Functional Response of Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) to Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae): Effects of Vermicompost and Host Plant Cultivar

Abstract

Interactions between natural enemies and herbivores may be affected by application of fertilizers and different cultivars. We investigated the functional response of the predatory gall midge, Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) larvae to the nymphs of the melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), reared on two commonly grown cucumber cultivars in Iran (Khasib and Karim) treated with different vermicompost/soil ratios (0:100, 10:90, 20:80, and 30:70%). Based on logistic regression analysis, A. aphidimyza revealed a type II functional response to the aphid in all treatments. Attack rates and handling times of A. aphidimyza larvae on different vermicompost/soil ratios ranged from 0.076 to 0.140 h(-1) and 0.969 to 1.164 h on Khasib and from 0.092 to 0.123 h(-1) and 0.905 to 1.229 h on Karim, respectively. Furthermore, increasing the density of the melon aphid on both cultivars amended with vermicompost/soil ratios resulted in increased prey consumption by the predator. Density of trichomes increased when plants received higher concentrations of vermicompost. So, trichomes may be responsible for different attack rates and handling times of A. aphidimyza on both cultivars.

The Effects of Biostimulants on Induced Plant Defense

“…The egg parasitoids develop faster and have higher fecundity when multiplied in hosts fed on HAtreated plants. This finding is in line with the positive effects on the biology of predators fed on prey reared in vermicomposttreated plants (Mottaghinia et al, 2016;Alizamani et al, 2017). Nevertheless, the mechanism by which HA or vermicompost amendment influences the biology of the third trophic level via host/prey remains unknown.…”

The chromosome-level genome assembly of Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

“…Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is widely used to control aphids in agricultural systems 13 . It is an oligophagous insect that displays remarkable voracity and targets more than 80 species of aphids, including the major pests, namely Aphis craccivora 14 , Aphis gossypii 15 , Myzus persicae 16 , and others 17 . Owing to the limited dispersal ability of larvae, adults primarily depend on oviposition near aphid colonies to facilitate the predation of their progeny and the establishment of their population 13 , 18 – 20 .…”

Organic matter in the pest and plant disease control: a meta-analysis

“…However, despite farmers observation that plants treated with organic matter and its enriched byproducts (compost, vermicompost, teas, humic substances) have a larger tolerance to biotic stress (pests and diseases), scientific studies about the possible structural activity relationships are relatively scarce [28]. The use of different natural organic matters (NOM) has shown valuable and differentiated effects on the control of pests and plant diseases [29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Organic products have been used for biological control of soil-borne diseases and proved effective in reducing the severity of foliar diseases caused by phytopathogens [28,[36][37][38][39].…”

“…Organic products have been used for biological control of soil-borne diseases and proved effective in reducing the severity of foliar diseases caused by phytopathogens [28,[36][37][38][39]. Moreover, their effect against herbivory [33,40] through the induction of plant resistance to pathogen infestations has been reported [41][42][43]. NOM can increase plant resistance indirectly through its important role on soil biological properties, as well as on the development of beneficial soil microbial communities, with a resulting increase in richness and diversity [37,44,45].…”