PVY (Potyviridae: potyvirus) is one of the most important potato virus affecting seed potato production and also it is transmitted non-persistently via aphids. For healthy seed potato production, a virus detection system is highly important in addition to aphid monitoring and control. To achieve this detection method, it need to fast and easy to use. About two decades ago RT-PCR based PVY detection method was developed. However that was very time consuming and has low sensitivity. Here, we developed an advanced PVY detection method which a uses the boiling extraction of the viral RNA from aphid stylet and amplification by specific primers located in the viral capsid protein gene. Therefore, it could directly synthesize cDNA of PVY viral capsid gene from extracted RNA of PVY using one-step RT-PCR method in very short time compared to previous methods due to the omission of RNA extraction step. We confirmed this PVY detection method using the two aphid species (Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Aphis gossypii) that known as PVY vectors. The efficiency of this PVY detection method was 60% to 80% from two the aphid species. Hence, this method could be potentially applied to virus free seed potato production programs.

The physiology of parasitic wasp control of their lepidopteran hosts' not only includes injecting their egg but also various factors such as symbiotic virus. This study was focused on the investigation of sophisticated interaction between parasitoid (Diadegma fenestrale) and their host (Plutella xylostella) in P. xylostella larva at transcriptome level, to check whether it is parasitized or not. Short-read deep sequencing method (Hiseq2000) was used for the transcriptome analysis. De novo assembly of cDNA sequence data generated 196,081 contigs between 201bp and 15,853bp in length. Some detoxification enzymes such as cytochrome P450 and Immune-related genes such as antimicrobial peptides were up-regulated after parasitism. Expression of symbiotic ichnovirus genes was detected in parasitized larvae with 55 contigs identified from five ichnovirus gene families including vankyrin, viral innexin, repeat elements, a cysteine-rich motif, and polar residue rich protein. This investigation provides a detailed information on differential expression of P. xylostella larval genes and symbiotic ichnovirus genes following parasitization.

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is one of the most serious pest in cabbage cultivation. Field survey was carried out to know the insecticide resistance levels in five main cabbage cultivation regions (Pyeong-chang, Hong-cheon, Bong-wha, Mu-ju and Je-ju) in 2009~2011. The green peach aphid can resist a wide range of insecticides in five surveyed local populations. Among the nine tested insecticides, four chemicals (methomyl, bifenthrin, pymetrozine and flonicarmid) showed less than 60% mortality in the recommended concentration in most years of local populations. Multi resistant (MR) strain was selected from these populations and modified AChE (MACE: StoF mutation), MtoL mutation in para-type sodium channel, esterase over-expression were observed in almost of all populations including MR strain. Especially, StoF and MtoL mutations were highly correlated with resistance ratio and population based quantitative sequencing results. Therefore, these results suggested that molecular-biology based resistance monitoring can applied resistance management in M. persicae.

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover), is one of the most serious pest in seed potato and various vegetable cultivation. The imidacloprid-resistant strain (IR) was over 300-fold more resistant to imidacloprid compared to a susceptible strain (S) as judged by LC50 values. A highly imidacloprid-resistant local field population (L) was collected from cucumber at Gangwha island in 4th August 2011. Even though neonicotinoid insecticides especially imidacloprid were sprayed six times during June and July, aphid density was too high to be counted. To identify differentially expressed genes in IR or L, comparative transcriptome analyses based on GS-FLX were conducted using total RNAs extracted from IR, L and S strains. Futhermore, to search the resistance associated proteins in IR or L, comparative proteome analyses based on 2DE were conducted using total proteins extracted from IR, L and S strains. Few common candidate genes detected among IR and L such as ABC genes. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of six nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit (alpha 1-5, beta 1) genes from IR, L and S strain revealed a point mutation in the loop D region of the nAChR beta 1 subunit of the IR, causing an arginine to threonine substitution (R81T). These mechanisms also reported in Myzus persicae and this amino acid change confers a vertebrate-like character to the insect nAChR and results in reduced sensitivity to neonicotinoids.

Three rice cultivars, Namweonbyeo (early maturing), Hwaseongbyeo (medium maturing) and Dongjinbyeo (medium-late maturing) were trans-planted with 3 different seedling ages to investigate their growth habits and to improve the cultural method in paddy fields in the southern plain area of the Honam region in 1993. The 10-day old seedlings had more vigorous elongation of plant height and higher tillering ability but lower effective tiller rate, when compared with 35-day or 40-day old seedlings. Leaf area index and top dry weight were lower in 10-day old seedlings up to 40 days after transplanting but thereafter, were not different among seedlings ages. CGR was later in 10-day old seedlings, up to 30 days after transplanting, but in 30 to 40 days after transplanting, it was reversed. RGR was the highest in infant seedlings to 40 days after trans-planting, while in 50 days after transplanting, it was reversed. Panicle number and spikelet number per square meter were the highest in 40-day old seedlings, next highest in 35-day old seedlings and the lowest and in adult seedlings up to 40 days after transplanting, while spikelet number per panicle was vice versa. Milled rice yield did not vary significantly by seedling ages, but among the varieties, it was less in Hwaseongbyeo compared with Naweonbyeo and Dongjnbyeo.