On-farm impact of egg parasitoid, Trichogramma spp. against lepidopteran pests in organic basmati rice

Abstract

On farm impact of Trichogrammatids was studied against lepidopteran pests, i.e., yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker) and leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenee) in organic basmati rice (var. Pusa 1121) over an area of 20 and 60 hectares during 2014 and 2015, respectively. Six augmentative releases of Trichogramma chilonis and T. japonicum each @ 1,00,000 parasitoids/ha were made starting from 30 days after transplanting (DAT) and was compared with untreated control. Based on the overall mean, the biocontrol treatment (1.74% DH) was significantly effective in reducing the dead heart incidence as compared to untreated control (4.52% DH). The reduction in dead hearts was 61.50 per cent in biocontrol over untreated control. The mean incidence of white ears was also significantly lower in biocontrol field (2.05%) as against untreated control (4.89%) resulting in a reduction of 58.08 per cent. Similarly, leaf folder damage in biocontrol (2.04% LFDL) resulted in 62.50 per cent reduction over untreated control (5.44% LFDL). Grain yield in biocontrol fields (29.81 q/ha) was 18.76 per cent more than the untreated control (25.10 q/ha). The increase in yield due to control of stem borers and leaf folder in biocontrol fields resulted in an additional benefit of INR 16332/-and INR 9818/-during 2014 and 2015, respectively. Conclusively, 6 releases of T. chilonis and T. japonicum each @ 1,00,000/ha resulted in lower incidence of rice insect pests and higher grain yield in organic basmati rice with an additional benefit over untreated control.

The The diversity and abundance of Hymenoptera insects on tidal swamp rice field in Indragiri Hilir District, Indonesia

“…Hymenoptera parasitoids have been widely used as biological agents. For example, several species of the Braconidae family are used as parasitoids to control various pests on crops (Lv et al 2011;Tomanović et al 2013), some species of the Ichneumonidae family as parasitoids in larvae and pupae of Lepidoptera pests in agroecosystems (Mason 2013), several species of the Scionionae family as parasitoids in rice and oil palm plantations (Pebrianti et al 2016) and several species of the Trichogrammatidae family as parasitoids to control pests in agroecosystems (Hidrayani et al 2013;Sangha et al 2018). The finding of our study suggests that the Hymenoptera parasitoid has the potential to become a biological agent in Indragiri Hilir District.…”

Hymenopteran parasitoid complex and fall armyworm: a case study in eastern India

“…It may also be used for augmentative biological control in the newly invaded geographical regions including the study area. Trichogramma chilonis is already in use in India for augmentative release of other lepidopteran pests in paddy and sugarcane fields 64 , 65 and may also be tested against FAW in farmers’ fields. Further attempts to identify and select suitable natural enemies of FAW for enhanced biological control in maize should consider two main characteristics: high efficacy to the host; and high host specificity to avoid nontarget effects 34 .…”

Diversity of Hymenoptera parasitoid species in rice cultivation and their correlation with environmental factors in tidal swamp land

“…About 80% of Hymenoptera are parasitoid (Rasplus et al 2010). For example, some species from the Braconidae family are used as parasitoids to control various pests on crops (Tomanović et al 2013), some species from the Ichneumonidae family as parasitoids in larvae and pupae of Lepidoptera pests in agroecosystems (Mason 2013), several species from the Scelionidae family parasitoids in rice and oil palm plantations Pebrianti et al (2016) and several species from the Trichogrammatidae family as parasitoids to control pests in the agroecosystems (Sangha et al 2018).…”