The treatment of seeds with systemic insecticides has become a common practice worldwide. However, this prophylactic use of insecticides has been questioned recently because of the potential risks to non-target organisms. This study assessed the non-target effects of chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam seed treatments on the life history and walking behavior of Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas), as well as the efficacy of these insecticides for controlling Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith). Thiamethoxam caused mortality of P. nigrispinus, increased the pre-oviposition period, and reduced the oviposition period and the fecundity and survival of females compared to chlorantraniliprole. In contrast, the life expectancy of P. nigrispinus females was prolonged by chlorantraniliprole, which also increased the intrinsic rate of growth (r) and the finite growth rate (λ), and reduced the population doubling time (DT) compared to thiamethoxam. The net reproductive rate (R) and mean generation time (T) were not affected by either insecticide treatment, and neither were the walking velocity of P. nigrispinus females, nor the distance they covered. Both chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam reduced soybean leaf consumption by S. frugiperda larvae. Given the observed lethal and sublethal effects, soybean seed treatments with chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam were judged to present low and moderate risks for P. nigrispinus, respectively.
The agriculture industry seeks to reconcile control tactics for pest management, necessitating studies of lethal and sublethal effects of insecticides on natural enemies. The effect of six insecticides with diverse modes of action—ethiprole, etofenprox, lambda-cyhalothrin, lambda-cyhalothrin + chlorantraniliprole, pymetrozine, and thiamethoxam + chlorantraniliprole—were evaluated after spraying on eggs, third-instar larvae, pupae, and adults of Harmonia axyridis , a generalist predator in cotton crops. Ethiprole was the only one that had no lethal effect on the predator at any stage of its development; however, it caused sublethal effects when applied to eggs (shortening of the larval phase and lower reproduction). Lambda-cyhalothrin caused high predator mortality after exposure at all stages. Due to the high compatibility between the ladybug H. axyridis and ethiprole, this compound is recommended for use in cotton integrated pest management programs. The other insecticides were harmful in lethal or sublethal tests, and further work in semifield and field conditions is required to confirm if they reduce H. axyridis populations.
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