Parasitization of the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari , by commercially available aphid parasitoids
- PDF / 389,877 Bytes
- 11 Pages / 547.087 x 737.008 pts Page_size
- 48 Downloads / 175 Views
(0123456789().,-volV) (0123456789().,-volV)
Parasitization of the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, by commercially available aphid parasitoids Nathan H. Mercer . Ricardo T. Bessin . John J. Obrycki
Received: 7 May 2020 / Accepted: 11 September 2020 International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) 2020
Abstract Identification of natural enemies of novel pests is important for the development of effective integrated pest management. Commercially available parasitoids used for control of arthropod pests have potential for enhancing biological control of invasive pests. The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a new pest on sweet sorghum, Sorghum bicolor, in the USA. Surveys of M. sacchari have not detected any parasitoids in central Kentucky. In North America, Aphelinus abdominalis (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Aphidius colemani, and Aphidius matricariae are sold for aphid management. This study’s objective was to determine the host acceptance and suitability of M. sacchari for these parasitoid species. Host acceptance was assessed by counting attacks and oviposition strikes by parasitoids on M. sacchari. All parasitoid species accepted M. sacchari as a host in the parental generation
(purchased adults) and the F1 generation (reared from M. sacchari). Host suitability was evaluated by transferring M. sacchari from host acceptance trials to caged sweet sorghum plants. Cages were monitored for aphid mummies and emerged adult parasitoids. Parental A. colemani produced the most mummies and adult parasitoids and reduced final M. sacchari numbers by 75%. A. ervi had a similar impact on M. sacchari populations but produced fewer mummies and adults. A. matricariae and A. abdominalis did not reduce M. sacchari populations. F1 parasitoids produced few adults and did not reduce M. sacchari populations. A. colemani demonstrated potential for field releases with the ability to use M. sacchari as a host and reduce aphid population growth.
Handling Editor: Stefano Colazza.
Introduction
N. H. Mercer (&) R. T. Bessin J. J. Obrycki Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Agriculture Science Center North, Lexington, KY 40546, USA e-mail: [email protected]
As new insect pests emerge, identifying natural enemies for biological control is critical. Classical biological control could provide the ideal parasitoidhost match for a new invasive pest, however, this requires surveys in the pest’s native region, non-target assessment and legal approval (van Lenteren et al. 2006; de Clercq et al. 2011). Fortunately, mass-reared aphid parasitoids are available, and can be used in
R. T. Bessin e-mail: [email protected] J. J. Obrycki e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords Parasitoid wasp Host acceptance Host suitability Hemiptera Aphididae Hymenoptera
123
N. H. Mercer et al.
augmentative releases to manage aphid pests, e.g., Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) for Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae) (Vasquez et
Data Loading...
