Selective flowers to enhance biological control of cabbage pests by parasitoids

Géneau, Céline E.; Wäckers, Félix; Luka, Henryk; Daniel, Claudia; Balmer, Oliver

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2011.10.005

Cited by 127 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…[44 -46]). So far, studies investigating the effect of flower strips on pest control have mainly focused on parasitoid-host systems and parasitism [17,28,32,47]. Parasitism usually increased in the presence of flower strips.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These species were selected based on a review of existing evidence for positive effects of floral and extra-floral (C. cyanus) resources offered by these species on the performance, fitness or population dynamics of key natural enemies of major wheat pests, such as CLB and aphids, i.e. ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera), predatory bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) and hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) [9,18,[28][29][30][31][32]. A further criterion for the selection of the plant species was that the provision of floral and extra-floral resources, as well as shelter, matches the time at which crop pests are most effectively controlled by their natural enemies (AprilJuly in the study area) along with agronomic (agronomical unproblematic species) and aesthetical considerations [33].…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage

et al. 2015

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Providing key resources to animals may enhance both their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. We examined the performance of annual flower strips targeted at the promotion of natural pest control in winter wheat. Flower strips were experimentally sown along 10 winter wheat fields across a gradient of landscape complexity (i.e. proportion noncrop area within 750 m around focal fields) and compared with 15 fields with wheat control strips. We found strong reductions in cereal leaf beetle (CLB) density (larvae: 40%; adults of the second generation: 53%) and plant damage caused by CLB (61%) in fields with flower strips compared with control fields. Natural enemies of CLB were strongly increased in flower strips and in part also in adjacent wheat fields. Flower strip effects on natural enemies, pests and crop damage were largely independent of landscape complexity (8-75% non-crop area). Our study demonstrates a high effectiveness of annual flower strips in promoting pest control, reducing CLB pest levels below the economic threshold. Hence, the studied flower strip offers a viable alternative to insecticides. This highlights the high potential of tailored agri-environment schemes to contribute to ecological intensification and may encourage more farmers to adopt such schemes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage

et al. 2015

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“…The floral resources conferred their benefits selectively, with only the parasitoids enjoying increased longevity from their nectar-feeding (Géneau et al, 2012). This is one of many examples that highlight the economic importance of parasitoid wasps.…”

Section: Measuring the Biodiversity Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The maintenance of biodiversity in agroecosystems produces fewer adverse environmental impacts than lower diversity systems, with only a minor drop in average productivity (Kremen & Miles, 2012). Experimental evidence shows that greater levels of biodiversity supplement natural pest control by providing floral resources for predators and parasitoids (Géneau et al, 2012). …”

Section: Measuring the Biodiversity Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimising Capture Methods for the Evaluation of Parasitoid Wasp Diversity

Saunders¹

2018

Preprint

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Parasitoid wasps are mega-diverse, ecologically dominant, but poorly studied components of global biodiversity. Despite their intensive application within pest management as biocontrol agents, little is known about native species. To understand their basic biology they must be collected in sampling programs. However, invertebrate surveys are increasingly subject to funding and time constraints that often preclude complete faunal inventories. In order to maximise the efficiency and reduce the cost of their collection, the application of optimal sampling techniques within a Rapid Biodiversity Assessment framework is proposed. Two sites in the Waitakere Ranges were sampled three times over the summer. An intensive sampling effort of 840 Malaise-trap-days over a three month period was used to determine the relationship between sampling effort and observed species richness. Rarefaction techniques and non-parametric estimators were used to predict true species richness and to evaluate the completeness of sampling. Results show that an intensive Malaise-trapping regime over the summer can capture two-thirds of parasitoid wasp species present. Sampling recommendations are provided to guide optimal usage of Malaise traps for both ecological studies and faunal inventories. Modern taxonomic methods are reviewed and a new species of parasitoid wasp is described, representing the first New Zealand species from the genus Lusius (Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae). Morphological measurements confirm the new species represents a significant range expansion for the genus. Greater collaboration between ecologists and taxonomists is encouraged, in order to make more efficient use of resources, data, and expertise unique to each discipline. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between sampling effort and parasitoid wasp diversity in New Zealand. It shows that very high sampling effort fails to catch all species present. Parasitoid wasps are known to be keystone species that show promise as indicators of environmental quality and as surrogates for the diversity of other taxa. The development of optimal sampling strategies will therefore provide an important foundation for their future study.

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“…One likely reason for these conflicting results is that different plants are more or less attractive to, and/or increase the efficacy of, some natural enemy species more than others (Cortesero et al 2000). For example, plant species differ in nectar and pollen quality for different parasitoids (Aduba et al 2013;Balzan & Wackers 2013;Berndt & Wratten 2005;Geneau et al 2012;Wäckers 2004). Apart from food provisioning, the traits of plants can also affect the searching ability of natural enemies, particularly in 'push-pull' strategies of biological control.…”

Section: Plant Selection For Habitat Management In Agroecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australian fruitspotting bugs, Amblypelta nitida Stål and A. lutescens lutescens Distant (Hemiptera: Coreidae), and the potential for their biologically based management in macadamia orchards

Govender¹

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Australian fruitspotting bugs, Amblypelta nitida Stål and A. lutescens lutescens Distant (Hemiptera: Coreidae), are major economic pests of macadamia nuts in Australia. They are also pests of approximately a dozen other tropical and subtropical horticultural crops, and minor pests of many more. They are endemic to the east and northern coastal regions of Australia and as such are distributed across the entire growing region of Australia's macadamia industry. Although the industry is reliant on synthetic pesticides for several major pests and diseases, including fruitspotting bugs, biological control of a major pest, the macadamia nutborer, Cryptophlebia ombrodelta Lower (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), has been successful and is widely adopted. This success has set a precedent within the macadamia industry and provided incentive for research and development of other biological control agents for other important pests. In the early 1990s, a hymenopteran egg parasitoid, Anastatus sp. (Eupelmidae), was identified as having potential as a biological control agent for fruitspotting bugs in Australia, and in 2010, mass rearing began. No formal studies on Anastatus sp., apart from initial releases conducted after its discovery, had been done prior to this thesis.A study on the potential for conservation biological control of fruitspotting bugs in macadamia orchards using habitat management was conducted over two years in northern New South Wales.Traditionally, trees in macadamia orchards are spaced such that the orchard canopy closes over when the trees reach maturity, shading out any existing ground-cover vegetation. In recent years, macadamia growers have been encouraged to adopt wider spacing and/or pruning techniques to increase light into their orchards for improved tree health and nut production. In this situation, common practice is to grow the shade-tolerant sweet smother grass in the mid-row; this provides ground-cover but does not increase floral diversity. In this study, open mid-row canopies, with resident, weedy, flowering mid-row ground-cover vegetation, were compared to closed mid-row canopies with no ground-cover vegetation in terms of a) pest and beneficial invertebrate abundance, b) predation levels of sentinel A. nitida eggs and c) levels of nut damage by A. nitida. The results showed a stark contrast between 'light' and 'dark' orchards; open canopy orchards ('light' orchards) harboured a significantly higher abundance of beneficial invertebrates than denser canopy orchards ('dark' orchards), whereas in 'dark' orchards the abundance of a major pest, the macadamia lace bug, Ulonemia concava Drake (Hemiptera: Tingidae), was significantly higher.Not a single fruitspotting bug was sampled during this experiment; however, damage levels to nuts were significantly lower in 'light' orchards compared to 'dark' orchards. Levels of predation on ii sentinel A. nitida eggs were variable and did not show any clear pattern that could be attributed to orchard management type. In two field release experiments, the...

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Selective flowers to enhance biological control of cabbage pests by parasitoids

Cited by 127 publications

References 35 publications

High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage

High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage

Optimising Capture Methods for the Evaluation of Parasitoid Wasp Diversity

Australian fruitspotting bugs, Amblypelta nitida Stål and A. lutescens lutescens Distant (Hemiptera: Coreidae), and the potential for their biologically based management in macadamia orchards

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