Evaluation of four aphidiine parasitoids for biological control of Aphis gossypii

Abstract

Four aphidiine parasitoid species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were evaluated with respect to their potential to control Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) in glasshouse cucumbers. In a laboratory experiment thirty cotton aphids were offered to individual females for two hours. Aphidius matricariae Haliday parasitized less than six percent of the aphids and was ruled out as potential biological control agent. Ephedrus cerasicola Starý and Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cresson parasitized 23 and 26 percent of the aphids, respectively. Aphidius colemani Viereck parasitized 72 to 80 percent of the aphids. With the latter three species, experiments were performed in small glasshouses with cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L. cv. ‘Aramon’). As in the laboratory test A. colemani performed best; significantly more colonies were found and parasitization rates in the colonies were higher by A. colemani than by E. cerasicola and L. testaceipes. Because of the good correspondence between laboratory and glasshouse experiments, it is suggested that bad performance of an aphid parasitoid species in a simple laboratory trial might be sufficient evidence to disregard this species for further tests.

Instar preference and parasitization of Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) by the parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae)

“…In the current study this conclusion seems to be further supported considering that although A. colemani was reared on M. persicae for a 2-year period, its preference for A. gossypii remained strong. Also, A. colemani rearing on M. persicae for 1.5 years did not alter its preference for A. gossyppii than when reared on A. gossypii (van Steenis, 1995). This preference for A. gossypii than the larger M. persicae could be due to the time limitations when ovipositing, which is a determinant of parasitoid searching behaviour .…”

“…Our knowledge on the factors that influence A. colemani host selection is relatively limited (Grasswitz, 1998) and it mainly concerns preference for different aphid species (Messing & Rabasse, 1995;van Steenis, 1995). However, a foraging parasitoid when searching in an aphid colony encounters different types of prey and therefore, studies that examine parasitization rate and preference on different host types that are simultaneously present, are relevant to the natural field situation.…”

“…Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) has been proved to be a highly suitable host for this parasitoid (Messing & Rabasse, 1995;van Steenis, 1995;Harizanova & Ekbom, 1997) whereas Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is an acceptable host of A. colemani (Tardieux & Rabasse, 1986;van Steenis, 1993) that favours its performance (Hofsvang & Hågvar, 1978;Toussidou et al, 1999). Furthermore, A. colemani was the most promising among four parasitoid species tested for biological control of M. persicae (van Steenis, 1995). This parasitoid is widely used in the biological control of A. gossypii in glasshouse crops (van Schelt et al, 1990;Grasswitz & Reese, 1998;Eilenberg et al, 2000) and against M. persicae on eggplants (Easwaramoorthy et al, 1976;Bolckmans & Tetteroo, 2002).…”

Impact of secondary parasitism on Aphidius colemani in the banker plant system on aphid control in commercial greenhouses in Kochi, Japan

“…Prior to pest occurrence, banker plants serve as a reservoir of control agents in the greenhouse by providing them with an alternative, non-pest food source. For the control of aphids, the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani Viereck is one of the most powerful agents (van Steenis, 1995a). Ever since the banker plant system using A. colemani on bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) was developed for cucumber protection against the cotton aphid ( Bennison and Corless, 1993), techniques using banker plants have become commonplace in protected crops in the UK (Walters and Hardwick, 2000).…”

An experimental investigation of patterns of parasitism at three spatial scales in an aphid-parasitoid system (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae)

“…A. colemani is a gener alist aphid parasitoid commonly used in augmentative biological control of M. persicae and the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, in vegetable greenhouses (e.g. Hofsvang & Hagvar, 1975;Van Steenis, 1995). M. per sicae is a pest of high economic importance, with wide geographic and host ranges (Van Emden et al, 1969).…”