophagous insect pests that damage economically important field and horticultural crops. In recent years, Adelphocoris suturalis has become a significant pest in transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton fields. We previously reported that virgin A. suturalis females attracted males in...
Article
Full-text available
To better understand the olfactory mechanisms in the rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée), a serious pest of rice in Asia, we established six partial transcriptomes from antennae, protarsus, and reproductive organs of male and female adults. A total of 102 transcripts were identified, including 29 odorant receptors (ORs), 15 ionotrop...
Data
The FPKM of candidate chemoreception proteins in different tissues. (TIF)
Data
Amino acid sequences of C. medinalis olfactory genes. (DOC)
Data
Primers used in the quantitative real-time PCR analysis. (DOCX)
Article
Significance There is great interest in elucidating the diverse roles of microbes in biology, in general and, specifically, in mediating animal communication. We demonstrate that the gut bacterial community plays a pivotal role in production of aggregation pheromones in the German cockroach. The feces of normal and gut bacteria-inoculated cockroach...
Article
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Background The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an exotic insect pest that was first recognized in the United States in 2001. As of today, it has been found in more than 42 states. BMSB has a very broad host plant range and damage to crops in mid-Atlantic States has reached a critical level. A reliable and accurate tool for infestation detectio...
Article
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Rough rice grains are often stored for extended periods before they are used or consumed. However, during storage, the rough rice is vulnerable to insect infestation, resulting in significant economic loss. Previous studies have shown that volatiles cues, physical characteristics, and taste chemicals on the grains could be the important key behavio...
Article
Full-text available
The plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important pest of fruit in North America. Males produce an aggregation pheromone (grandisoic acid) that attracts both sexes of the northern univoltine and the southern multivoltine strains. Grandisoic acid ((1R,2S)-1-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-cyclobutaneacetic ac...
Article
Full-text available
Native to Southeast Asia, the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), has become a serious pest of soft-skinned fruit crops since its introduction into North America and Europe in 2008. Current monitoring strategies use baits based on fermentation products ; however, to date, no fruit-based volatile blends at...
Article
Full-text available
The cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen), sex pheromone was previously identified as a blend of (E,Z,Z)- and (E,E,Z)-4,6,10-hexadecatrienyl acetates and corresponding alcohols. These pheromone components were synthesized by modification of an existing method and the relative attractiveness of synthetic blends that included diffe...
Conference Paper
The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an extremely polyphagous pest in Asia and host rang includes plants of economic importance such as pea, soybean, apple, peach, cherry, and various other fruit and ornamental trees. Damage to crops from H halys in mid-Atlantic States has reached critical levels, e...