Egg parasitoids of the genus (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are important natural enemies of many lepidopterous pests in agricultural and forest areas. Because the use of indigenous populations/species can significantly increase the biological control efficiency, the characterization of endemic populations and precise species identification is important. In this study, wasps were collected from parasitized eggs of several lepidopteran pests in Northern and Central Iran. Seven species were identified based on the morphology and the nucleotide sequence, size and restriction profile (PCR-RFLP) of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of the rDNA of . Bezdenko, Marchal, Hartig, Westwood, Girault, Voegel, and Sorokina. This is the first report of in Iran. Additionally, natural populations were surveyed for the prevalence of . Two populations of were found to be infected by a single strain which was identified by using a multi-locus sequencing approach

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Fertility life table parameters were assessed for five populations (strains) of two Trichogramma species, T. embryophagum Hartig and T. principium Sugonyaev & Sorokina, collected from eggs of the carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) in Iranian pomegranate orchards. Four combinations of two constant temperatures (25°C, 30°C) and two relative humidity levels (50% RH, 70% RH) were used. The overall intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was significantly decreased with decreased relative humidity but was uninfluenced by temperature. The highest and lowest rm values were observed in T. embryophagum from Qum (0.34 Ϯ 0.004) and T. embryophagum from Varamin (0.13 Ϯ 0.01), respectively. Two-way interaction analyses revealed that the strains had significantly different responses in their rm values at different temperatures and relative humidities. In general, rm values were significantly higher at 25°C and 70% RH than at 30°C and 50% RH. The Qum strain of T. embryophagum was the most promising candidate to be considered as a biocontrol agent against E. ceratoniae due to its high reproductive rate (0.27 Ϯ 0.01) at conditions (30°C and 50% RH) similar to the actual climatic conditions in Iranian pomegranate orchards during the major part of the growing season.

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most destructive pests of tomato worldwide. Biological control of the pest using Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) wasps can be combined with other practices such as use of synthetic sex pheromones for mating disruption or mass trapping programs. In this study, effects of T. absoluta sex pheromone on behavioral responses and fertility life table parameters of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), Wolbachia-uninfected (W-) Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), and Wolbachia-infected (W+) T. brassicae were investigated under laboratory conditions. Female wasps of T. evanescens and T. brassicae (W+) were attracted to the pest synthetic sex pheromone (around 62%) and calling virgin female moths (around 75%) and their responses were affected by the wasp age and temperature. Exposure to the host synthetic sex pheromone significantly reduced the percentage of adult emergence, longevity, and fecundity of female wasps, as well as the time spent to find a mate and duration of mating. However, tested populations were not affected similarly. Despite the laboratory tests, greenhouse experiments showed that the wasps were not caught in the traps baited with T. absoluta synthetic sex pheromone. Complementary studies are needed to precisely determine possible interference between pheromone application and releasing Trichogramma Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) wasps to achieve a successful integrated control of T. absoluta.

Organic soil amendments can influence insect pest populations and the damage to plants they cause. In this study, the effects of medicinal plant processing wastes (MPPWs) applied as organic fertilizers on the host preference and performance of Tuta absoluta and Aphis gossypii were investigated on tomato and cucumber plants, respectively. Processing wastes of cumin, rosemary, thyme, artichoke, chamomile, fenugreek, and nettle were applied in four levels of 0, 20, 40, and 80 g dry matter/1kg culture media in pot experiments. Results showed the application of MPPWs, especially 80 g of nettle, reduced the number of T. absoluta eggs (from 0.8 to 0.4 egg/leaf) and their hatching percentage (from 90 to 76%). The highest and lowest number of aphids were observed in control (36 aphids/plant) and treated cucumbers with 80 g of cumin (18 aphids/plant). Also, the lowest intrinsic rate of increase (0.08 d−1) and net reproductive rate (20 offspring) of T. absoluta were observed in tomatoes fertilized with nettle. The highest and lowest net reproductive rate of A. gossypii were obtained on control and treated plants with 80 g of nettle, respectively. Results of damage assessment showed that the percentage of dry weight loss in the aphid-infested plants was reduced by the use of MPPWs, so that lowest weight loss was observed in the treatment with 80 g of nettle. In conclusion, soil amendment using MPPWs could result in lower pest populations and may improve plant tolerance to insect pest stress, thus these by-products could be considered a valuable tool in pest management.

No abstract