Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most important fruit pestsof wolfberry which is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. We characterized the complete mitochondrial genome of N. asiatica and described its organization in this study. This mitogenome had a total length of 15,481 bp, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a non-coding region (A + T-rich control region). The overall base composition of N. asiatica in descending order was 40.6% A, 8.5% G, 38.4% T and 12.6% C. The phylogenetic relationships shows that Ceratitis capitata and N. asiatica may be sister taxa. This is the first report of the complete mitochondrial genome of a member of the Neoceratitis Genus and the complete mitochondrial genome sequence may provide useful information for phylogenetic analysis and studies between the genera Ceratitis and Neoceratitis.

Plant essential oils, as biological pesticides, have been reviewed from several perspectives and play a key role in chemical ecology. However, plant essential oils show rapid degradation and vulnerability during actual usage. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of the compounds present in the essential oils of A. stechmanniana using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed seventeen terpenoid compounds in the A. stechmanniana oil, with four major terpenoid compounds, i.e., eucalyptol (15.84%), (+)-2-Bornanone (16.92%), 1-(1,2,3-Trimethyl-cyclopent-2-enyl)-ethanone (25.63%), and (-)-Spathulenol (16.38%), in addition to an amount of the other terpenoid compounds (25.26%). Indoor toxicity assays were used to evaluate the insecticidal activity of Artemisia stechmanniana essential oil against Aphis gossypii, Frankliniella occidentalis, and Bactericera gobica in Lycium barbarum. The LC₅₀/LD₅₀ values of A. stechmanniana essential oils against A. gossypii, F. occidentalis, and B. gobica were 5.39 mg/mL, 0.34 mg/L, and 1.40 μg/insect, respectively, all of which were highly efficient compared with azadirachtin essential oil. Interestingly, A. stechmanniana essential oil embedded in β-cyclodextrin (microencapsule) remained for only 21 days, whereas pure essential oils remained for only 5 days. A field efficacy assay with the A. stechmanniana microencapsule (AM) and doses at three concentrations was conducted in Lycium barbarum, revealing that the insecticidal activities of AM showed high efficiency, maintained a significant control efficacy at all concentrations tested, and remained for 21 days. Our study identified terpenoid compounds from untapped Artemisia plants and designed a novel method against pests using a new biopesticide on L. barbarum.

Gravel-sand mulching is a traditional agricultural practice in arid and semiarid regions, providing a surface barrier for soil and water conservation. However, application of such practice in monocropping systems may lead to outbreaks of several devastating plant diseases, such as watermelon Fusarium wilt.

Precipitation changes have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem productivity. However, the effects of precipitation changes on species diversity have been the focus of most previous studies. Little is known about the contributions of different dimensions of biodiversity (species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity) in linking long-term precipitation changes to ecosystem functions. In this study, a randomized design was conducted in the desert steppes of Ningxia, which included three treatments: natural rainfall, precipitation reduced by 50%, and precipitation increased by 50%. After 4 years of treatment, the effects of precipitation changes on aboveground productivity and its underlying mechanisms were explored. The results showed that (1) reduced precipitation significantly decreased phylogenetic diversity and species diversity, but had no significant effect on functional diversity; (2) reduced precipitation significantly decreased aboveground productivity, while increased precipitation significantly enhanced aboveground productivity; and (3) changes in precipitation primarily regulated aboveground productivity by altering soil nitrogen availability and the size of dominant plant species. This study provides important theoretical and practical guidance for the protection and management of desert steppe vegetation under future climate change.

Arthropods play a crucial role in ecological processes and agricultural productivity. Soil physicochemical properties, indicators of soil health, are closely linked to arthropod communities. Gravel-sand mulching, commonly employed in arid farming, initially enhances water retention and temperature regulation but may contribute to land degradation with prolonged use. This study investigated how varying tillage durations affected soil properties and arthropod diversity under gravel-sand mulching. The analysis employed multiple comparison methods, covariance analysis (ANCOVA), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), and redundancy analysis (RDA). The results indicated that while soil fertility was better preserved in cultivated fields compared to in the desert grassland, arthropod diversity significantly decreased with longer cultivation periods. A total of 1099 arthropods from 79 species were sampled, by Barber trap. The highest diversity was observed in native grassland (NG), with 305 arthropods from 39 species, while tillage 21 years (GPS-21Y) exhibited the lowest diversity, with only 103 arthropods from 6 species. Dominant species included the carnivores Labidura japonica and Cataglyphis aenes. The analysis revealed low similarity in arthropod communities between GPS-21Y and other fields and high similarity in soil physicochemical properties between NG and the transition zone (STZ). RDA showed available potassium (APP) was negatively correlated with arthropod species diversity and concentration, total Nitrogen (TN) was positively correlated with arthropod species diversity but negatively correlated with species concentration, total phosphorus (TP) was negatively correlated with arthropod species diversity and concentration. This study provides insights into the relationship between maintaining soil fertility and supporting arthropod diversity in grassland agriculture. While soil fertility and arthropod diversity were correlated, continuous cropping practices negatively impacted arthropod diversity, offering valuable information for pest management and sustainable agricultural practices.

Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker) (Diptera: Tephritidae), known as wolfberry fruit fly, is a harmful pest of Lycium barbarum (Solanaceae). Neoceratitis asiatica female adults insert the ovipositor into the peel of L. barbarum and lay eggs, causing reductions in yield and economic loss. The symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia spp. have attracted considerable attention and interest by entomologists in recent years. Wolbachia infect many genera of tephritid fruit flies, such as Anastrepha, Bactrocera, Rhagoletis, Dacus, Ceratitis, and Carypomya. Wolbachia can induce complete cytoplasmic incompatibility in novel hosts, leading to complete suppression of laboratory populations by single releases of infected males, which potentially makes it a useful method for pest management. In this study, the infection of Wolbachia in N. asiatica from the Ningxia region in China was detected based on the Wolbachia surface protein gene sequence. The neighbor-joining tree showed Wolbachia in wolfberry fruit fly was wRi strain. This research lays the foundation for further study about Wolbachia in Chinese wolfberry fruit fly, and also provides a basis for the prevention and control of other economically important fruit flies using Wolbachia.