BACKGROUND:The beet moth, Scrobipalpa ocellatella Boyd, 1858 (Lep.: Gelechiidae), is an increasingly important pest whose climate-driven expansion threatens sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) production in Europe. This study aimed to characterize the structural, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of sugar beet to infestation. METHODS:Plants were analysed using computed tomography (CT), SPAD and NDVI measurements, HPLC-based sugar analysis, FRAP and MDA assays, and RT-qPCR of antioxidant-related genes. RESULTS:CT imaging enabled non-destructive detection of larvae (mean length: 7.32 ± 0.73 mm) and pest-induced cavities (982.20 ± 316.04 mm3). SPAD did not differ significantly among treatments, whereas NDVI was consistently reduced in infested plants, declining from 0.648 ± 0.031 in non-infested plants to 0.593 ± 0.038 in infested-treated plants and 0.611 ± 0.021 in infested-untreated plants at the first sampling. Infestation induced pronounced oxidative stress, with FRAP increasing from 14.102 ± 0.943 to 25.471 ± 0.922 µg AA eq g-1 FW and MDA from 558.065 ± 21.819 to 1325.806 ± 16.762 nmol g-1 FW in untreated infested plants. Antioxidant gene expression was significantly upregulated, particularly for SOD, CAT, APX, DHAR, MDAR, and GPX. CONCLUSIONS:S. ocellatella infestation triggered coordinated oxidative stress responses in sugar beet, while CT and NDVI proved useful for early damage detection.

ABSTRACT Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important arable crop playing a major role in human nutrition and animal feed. Piercing‐sucking pests are compromising the safety of soybean cultivation worldwide, mostly by their enzyme‐containing saliva causing deformation, and tissue death within the pierced plant parts. Micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT) method enables us to nondestructively study the detailed anatomical and morphological changes of stink bug damaged plant tissues. To examine the effect of southern green stink bug's (Nezara viridula L., 1758) feeding on soybean, 0, 3, and 5 bugs were placed on the pods and subsequently, micro‐CT images were taken at various time points after infestation to determine the changes in inner tissue structures. The measured feeding frequency of N. viridula adults was 14.20 feedings in the first 24 h. Imaging clearly identified the damage caused by N. viridula, as areas of reduced density. Despite the lack of gross volume difference (size of the pods) between the groups, internal tissue alterations were prevalent and captured by the increase of “void” volume (volume of areas < 4000 a.u. intensity) as a function of infestation duration and severity. Moreover, histogram analysis of pod intensities identified significant, damage‐related alterations as early as 24 h post infestation. We can assume that the seed damage caused by enzymes becomes much more pronounced even days after feeding, increasing in both extent and severity. Our results contribute fundamentally to a more objective understanding of the damage spectrum of this invasive agricultural pest and to the assessment of its actual damage potential.

The green rutabaga beetle, Aulacobaris coerulescens Scopoli, 1763 (Col.: Curculionidae) is an essential and decisive pest of European oilseed rape. Its damage is caused by its larvae developing in the stem. We performed non-destructive computer tomography-based imaging on characteristically damaged plant samples from open fields to expand this knowledge. We examined the size and location of the larva and the cavitation formed in the stem, its position relative to the formed hypertrophy and the density values of the damaged tissue structures. Our experimental results confirmed that the larva of A. coerulescens causes hypertrophy in the stem regions close to the attacked root nodules above the formed chamber. It has been confirmed that there is a positive correlation between the volume of the formed cavitation and the volume of the hypertrophy located above it (r = 0.52), and between the distance between the cavitation and the hypertrophy and the length of the hypertrophy (r = 0.95). The analysis of the tissue density values showed that the tissues located above the cavity, including the hypertrophy, are less dense than the tissue characteristics of the healthy stem. The tissue destruction caused by the larval activity prevents the translocation of nutrients and water in the acropetal direction of the plant, which will result in a drastic reduction in yield. Based on the achieved information, it can be stated that targeted protection against the species should become a necessary element of the oilseed rape cultivation technology in the areas affected by the pest.

IntroductionThe yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax Lepeletier, 1836) and the European hornet (Vespa crabro L., 1758) are two social generalist predator wasps that have successfully expanded beyond their native ranges, raising ecological concerns in newly colonized regions. This study presents a comparative analysis of the two species based on morphological parameters derived from digital microscopy and micro-CT imaging.MethodsSpecies were collected in Hungary and examined in order to assess differences in body size, colouration, and flight-related morphology. To determine the differences between species, 16 different morphological parameters were measured by micro-ct examination and digital microscopy. The flight parameters of the examined two species were assessed through 14 flight-related coefficients and a correlation matrix and a linear model based on these.Results and discussionResults from the colour analyses performed significantly darker colouration of V. v. nigrithorax compared with V. crabro. Morphological measurements confirmed that V. crabro is generally larger and more robust in body size, while V. v. nigrithorax posesses relatively longer legs and a greater wing surface area proportional to body mass. V. v. nigrithorax outperformed V. crabro in most flight-related traits, e.g. speed, manoeuvrability, balancing ability, hovering and carrying capacity. Correlation analyses supported these findings, showing stronger associations among wing parameters in V. v. nigrithorax and more uniform body-thorax interaction and more robust body structure in V. crabro. These results argue that V. v. nigrithorax’s better flight performance underlies its effective bee-hawking behaviour and competitive dominance in habitats in which the two hornet species co-occur. The study highlights how morphological adaptations contribute to predatory success and invasion potential. Our findings also confirm that in the absence of natural enemies, an adventive predator can exhibit significant ecological advantages in competitive interactions, certainly in the initial success of an invasive species.

AbstractSoybean (Glycine max L.) is an important leguminous plant, in which pests trigger significant damage every year. Important members of this community are insects with piercing‐sucking mouthpart, especially the southern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula L.. This insect with its extraoral digestion causes visible alterations (morphological and color changes) in the seeds. We aimed to obtain precise information about the extent and nature of damage in soybeans caused by N. viridula using nondestructive imaging methods. Two infestation conditions were applied: one with controlled numbers of pests (six insects/15 pods) and another with naturally occurring pests (samples collected from the apical part of the plant and samples from whole plants). An intact control group was also included, resulting in four treatment groups. Seed samples were analyzed by computed tomography (CT) and image color analysis under laboratory conditions. According to our CT findings, the damage caused by N. viridula changed the radiodensity, volume, and shape (Solidity) of the soybean seeds during the pod‐filling and maturing period. Radiodensity was significantly reduced in all three damaged categories compared to the intact sample; the mean radiodensity reduction range was 49–412 HU. The seed volume also decreased significantly (25%–80% decrease), with a threefold reduction for samples exposed to regulated damage compared to natural ones. The samples exposed to natural damage showed significant but minor reduction in solidity, while samples exposed to regulated damage showed a prominent decrease (~12%). Image color analysis showed that the damaged samples were well distinguishable, and the differences were statistically verifiable. The achieved data derived from our external and internal imaging approaches contribute to a better understanding of the internal chemical processes, and CT analysis helps to understand the alteration trends of the hidden structure of seeds caused by a pest. Our results can contribute to the development of a practically applicable system based on image analysis, which can identify lots damaged by insects.

Diagnostic imaging techniques provide a new aspect of the ante-mortem and post-mortem diagnostics in fish medicine. Ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide more information about the internal organs and pathognomic lesions. The authors used diagnostic imaging techniques to evaluate and describe the neoplastic malformation in a 3-year-old female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The fish was examined with Siemens Somatom Definition AS + CT scanner and Siemens Biograph mMR scanner. The animal was lethargic and showed anorectic signs and muscular dystrophy. During the post-mortem investigation, histopathology and immunohistochemistry were also performed allowing us to identify the neoplasms. The results showed a large soft tissue mass in the first mid-intestine segment, which proved to be an adenocarcinoma. This subsequently led to digestion problems and absorption disorders. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells of carcinoma revealed E-cadherin and pancytokeratin positivity. This is the first study to report the use of MRI and CT for studying gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma in rainbow trout.

Varroa destructor is one of the most destructive enemies of the honey bee, Apis mellifera all around the world. Several control methods are known to control V. destructor, but the efficacy of several alternative control methods remains unexplored. Irradiation can be one of these unknown solutions but before practical application, the effectiveness, and the physiological effects of ionizing radiation on the host and the parasite are waiting to be tested. Therefore, the objective of our study was to investigate the effects of different doses (15, 50, 100, and 150 Gy) of high-energy X-ray irradiation through mortality rates and hemocyte composition changes in A. mellifera workers and record the mortality rates of the parasite. The mortality rate was recorded during short-term (12, 24, and 48 h) and long-term periods (3, 6, 12, 18, and 24d). The sensitivity of the host and the parasite in case of the higher doses of radiation tested (50, 100, and 150 Gy) been demonstrated by total mortality of the host and 90 % of its parasite has been observed on the 18th day after the irradiation. V. destructor showed higher sensitivity (1.52-times higher than the adult honey bee workers) at the lowest dose (15 Gy). A. mellifera hemocytes were influenced significantly by radiation dosage and the elapsed time after treatment. The higher radiation doses increased plasmatocyte numbers in parallel with the decrease in prohemocyte numbers. On the contrary, the numbers of granulocytes and oencoytes increased in the treated samples, but the putative effects of the different dosages on the recorded number of these hemocyte types could not be statistically proven. In summary, based on the outcome of our study X-ray irradiation can be deemed an effective tool for controlling phoretic V. destructor. However, further research is needed to understand the physiological response of the affected organisms.

The complex anatomy of the avian respiratory system makes it necessary to broaden our knowledge using modern imaging and reconstructional possibilities. The visualization of these structures can be used for clinical situations, in research or as teaching aids in veterinary education. For this we generated 3D models from diagnostic imaging data (computed tomography [CT] scans) of birds. We describe in detail a repeatable method of animal preparation for scanning, data handling and image analysis. CT scans with varying slice thickness and resolution were obtained in prone and supine body positions to analyse air sac morphology and volume changes relative to posture or sexual dimorphism in birds. The resulting data were prepared and analysed using a reconstructional software (3D Slicer) based on manual and semi-automatic labelling and subsequent 3D models of the air sac system were created. The terminology employed has been referenced from the Nomina Anatomica Avium, Second Ed.

Abstract Rabbit bucks (bodyweight 5 kg) underwent dietary intoxication with fumonisin B series mycotoxins (FB1 + FB2 + FB3, 15 mg/kg diet) for 14 days to test the applicability of positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET MR) hybrid imaging in characterizing experimentally induced mild hepatotoxicosis. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) radiotracer-aided imaging was performed before and after FBs administration on identical animals, and at both time points, blood was sampled for haematology and clinical chemistry. Kinetic PET image analysis revealed time-activity curves with uptake maxima below 1 min in the liver, renal cortex, portal vein, lung and coarctatio aortae. In the frame of static PET image analysis, based on the standardized uptake value (SUV), the so-called metabolic liver volume (MLV, liver volume defined by over 0.9 × average liver SUV) and the total liver glycolysis (TLG, MLV multiplied by the SUVmean) were calculated. Mycotoxicosis increased total liver glycolysis (p < 0.04) after 14 days and liver tissue TLG inhomogeneity was minimal. Pearson correlation between TLG and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was positive (0.515), while negative with LDH and AST (− 0.721 and − 0.491, respectively). Results indicate a slight hepatic mycotoxin effect and significantly increased glucose uptake intensity, which has been sensitively detected with molecular imaging (18F-FDG PET MRI) in the rabbit model.

The Varroa destructor is the most significant bee parasite and the greatest threat to bee health all around the world. Due to its hidden lifestyle, detection within the brood cell is only possible through invasive techniques. Enhancing detection methods is essential for advancing research on population dynamics, spread, selection efforts, and control methodologies against the mite. In our study, we employed infrared imaging to measure the thermal differences in parasite and intact Apis mellifera worker broods. Experiments were conducted over two years at the MATE Kaposvár Campus in Hungary involving five beehives in 2022 and five beehives in 2023. A FLIR E5-XT WIFI handheld infrared camera was used to create a heat map of capped brood frames. Our results indicate that the resolution of these cameras is sufficient to provide detailed IR images of a bee colony, making them suitable to detect temperature differences in intact and Varroa parasitized capped brood cells. Mite parasitism causes a time-dependent and sustained temperature increase in developing bee pupae, observable regardless of mite number. Our work demonstrates two different heating patterns: hotspot heating and heating cells that are responsible for the elevated temperature of the Varroa-infested cells as a social fever response by the worker bees. Based on our results, future research combined with AI-based image evaluation software could offer beekeepers and researchers practical and valuable tools for high-throughput, non-invasive Varroa detection in the field.

The weevils of the Ceutorhynchus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are significant pests, posing a threat to oilseed rape cultivation in Central Europe. Due to their lifestyle, these weevils cause hidden damage within the stems. Our non-invasive computer tomography-based study aimed to compare the damage characteristics of three species within this genus: C. pallidactylus (Marsham), C. napi (Gyll.), and C. picitarsis (Gyll.), in oilseed rape stems. During the CT analysis of the plant samples from axial, coronal, and sagittal approaches at different points, we measured the length of the damaging larvae, their number per plant, their distance from each other, the volume of the formed cavity, and the diameter of the damaged plant stems. Additionally, we investigated the closeness of the connections between these forms of damage. Our study found that damage to plant samples during the period of interest was species-specific. Significant differences were observed in the longitudinal size dimensions of the larvae, the volume of the formed cavities, and the diameters of the stems of the attacked plants among the species causing the damage. The Pearson correlation results confirmed a strong correlation between the volumes of the formed cavities and the values of larval length (l) and stem diameter (empty set), as well as between stem diameter and larval length data for each species (C. pallidactylus: l = 6.903 +/- 1.332 mm, empty set = 11.43 +/- 0.707 mm; C. napi: l = 9.868 +/- 0.617 mm, empty set = 23.11 +/- 2.813 mm; C. picitarsis: l = 3.772 +/- 0.967 mm, empty set = 11.16 +/- 0.365 mm). These results suggest that the damages caused by these hidden lifestyle stem pests of oilseed rape are species-specific.

The present experiment studied the effects of egg composition (egg yolk content; Y) of two different chicken genotypes (selected by computed tomography; CT) on hatched chick growth performance, slaughter traits, and meat quality. Three thousand five hundred eggs per genotype were scanned by CT. Then, for each genotype, eggs were selected according to their Y content: low (21.0 +/- 0.88- 350 eggs), medium (24.5 +/- 0.15- 350 eggs) and high (28.3 +/- 0.98- 350 eggs). The remaining eggs were excluded from the study. At 11 weeks of age, 15 chickens per group were slaughtered, carcasses were dissected and breast and legs were excised and dedicated to meat quality evaluations. Many parameters were influenced in the meat-type (EE) chickens, including slaughter, breast and leg weights, and abdominal fat content, whereas only the breast incidence on slaughter weight was affected in Tetra-H hybrid. In neither genotype were the meat traits affected by Y content. Two exceptions were represented by leg thawing loss, higher in low Y group compared to medium and high Y group, and by tibia length, longer in high Y content group than in the medium one, both for EE chickens. Similar findings were observed for the meat fatty acid (FA) profile, as only some single FA were influenced by Y content, however, apparently without a specific physiological meaning. The present work demonstrated that the Y content, measured by CT, allowed to select high-quality meat-type animals characterised by the best productive performances in terms of growth rate, live weight, slaughter weight, breast and thigh weights, and with lower abdominal fat content. These findings would bring positive advantages to hatcheries in terms of chick quality and also to farmers in terms of economic revenues: They would rear robust animals that would guarantee a higher probability of survival in the first rearing period and would be characterised by a high slaughter weight at the end of the productive cycle.

Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive, three-dimensional imaging tool used in medical imaging, forensic science, industry and engineering, anthropology, and archaeology. The current study used high-resolution medical CT scanning of 431 animal skulls, including 399 dog skulls from 152 breeds, 14 cat skulls from 9 breeds, 14 skulls from 8 wild canid species (gray wolf, golden jackal, coyote, maned wolf, bush dog, red fox, Fennec fox, bat-eared fox), and 4 skulls from 4 wild felid species (wildcat, leopard, serval, caracal). This comprehensive and unique collection of CT image series of skulls can provide a solid foundation not only for comparative anatomical and evolutionary studies but also for the advancement of veterinary education, virtual surgery planning, and the facilitation of training in sophisticated machine learning methodologies.

Most beekeepers worldwide use the same combs in their hives for many years, which can result in alterations in the inner volume of the comb cells. The objective of this survey using microcomputed tomography was to reveal developmental disorders caused by this beekeeping practice. The extent of the thickening of the wall of brood cells that occurs as a result of the long-term use of the combs was determined. This alteration resulted in a reduction in the inner volume of the comb cells, which had a significant effect on the size of the pupae and possibly the health of the imagoes. The walls of the cells can be divided into two well-determined parts, which can be exactly visualized using micro-CT. In addition, the inner structure of the wall in the first part of the cell was altered by very radio dense remains of cocoons. The material in the other part of the cell is less radio dense and as previously suggested is mainly wax. The decrease in the length, surface and volume of these cells adversely affected the developing pupae, which according to previous studies results in a reduction in the production of workers, colony strength and honey yield. The extent of the reduction in the body regions of pupae was on average 4.98%. Overall, the volume of the pupae that developed in these narrow comb cells were smaller by an average of 12.22%.

Carcass characteristics were studied in 80 young Hungarian red deer in different ages (12, 15, 18 and 20 months of age). In all age group 10 male and 10 female were slaughtered. The dressed carcass weight in skin varied between 53.72 and 65.66% of live weight. The first class lean meat varied between 14.3 and 16.6% of live weight. The live weight, carcass weight increased with the age and differed also between sexes. The highest dressing percentages were found at 20 months of age in both sexes (?: 65.7%, 9: 62.5%). Mainly the hinds had higher loin, leg and shoulder proportions of carcass at 20 months of age than the stags. The carcass muscle, bone and fat content were measured by computer tomography. These traits were grown and their proportion changed with the age. The bone to muscle ratio gradually decreased with the age while the fat to muscle ratio increased after 15 months of age (?: from 0.13 to 0.17, 9: from 0.15 to 0.18). At 18 month of age the hinds had higher bone to muscle and fat to muscle ratio than the stags'. The fat percentage of carcasses increased with the age in both sexes (?: from 8.01% to 11.04%, ?: from 8.40% to 11.28%). The hinds had higher values than the stags but it was significant just at 20 months of age. From the meat quality attributes there were found differences between ages in the case of pH, lightness, drip loss, cooking loss and shear force. The highest pH was found at 12 months of age in both sexes. There were found 5% intermediate pH (6.2 < pH < 5.8) at 12 and 15 months of age, all of them were male. The highest lightness values were observed at 18 months of age in both sexes (?: 13.47, ?: 14.90). There were differences between sexes in pH at all ages, except 15 months of age, and at 18 months of age in redness and lightness. Based on our results, the optimal slaughtering time for Hungarian red deer is 20 months of age, because this is when the dressing percentage is the best for both sexes. Meat quality traits changed with age, and gender differences sexes were the most pronounced for these traits at 18 months of age.

The cypress jewel beetle Lamprodila (Palmar) festiva is a wood-boring pest posing a major threat to the phytosanitary conditions of several coniferous trees. Its unprecedented European expansion has triggered serious plant protection concerns in several new habitats. Parts of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana injured by L. festiva were collected and analysed by computed tomography in order to study the dimensions of the cavities caused by L. festiva larvae as well as the larval positions. It is concluded that computer tomography representing a non-invasive approach is a promising tool for the visual depiction of the position and the physical parameters of the cavities formed. According to our experimental data, the penetration into the cypress caused by larvae and, inherently, its depth depends on the diameter of the branch. Additionally, the developing larvae appeared to keep distance from each other, which also depended on the diameter of the attacked branch. Our approach provides new data to the biological traits of the species. The main benefit that our imaging method furnishes is the exact, stress-free measurement method of the hidden developing stages. Its additional advantage is the indirect pest identification, which is based on the predetermined pest-specific damage characters.

Qualitative and quantitative parameters of tomatoes are impaired by Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), which cause severe economic losses worldwide. Our aims were to assess H. halys-induced tissue damage in tomatoes via computer tomography and to confirm the results of imaging obtained by analytical methods. Our examination confirmed the intensification of the change in the inner structure of damaged tomatoes as a function of time. The tendency of this destruction triggered by bug saliva grew exponentially from the exocarp layer to the inner placenta. The destruction of the plant tissue was aggravated by an increase in the number of bugs, as it was unequivocally evinced by the shell thickness assays. The results of the assessment of the antioxidant capacity of tomato mesocarp showed a distinct decrease in the antioxidant capacity of the samples obtained from H. halys-infested tomatoes. This indicates that the ferric-reducing antioxidant power value was related to the degradation processes of the mesocarp tissue in tomato fruit caused by the watery saliva released by H. halys. The presented experimental method can be suitable for the qualitative control of the vegetable items intended for trade, which can help for the isolation of tomatoes damaged by bugs immediately after harvest.

Various applications of farm animal imaging are based on estimating the weight of specific body parts and cuts from CT images of animals. In many cases, the complexity of the problem is increased by the enormous variability in body postures in the CT images due to scanning unsedated live animals. In this work, we propose a general and robust approach to estimate the weights of sections and body parts from CT images of (possibly) live animals. We adapt the segmentation by elastic registration and joint feature and model selection for the regression component to cope with the large number of features and small number of samples. The proposed technique is evaluated and illustrated by real applications in rabbit breeding programs. The r(2) values are 12% higher than those of previous techniques and methods used in the breeding selection programs. The proposed technique is easily transferable to similar problems and is therefore made available in an open source software package for the benefit of the community.

The non-invasive diagnostic methods represent a new branch of insect diagnostics, which can provide novel information especially about insects with hidden lifestyle. Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most useful non-destructive techniques allowing for both qualitative and quantitative assessments. The aim of the present study was to attain entomological information through the implementation of CT imaging, hence contributing to the spread of non-invasive imaging in entomological research. Through monitoring the development of wood-dwelling cerambycid larvae in beech branches, we point out some outputs applicable in entomological studies, which originate from CT image post-processing. We present findings on the location, and size of specimens of some hidden arthropods, as well as cavities formed by them, stemming from the maximum and minimum intensity projections, windowing, 3D-reconstruction, or virtual endoscopy, as steps of the imaging. In summary, it is expected that our findings contribute to a wider recognition of the entomological information that can be gathered from these non-invasive imaging techniques.