The peanut supply chain is characterised by a high production of by-products, mainly shells and small pods, often discarded by processing companies. However, the richness of nutritive substances makes these products valuable as feed substrates for Hermetia illucens larvae rearing. Therefore, the aims of this work were to (1) evaluate the performance of H. illucens larvae reared on peanut by-products and (2) study the effect of various levels of fungal contamination in by-products on H. illucens larvae performance, focusing on growth and mortality. Two agro-industrial peanut by-products (rich by-product, R; poor by-product, P) were ground and mixed in different percentages (0-100%, step 10%) to obtain 11 different feeding substrates, then rehydrated to 70% moisture. Three different trials were conducted using these substrates, with three-day-old H. illucens larvae reared for 10 days. Whereas, the effect of fungal contamination was investigated by inoculating chicken feed (standard, S) and substrate P5R5 (50% P and 50% R) with two spore suspensions ( Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum , 10 5 spore/mL), at three different inoculation times (5, 3 and 0 days before the addition of larvae). The substrate composition considerably impacted larval growth, with the highest larval weight increase obtained when R reached 50% in the substrate. Fungal contamination in by-products significantly reduced larvae performance, with a stronger negative effect from A. flavus . These findings suggest the potential for enhancing peanut by-products as a rearing substrate for H. illucens larvae, although the composition and the possible fungal contamination may reduce the effectiveness of the process.

BACKGROUND Aphis gossypii is a worldwide agricultural pest that causes high levels of economic losses by feeding and transmitting virus diseases. It is usually controlled by chemical insecticides, but this could lead to the selection of resistant populations. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified associated with insecticide resistance. Monitoring activities to detect the presence of such mutations in field populations can have an important role in insect pest management but, currently, no information on Italian strains is available. RESULTS The presence of target site mutations conferring resistance to different insecticides was analysed in Italian field collected populations of A. gossypii with an allele specific approach (QSGG, Qualitative Sybr-Green Genotyping). Primers were designed to detect mutations in genes coding acetylcholinesterase (S431F), nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (R81T) and voltage-gated sodium channel (M918L and L1014F). S431F was widespread but with high variability across populations. R81T was detected for the first time in Italy but only in two populations. The L1014F mutation (kdr) was not found, while in the samples showing the M918L two different nucleotidic substitutions were detected. Mutant allele frequencies were, respectively, 0.70 (S431), 0.31 (M918) and 0.02 (R81). Further analysis on the voltage-gated sodium channel gene showed the presence of eight haplotypes and one non-synonymous mutation in the gene coding region. CONCLUSION Multiple target-site mutations were detected within Italian populations. The combinations of genotypes observed in certain locations could affect negatively the control of this pest. Preliminary insights on the genetic structure in the Italian populations of A. gossypii were acquired. (c) 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

The use of insects as a protein source in feed production can significantly improve the sustainability of livestock production. Despite several environmental and animal welfare benefits, the economic sustainability of such approach depends on the level of consumer acceptance and willingness to pay for insect-fed poultry diets. Using the results of an online survey of more than 850 Italian consumers, we first examine the main differences between two groups of consumers: those who are willing to buy insect-fed poultry meat and eggs and those who not. The t-test is used to search for statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of their stated preferences for key food attributes that influence purchase decisions, as well as their view on food safety, quality and environmental issues. We then use ordered logit regression to estimate the determinants of consumers' willingness to pay a price premium for insect-fed poultry compared to conventional poultry products. Particular attention is paid to the possible role of trust in the ability of the food system to provide safe food in influencing consumers' preferences. The results show that consumers who are willing to buy insect-fed meat and eggs are more environmentally aware, have a stronger belief in the crucial role that changes in current food consumption patterns can play for the environment and social well-being, and have a higher level of trust in the system that guarantees food safety. The willingness to pay a price premium for insect-fed poultry food is mainly influenced by respondents' beliefs about insect-fed poultry food, especially in terms of its expected quality characteristics and animal welfare. Findings from this analysis could provide insights into investments to ensure the economic sustainability of a more circular chain.

Even though the problem of resource depletion of our planet is getting increasingly worse, most of the input of agro-food industry is discarded, causing expensive management and disposal issues. According to the Circular Economy principles, these problems can be faced by giving more value to wastage, turning it into inputs to innovative supply chains: the biorefineries. The BIOWAFER project addresses those issues investigating how agri-food by-products consistently produced in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) can be assigned to consecutive biorefinery processes integrated in order to obtain high-added value molecules for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Among all food chains considered, tomato, wine and cheese industries were chosen for waste valorisation. In order to overcome the seasonal waste production, a detailed analysis of storage and stabilization of the by-products was performed. Streptococcus zooepidemicus was chosen to obtain hyaluronic acid through waste fermentation process. The biorefinery was integrated with waste bioconversion by Hermetia illucens larvae followed by sustainable chemical extraction processes of potential antioxidants, lipids and peptides. Finally, the residues of all the above-mentioned phases will be used for pyro-gasification, to obtain biochar and syngas for agronomic and energy purposes respectively, allowing the closure of the supply chains in a circular way. Many other circular approaches are presented in literature, but, in our knowledge, no one use fermentation coupled with larvae rearing for waste reduction and conversion. Despite some challenges in scaling-up the proposed biorefinery, the project aims to overcome a linear production system by making the supply chains increasingly circular.

The evolution of resistance to insecticides threatens the sustainable control of many of the world's most damaging insect crop pests and disease vectors. To effectively combat resistance, it is important to understand its underlying genetic architecture, including the type and number of genetic variants affecting resistance and their interactions with each other and the environment. While significant progress has been made in characterizing the individual genes or mutations leading to resistance, our understanding of how genetic variants interact to influence its phenotypic expression remains poor. Here, we uncover a mechanism of insecticide resistance resulting from transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis of a genetically dominant but insecticide-susceptible allele that enables the adaptive potential of a previously unavailable recessive resistance allele to be unlocked. Specifically, we identify clones of the aphid pest Myzus persicae that carry a resistant allele of the essential voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) gene with the recessive M918T and L1014F resistance mutations, in combination with an allele lacking these mutations but carrying a Mutator-like element transposon insertion that disrupts the coding sequence of the VGSC. This results in the down-regulation of the dominant susceptible allele and monoallelic expression of the recessive resistant allele, rendering the clones resistant to the insecticide bifenthrin. These findings are a powerful example of how transposable elements can provide a source of evolutionary potential that can be revealed by environmental and genetic perturbation, with applied implications for the control of highly damaging insect pests.

Livestock farms represent a source of attraction for other species, which find food resources on the animals themselves, in the food supplied to them, in their manure, etc. Insect farms too can suffer infestation by different organisms living on substrates or behaving as parasites and/or predators. Breeding of the black soldier fly (BSF),Hermetia illucens (L.) requires organic materials which are attractive for other arthropods (commensals, mycetophages, scavengers, etc.). During recent years, the breeding system adopted at the Di.Pro.Ve.S. of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza (Italy), has suffered the presence of the following ‘pests’:Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera Phoridae),Muscina stabulans (Fallén) (Diptera Muscidae),Monomorium pharaonis (L.) (Hymenoptera Formicidae) andCaloglyphus berlesei (Michael) (Astigmata Acaridae). The use of fermented fruit, vegetables or of an artificial diet to induce egg laying proved to be attractive for small flies such asM. scalaris. This species also takes advantage of the aqueous sugar solution used to feed BSF adults. Infestations byM. scalaris are worrying because its larvae can compete efficiently with those of the BSF in substrate colonisation. Likewise,M. stabulans can be attracted by the substrates, even though this species has not shown the same levels of high competitiveness as the previously mentioned species.M. pharaonis was observed to prey on eggs and newborn BSF larvae. Lastly, infestations by the miteC. berlesei were detected when conditions for the larval development of the BSF were not optimal. This species could also be harmful for the workers involved in the breeding. The establishment of insect and mite populations inside BSF rearing boxes suggests that a careful analysis should be made based on the location of the breeding facility and a series of measures should of course be adopted when this kind of structure and activities are designed and realised.

To assess the susceptibility of pseudocereals (amaranth and quinoa), minor cereals (teff and millet), and oilseeds (chia and hemp), now commercially available on the European market, to attacks by polypha-gous and cosmopolitan insect pests, laboratory tests were set up. Tests involving controlled infestation of seeds, using laboratory-bred insects (Tenebrio molitor, Tribolium confusum, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Cryptolestes pusillus and Plodia interpunctella), were carried out in a climatic chamber at 23 +/- 2 degrees C and 65 +/- 5% R.H.. Development time, the number of adults and the weight of these adults were evaluated. The results show that each considered foodstuff has a different susceptibility to infestation and differences both in the number of adults emerged and in their weight compared to control. Millet was the only product that allowed larval development up to the adult stage for all the species examined. No species developed on amaranth. T. confusum and O. surinamensis reached the adult stage on the greatest number of products, 5 and 4 respectively; C. pusillus and T. molitor completed their life cycles on only two commodities: millet and teff, while P. interpunctella only on millet and hemp seeds. Considering the impact of the different pests on the studied grains, T. confusum was the only species able to develop on all the grains, but the number of emerged adults was lower than on the standard diet. These results show that, even if these commodities are new in the European market, they are susceptible to the infestation of common stored product pests that could led to a removal from the market of a contaminated stock, so a continuous monitoring is needed. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Varroa destructor Anderson et Trueman (Acari Varroidae) is a major pest of honey bees and synthetic acaricide treatments remain the most effective tool to contain its infestations. In 1991, pyrethroid resistance was first reported in Lombardy, and is now spread worldwide. Recently, three different mutations (L925V/I/M) occurring in the voltage-gated sodium channel have been associated with tau-fluvalinate resistance. Furthermore, in the literature, indirect evidence from laboratory bioassays have indicated that high levels of esterases may be involved in mites resistant to tau-fluvalinate. This study provides an update on the actual spread of target-site resistance to tau-fluvalinate in V. destructor samples collected in the Lombardy region. TaqMan assays showed that mutation L925V is present in this area, however only low frequencies of this resistant allele were detected. The majority of resistant mites were found in the homozygous form (11%), and only a small fraction possessed the heterozygous genotype (2%). Additionally, a protocol was set up to detect esterase activity directly in single mites. Slight variability was observed among different populations collected in Lombardy. Additional studies are needed to confirm the involvement of esterases in resistance to pyrethroids in V. destructor and whether this can be correlated to changes in enzyme activity.