Use of Sitobion akebiae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) as an alternative host aphid for a banker-plant system using an indigenous parasitoid, Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Abstract

Six species of legume or cereal-feeding aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum, Aphis craccivora, Megoura crassicauda, Rhopalosiphum maidis, Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion akebiae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), were tested as candidates for alternative hosts of Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an indigenous natural enemy attacking vegetable pest aphids Aulacorthum solani and Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae). A. pisum, R. maidis and S. akebiae were accepted by A. gifuensis. S. akebiae showed the most successful parasitism by A. gifuensis among the six aphid species tested, with a mummification rate of 71.7% and emergence rate of 96.7%. No parasitism was observed on R. padi, an alternative host available in the banker-plant system with an exotic parasitic wasp, Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). A. gifuensis females reared on S. akebiae had the same developmental period and body size as those reared on M. persicae, with no significant differences. They also demonstrated successful parasitic performance in A. solani and M. persicae. These results suggest that S. akebiae should be a promising alternative host for use in a banker-plant system with A. gifuensis.

Avoidance of parasitized host by female wasps of Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): The role of natal rearing effects and host availability?

“…Aphidius gifuensis is an oligophagous parasitoid that parasitizes M. persicae , S. avenae , Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach and Aphis gossypii Glove. Previous studies showed that M. persicae and S. avenae are the most suitable hosts for A. gifuensis (Ohta & Honda, ; Pan & Liu, ). Aphidius gifuensis used in this study was field collected from parasitized M. persicae on tobacco as mummies in August 2011, and then continuously reared on S. avenae and M. persicae in the laboratory under the same conditions as mentioned above.…”

Aphid parasitoids in biological control

“…This approach is called the banker plant system (van Lenteren and Woets 1988;Frank 2010). The effectiveness of this systems depends on the density of parasitoids produced and on the capacity for the parasitoid to switch hosts without a loss of efficiency (Ohta and Honda 2010).…”

The Banker Plant Method in Biological Control

“…It is necessary to ensure that the alternative food is among the preferred foods (Starý, 1993) as well as being sufficiently suited for beneficial sustainment or reproduction, population build-up and for fitness of resulting progeny (e.g., Ohta and Honda, 2010).…”