Biological control of Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in stored chickpeas through the release of natural enemies

Abstract

In this study, two predatory mites and two parasitoid wasps were evaluated for their effectiveness in controlling Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a common pest in stored chickpeas. The predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae) preyed on the bruchid's eggs but did not consume a large amount; the mite Blattisocius tarsalis (Acari: Ascidae) did not consume C. chinensis eggs. However, the larval parasitoids Anisopteromalus calandrae and Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) were effective at reducing the bruchid's larval population, producing mortality rates above 90% in controlled conditions (28 ± 2ºC, 75 ± 5% relative humidity [RH]). In tubes of 20-cm diameter filled with 9 to 35 kg of chickpeas, both parasitoids were able to parasitize the host at depths of 40, 100, and 150 cm, even when larvae were offered simultaneously at all depths. This indicates that parasitoids will probably be able to locate hosts at least at 150 cm of distance in a storage facility. A. calandrae was similarly effective at reducing the bruchid population at different parasitoidto-host ratios (1:7, 1:15, 1:30, and 1:60). Moreover, A. calandrae efficiently reduced C. chinensis populations when released in 25-kg commercial polypropylene bags of chickpeas in simulated warehouse conditions (27 ± 2ºC and 65 ± 4% RH). This is the first time that A. calandrae and L. distinguendus are shown to be effective biological control agents for the integrated management of C. chinensis in stored chickpeas and can be an alternative to the application of pesticides for maintaining low bruchid population levels.

Comparative performance of five hermetic bag brands during on-farm smallholder cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.Walp) storage

“…Despite it being abundant in the untreated control grain, this parasitoid was not sufficiently able to keep bruchid populations low, suggesting that some other measure of protection is required. In other studies, the larval parasitoids, Anisopteromalus calandrae and Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) were found to be effective in reducing Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) larval population in stored chick peas under laboratory controlled conditions (28 ± 2 °C, 75 ± 5% RH) (Iturralde-García et al, 2020).…”

Biological Control Potential of Anisopteromalus calandrae against Callosobruchus maculates in Brown Lentils under Controlled Environmental Conditions

“…Although 2:1 and 1:1 showed very impressive results but these practices cannot be used for a longer period of time (6 months or more) because they showed almost 100% parasitism this means the parasitoid will not have host population to lay eggs and so its population will decline and get vanished in a smaller period of time but in case of 3:1 ratio, the pest population was under control and parasitoid lived for a longer period of time. Mahal [20,21] performed similar experiments on A. calandraeto observe the effects of different introduction rate released in different densities (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) introduced in population of R. dominica in stored wheat.…”

Optimal cold storage protocol for Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a biological control agent for coleopteran pests in stored products

“…Anisopteromalus calandrae has been shown to be a highly effective biological control agent of coleopterous stored grain pests, and can even penetrate commercial packaging bags with 0.55 mm pore sizes, such as cotton, hemp, nylon, and polypropylene bags 7,8 . It can reduce the populations of Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Callosobruchus chinensis (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) by > 90% under laboratory conditions 3,9 . At a parasitoid‐to‐host ratio of > 1:25, the suppression rate of Anisopteromalus calandrae on the fifth instar larvae of Lasioderma serricorne was reported to be > 93.4% 10 .…”

“…At a parasitoid‐to‐host ratio of > 1:25, the suppression rate of Anisopteromalus calandrae on the fifth instar larvae of Lasioderma serricorne was reported to be > 93.4% 10 . Anisopteromalus calandrae could locate Callosobruchus chinensis at a depth of 150 cm in the grain heap 9 . Moreover, Anisopteromalus calandrae can be used together with other natural biological control agents, such as the predatory mite Acarophenax lacunatus (Cross & Krantz) (Acariformes: Acarophenacidae), to control these two pests 11 .…”