The genus Acronicta Ochsenheimer, 1816 is known as a forest pest. The acronictine species is widely distributed across the Afrotropical, Oriental, Australian, and Neartic regions. This study presents a new record of an acronictine species from Korea, including descriptions, illustrations, and diagnostic characteristics. Additionally, the CO1 barcode data of the newly recorded species is compared with the global barcode reference at the species level. New data on the recently recorded species has been obtained from this study. This information will aid in the prompt identification and preparation for potential pest outbreaks.

열대 및 아열대 아메리카 지역이 원산지인 열대거세미나방(신칭; Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797))은 최근 전세계적에서 돌발적으로 문제가 되고 있는 농업 해충이다. 높은 비행능력을 가진 열대거세미나방은 2016년 아프리카를 시작으로 2018년 인도, 2019년 동남아시아에서 발견되어 확산 속도가 매우 빠르다. 한국에서 열대거세나방은 2019년 6월 13일 제주도 옥수수 재배 농가포장에서 처음 발견되었고, 그 후 2019년 7월 초까지 전라도, 경상남도의 여러 시/군에서 추가로 발견되었다. 한국에서 최초 침입집단을 미토콘드리아 COI유전자를 이용하여 열대거세미나방임을 유전적으로 동정하였고, 서로 다른 분기군에 속하는 2개의 haplotypes(hap-1, hap-2)으로 구성됨을 확인하였다. 분석된31개의 COI 염기서열 중 hap-1 이 93.5%로 우점하였다.

2018년과 2019년 봄철에 전남 광양의 일부 자두(Prunus salicina Lindl.) 과수원에서 어린 과실을 낙과시켜 심각한 피해를 일으키는 새로운 해충을 채집하여 사육한 후 우화한 성충을 분류동정한 결과, 국내미기록종인 자두수염잎벌(신칭; Monocellicampa pruni Wei)로 확인되어 보고한다. 또한 이 해충의 피해 상황과 분류학적 특징을 기재함과 동시에 수컷생식기의 특징을 도해하여 제시하였다.

국제교역의 발달로 외래병해충의 국내 침입 가능성이 높아지고 있으며, 기후 변화로 인해 토착화 가능성 또한 점차 증가하고 있다. 이에 대한 선제적인 연구를 위해 기존의 생물안전 연구 시설을 바탕으로 검역해충 실험동을 농림축산검역본부에 구축하였다. 본 시설은 검역해충에 대한 전문연구시설로써 내부해충의 외부유출을 방지하기 위해 실험실 입실시 풍속 25-35m/s 의 에어샤워 부스 통과시설과 각 연구실 출입문에 풍속 9-12m/s 의 샤워커튼이 설치되어 있으며, 자외선 해충유인등이 실험실 내외부 벽면에 장착되었다. 에어샤워 부스와 샤워커튼은 호박꽃과실파리. 벗초파리의 비행에 영향을 주어 실험실 외부로 유출하는 것을 방지할 수 있었다. 또한 이러한 연구를 바탕으로 실험실 표준운영 절차를 수립할 수 있었다.

RNA interference (RNAi) technology is a new direction for insect pest management, a biologically-based and target specific strategy. During the past decade the availability of insect genomics and computational biology has further enabled the implementation of RNAi technology to target economically important insect pests. It has shown striking results in various insect groups, suggesting that it will be a promising tool for the next generation of pest management. The mechanism of RNAi action is a specific knockdown of gene expression vie degradation of a target messenger RNA (mRNA), by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The applied dsRNA thus blocks target protein synthesis, leading to failure of normal physiological functions in the organism To successfully develop RNAi applications, a critical initial step is screening for appropriate candidate genes to identify RNAi targets, because the impacts of gene silencing (especially in terms of which other genes are effected) vary for different RNAi target genes and insects. The challenge with gene selection is to select suitable insect-specific target genes that provide fast-acting mortality or suppression and long-term population suppression without affecting other non-target organisms.

The pea leafminer fly, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) (Diptera: Agromyzidae), is a polyphagous pest attacking wide range of field and greenhouse crops and ornamental plants. Surprisingly, localized outbreaks with high population and heavy unique damage of leafminers were observed from the field survey of potato fields in the southern parts (Miryand and Goryeong) of Korea in 2012. L. huidobrensis was the responsible for those potato damages based on the morphological and genetic characteristics. Then after, it added a one more emerging species in Korean Liriomyza account. Infestation of L. huidobrensis was expanding and reported in major potato growing areas of the country. Genetic evidence showed the close relationship with Chinese L. huidobrensis population, so it might be invaded from China. As a new emerging pest, very few informations relative to this pest are available in Korean prospective. There is also significant potential for it to widen its distribution, as the Korean Peninsula is a hot spot of climate change, particularly global warming. There are a lot of challenges uprooting infront of researchers and growers. It is demanded to explore new secrets and to be ready to tackle of this invasive pest, L. huidobrensis.

Riptortus pedestris (F.) inflict losses on a wide range of crop plants. Biological control is an alternative approach to reduce the bean bug population. Scelionid Gryon japonicum (Ashmead) and Encyrtid Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii are the major egg parasitoids of R. pedestris. The aggregation pheromone of R. pedestris serves as a kairomone to its egg parasitoids. A new tool was developed using aggregation pheromone in a trap which attracts both con-specific bugs and the parasitoids. Non viable host eggs were added with the trap so as to provide resource for the attracted parastioids to multiply. Several studies were conducted to develop this new tool for trapping of the bugs and enhancing parasitism simultaneously. Aggregation pheromone trap added with host eggs was found to increase temporal parasitism in field by 44% compared to the parasitism without host eggs. Higher parasitism (up to 91%) was found in the sites where aggregation pheromone trap added with host eggs was installed compared to control sites. In order to improve this tool, a new device with twelve sections to hold eggs and to be attached to the pheromone trap was designed to provide maximum exposure of the eggs to the parasitoids and to minimize the competition among the parasitoids. Parasitism and number of female R. pedestris trapped in new device attached trap were higher compared to the conventional. With better performance in trapping R. pedestris and enhancing parasitism, the tool would serve as an IPM technique that targets killing the pest and enhancing activity of the pest’s natural enemy simultaneously.

 ,  , An unknown planthopper was discovered in 2010 in an apple orchard in Sinpoong-myun, Gongju-si and in a blueberry orchard in Deogsan-myun, Yesan-gun. This pest have arrived 4 or 5 years ago and the population density then rapidly increased. It was identified as Ricania sp. by Dr. Murray J. Fletcher. Adult Ricania sp. was found on 26 plants including blueberry, grape, peach, sumac, japanese angelica, jujube, kiwi, Rubus coreanus, apple, apricot, plum and chestnut. Females lay eggs on 1-year-old branches. The mean number of eggs laid on apple and plum were 18.7 and 15.3, respectively. The mean length of egg masses on apple and plum were 12.35 and 11.45 mm, respectively. The distance between eggs laid on apple and plum branchs were 1.3 and 1.5 mm, respectively. The mean number of eggs in the same length of egg mass on apple and plum branchs were 17.1 and 13.3 , respectively.

Monitoring was conducted to investigate the occurrence of Grapholita dimorpha Komai in Korean apple orchards using sex pheromone traps. G. dimorpa showed four peaks per year: early May, from late June to early July, from late July to mid August, and from late August to September. After adult emergence of the over-wintered G. dimorpha, G. dimorpha catches was decreased significantly and increased again after July. In G. molesta traps, G. molesta and G. dimorpha were trapped by 98.8 and 1.2%, respectively. Conversely in G. dimorpha traps, G. dimorpha and G. molesta were trapped by 99.7 and 0.3%, respectively. The 30.6% of the moths from the damaged apple fruits were G. dimorpha. This is the first report on G. dimorpha in apple orchards in Korea.

Major fruit moths in commercial apple orchards are known as Carposina sasakii and Grapholita molesta. In addition, recently G. molesta is dominant species compared with C. sasakii in apple orcahrds. In case of Japan, the fruit damage occurred a lot unexpectedly in apple orchards of the northern Nagano during the harvesting season in 2004. As the result of identifying after emerging the larvae collected from the damaged fruit, Grapholita dimorpha was found out. The morphology of Grapholita dimorpha are almost similar to that of Grapholita molesta, and the shape of the damaged fruits was too similar to distinguish them. We installed sex pheromone traps of Grapholita dimorpha in apple orchards to check if there were Grapholita dimorpha in Korean apple orchards and to survey seasonal occurrence. As a result of survey by installing sex pheromone traps of G. dimorpha at one apple orchard in Uiseong-Gun and Gunwi-Gun area respectively, we could find high population density of G. dimorpha in sex pheromone traps. The peak of the first generation of G. dimorpha was dated in early May. The first generation occurrence of G. molesta in sex pheromone traps was lower than that of Grapholita molesta. However, it had higher occurrence of sex pheromone traps than G. molesta since it increased after mid and late July. Also, as a result of identifying in G. molesta traps, there were 673 G. molesta and 8 G. dimorpha. As a result of survey of 1,102 G. dimorpha in its sex pheromone traps, there were 1,099 G. dimorphaand 3 G. molesta.

Oriental persimmon, Diospyros kaki Thunb., endemic to East Asia is one of the major fruit crops in Korea. We conducted the faunal survey of mites on persimmon trees in Korea from June to September 2006, especially focusing on herbivorous and predacious mites. Mites of Tetranychidae and Tenuipalpidae were dominantly collected as herbivores, while those of Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae were predominant as predators. All identified tenuipalpid mites were Tenuipalpus zhizhilashviliae Reck. Most of the collected tetranychid mites were found to belong to the genus Tetranychus. To clarify the species identity, additional collections of tetraychid mites during summer 2007 on sweet persimmon were made. The mites were identified as Tetranychus urticae Koch. Four phytoseiid species, Neoseiulus womersleyi (Schicha), Amblyseius eharai Amitai and Swirski, Phytoseius (Dubininellus) rubii Xin, Liang and Ke and Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) vulgaris Ehara were collected. Among them, A. eharai was the most dominant species. Seventeen populations of two spotted mites (TSM) were observed 3 times per month from May to October to figure out their fluctuations at the site of individual farmer’s orchard from Sacheon, Sancheong, and Jinju in Gyeongsangnam- do and Gwangyang, Gurye, and Suncheon in Jeollanam-do. Among them, only 2 sites were properly managed, 5 sites were required to control but the farmers had little information on the mite and its damage, though 10 orchards were not in jeopardy. Number of TSM reached more than 400 at its maximum when 100 leaves were randomly observed at orchards from Sacheon, Okgok, and Muncheok, showing remarkably discolored leaves. For the control of TSM in fields by chemical means, it was tried to select an effective miticides in persimmon fields. Control activity of spiromesifen 20SC showed 99.0% and 98.1% and the activity of acequinocyl 15SC showed 90.8% and 99.0% in Jinju and Sacheon at 20 days after treatment, respectively. It was tried to understand the cause of the fluctuations of TSM populations on the viewpoints of pesticide spray, density of predacious mites, rainfalls, and weeds in the persimmon orchards. Various factors considered to contribute to the cause of population fluctuations, depending upon the situations of each orchard. To develop as a potential resource of biological control agents, it was tried to find out winter spatial distribution and movement of Amblyseius eharai (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on persimmon trees in Korea using artificial materials. We attached Phyto traps and urethane foam on persimmon trees in early November 2007 in Sacheon, Korea to estimate overwintering ecology of the predominant phytoseiid species Amblyseius eharai on persimmon. Most of A. eharai were found on the samples of branches, such as pedicel. In early spring, A. eharai was abundantly collected in the weekly and long-term traps before the leaf extension of persimmon trees, which additionally enhanced the possibility that A. eharai overwintered on the trees.

Camptomyia is a genus of gall midges belonging to subfamily Porricondilinae, with 42 species known from the palaearctic region. In November 2007, serious damages of the Shiitake mushroom logs were reported in many shiitake farms from the middle part of South Korea. Rearing the adults in laboratory, a Camptomyia species was recognized as the major species causing damages on shiitake. Colonies of maggots were observed, feeding the mycelium of shiitake mushroom and the phloem of oak timbers, disturbing the mushroom fruit body formation. The morphology of the larvae and adult of this Camptomyia heterobia. is illustrated with the description of the damage symptom.

As suggested by Kawashima (2006), the most abundant Tetranychidae was Tetranychus sp. as a pest in persimmon orchards. The observatory orchards were selected 16 in total, 2 from Gurye, 2 from Gwangyang, and 2 from Suncheon in Jeonnam Province and 3 from Jinju, 4 from Sacheon, and 3 from Sancheong in Gyeongnam Province. Number of mites in 100 persimmon leaves were observed from each orchards nearly every ten days. Careful rearing of the mites sample collected from the four observaory persimmon fields at which the mite had occurred the most seriously among 16 fields and results from taxanomical identification process indicated that the species was identified Tetranychus urticae. Maximum number of T. urticae reached to 436 on 27 June at Jeongdong, Sacheon, 108 on 1 August at Sinann, Sancheong, 406 on 26 June Okgok, Gwangyang, and 509 on 15 June Muncheok, Gurye. When the number reached to more than 400 mites, the persimmon leaves changed from clear yellow dots, to pale yellow, and to grey in the backside. An experiment was conducted to control T. urticae and to select highly active miticide in persimmon orchards in Jinju and Sacheon. Spiromesifen 20SC and acequinosyl 15 SC were effective.