Spatial pattern of citrus canker was examined in a lemon grove. Twenty-nine isolates of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri were collected from the symptomatic leaves of lemon trees. All the citrus canker isolates caused corky lesion of citrus canker by pin-prick inoculation on navel orange leaves, confirming their pathogenicity. There was a correlation between the ability of mannitol utilization and the lesion area on navel orange. The physiological properties of bacteria demonstrated that all the isolates were classified into seven strains based on the utilization of carbohydrates （mannitol, mannose, maltose, lactose and malonate）. Strain 1 was the most prevalent type of strain among all the isolates and utilized all five kinds of carbohydrates, generating an aggregated distribution in a lemon grove. These results suggest that in the life cycle of citrus canker, young stem lesions of strain 1 from angular shoots would be potentially the dominant source for secondary infection.

　Thrips tabaci （Thysanoptera: Thripidae） is a major pest of asparagus in Saga Prefecture. We evaluated the effectiveness of Nesidiocoris tenuis（ Hemiptera: Miridae）, a biological control agent against T. tabaci, using banker plants in greenhouse asparagus. We examined effects of food （eggs of Ephestia kuehniella or fresh shoots of Sesamum indicum and Cleome hassleriana） in the nymphal stage of N. tenuis on the feeding amount of T. tabaci in the laboratory. The experiment revealed that nymphal food did not affect the number of T. tabaci fed on by N. tenuis. Then we prepared small greenhouses with four asparagus plants and released 50 individuals of T. tabaci and a pair of N. tenuis adults. The release of N. tenuis had a significant negative effect on T. tabaci density on asparagus, but T. tabaci population gradually increased from early August to late October. When either S. indicum, C. hassleriana, or Verbena × hybrida ‘Tapian’ was planted adjacent to asparagus as banker plants, N. tenuis kept the density of T. tabaci at low levels throughout the experiment. These suggest that the use of N. tenuis together with banker plants is effective to control T. tabaci populations in greenhouse asparagus.

The lethal effect of Decanoyloctanoylglycerol on eggs and larvae of Plutella xylostella L. was investigated. Decanoyloctanoylglycerol was found to be highly effective for population control in egg stage treatment. In a cabbage field, the mixing of Decanoyloctanoylglycerol with insecticides was suggested to increase the lethal effect. In the egg stage treatment of Saburina® containing Decanoyloctanoylglycerol: one of the products of Bacillus thuringiensis preparation, the effect was observed on the hatchling, and the mortality was 100% at 48 hours in the third instar larval stage treatment. In a cabbage field, Saburina® had a density suppressing effect compared with other BT, suggesting the possibility of it being used as one of the insecticides in the control program of P. xylostella.

Comstockaspis perniciosa is a pest that injures Japanese pear, citrus, and other economically important fruit trees. The addition of 1,000-fold diluted buprofezin to 150-fold diluted machine oil suppressed the density of the next generation of C. perniciosa. Additionally, buprofezin added to sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether showed a higher control effect on C. perniciosa than buprofezin alone or when added to machine oil. Generally, C. perniciosa is treated with pesticides during the hatching peak period at the end of May to effectively control outbreaks. If it is treated 2 weeks earlier, then buprofezin can suppress the density of hatchlings and a higher effect occurs with the addition of a paraffin-spreading agent.

Fauna of lepidopteran, coleopteran and orthopteran insects feeding on wild soybean, Glycine soja Sieb. et Zucc., and abundance of respective species in vegetations including wild soybean were investigated in Kumamoto City and its environs (Kumamoto, Kashima, Ozu, Koshi and Shisui) from 2011 to 2015. Lepidopteran insects, Paragabara ochreipennis, Omiodes miserus, O. indicatus, Matsumuraeses falca, and Pleuroptya ruralis were found in abundance at many surveyed vegetations. Coleopteran insects, Medythia nigrobilineata and Popillia japonica, as well as orthopteran insects Patanga japonica and Oecamthus euryelytra were found in abundance at only some surveyed vegetations. Many coleopteran and orthopteran insects were found in Kashima, whereas few in Shisui. It seems that the difference in abundance of each species among the surveyed vegetations could be caused by the presence and amount of host plants in the field habitat including the surrounding environment.