Dispersal of Trichogramma galloi in corn for the control of Diatraea saccharalis

Dispersal of natural enemies is an important part of a biological pest-control programme. In augmentative biological control programmes, studies of dispersal are essential to determine the optimal number of release points per hectare. This study evaluated the kind of infestation that is most suitable for conducting these studies, and the dispersal of Trichogramma galloi in corn on eggs of Diatraea saccharalis. Corn plants with eggs laid directly by D. saccharalis moths showed higher rates of parasitism by T. galloi. The dispersal radii of T. galloi were 11.8 and 12.1 m in V6 (collar of sixth leaf visible) and V8 (collar of eighth leaf visible), respectively, and the dispersal areas were 176 and 187 m² for the two corn phenological stages. Using these data, we determined that 58 and 54 release points are required per hectare to effect a homogeneous coverage of the release area by parasitoids on the corn phenological stages V6 and V8, respectively.