Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard), a cosmopolitan parasitoid, attacks several beetle pests of stored products, including the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky). Two laboratory experiments were conducted at ambient conditions (25-29°C, 60-70% RH, natural photoperiod). A short-term experiment evaluated the density of A. calandrae (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, or 20 per box) for the optimal production of parasitoids in 3825-cm 3 boxes containing milled rice. The percentage of parasitoid emergence was highest and the percentages of weevil emergence and parasitoid-induced mortality i.e., parasitoid mortality resulting from superparasitism were relatively low with 16 females per box rather than with smaller (0 to 12) or larger (20) numbers of females added per box. The decline in parasitoid emergence at the highest parasitoid density tested (20 females per box) was probably due to superparasitism. A long-term experiment was conducted to determine the parasitoid densities (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 per bottle) that most effectively suppress weevils in milled rice during 6 months of storage in 1-l bottles. To simulate repetitive release of parasitoid, the same number of parasitoids was introduced after each monthly sampling. The number of maize weevils decreased as parasitoid density increased. The best control was obtained with 10 female parasitoids per bottle. At this density, the number of emerged weevil remained stable from the third to the sixth month. Based on the short-term experiment, a parasitoid-host ratio of 1:47 will produce the largest number of parasitoids. Based on the long-term experiment, a parasitoid-host ratio of 1:30 will provide the best control of maize weevils in a monthly release program. The current results indicate that large-scale experiments on biological control of the maize weevil with A. calandrae are now needed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.