An acarine predator-prey population infesting roses

When Phytoseiulus persimilis was reared with Tetranychus urticae, infesting roses propagated in a greenhouse at controlled daily temperatures of 24°C (12 hrs) and 18°C (12 hrs), prey numbers fluctuated with peaks of increasing amplitude. Differential dispersal of prey and predator species was one factor contributing to the inability of the natural enemy to control the pest population.     

Do natural enemies really make a difference? Field scale impacts of parasitoid wasps and hoverfly larvae on cereal aphid populations

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Biweekly supplementation with Artemia spp. cysts allows efficient population establishment by Macrolophus pygmaeus in sweet pepper

Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a generalist natural enemy that is used to control multiple pest species in a variety of horticultural crops. The bugs are released at the start of the crop cycle to allow them to establish and build up a population in the crop that can control pest infestations later in the season. To facilitate population growth and dispersal in protected sweet pepper crops, Capsicum annuum L. (Solanaceae), food should be supplemented in a full‐field fashion during the first 6–8 weeks after introduction. To reduce the costs of food supplementation, we investigated whether fewer applications could produce similar results in terms of population growth and dispersal within the greenhouse. First, a cage experiment was carried out in which a weekly and biweekly application rate was tested for three food sources: cysts of brine shrimps Artemia spp. (Anostraca: Artemiidae), eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and a commercial mix of the two. Artemia spp. cysts resulted in the largest M. pygmaeus populations. There was no difference in population size between the two application rates for any of the food sources. Second, a greenhouse experiment was set up to test both application rates for Artemia spp. cysts under conditions mimicking commercial practice. Again, no difference in population size was observed between a weekly and a biweekly application rate. This insight is good news for growers, as they can use the least expensive food source and they need fewer applications to successfully introduce M. pygmaeus in protected sweet pepper crops.     

中季稻区稻田害虫—天敌—农药系统的模拟及其优化管理的研究(英文)

本文以中季稻区稻田主要害虫稻飞虱、稻纵卷叶螟和捕食天敌蜘蛛的田间系统调查资料为基础,以害虫—天敌—农药系统为研究对象,应用害虫管理系统工程的原理,处理害虫、捕食天敌与农药三者之间的关系。建立了稻纵叶螟—蜘蛛—甲胺磷和稻飞虱—蜘蛛—甲胺磷两系统优化管理模型,绘制了它们的优化反馈控制策略图,利用微机对系统进行最优监控。使用时输入当前田间害虫与天敌数量,就可对系统作出即时的预测和最优决策。该策略确立的控制害虫的最优性能指标,是使害虫对农作物的为害所造成的损失与防治费用之和最小,并且使害虫和天敌的数量处于系统平衡状态。文中比较分析了该策略与基于经济阈值的常规害虫管理策略,指出了新策略在害虫综合治理中对天敌数量进行控制和管理的作用及其意义。     

SIMULATION AND OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF THE PEST-NATURAL ENEMY-INSECTICIDE SYSTEM OF PADDY FIELDS IN MIDDLE SEASON RICE CROPPING REGION*

Abstract Investigations on the pest-natural enemy-insecticide system, including rice leaf roller-spider-tamaron and planthopper-spider-tamaron system, were carried out in the paddy fields in middle season rice cropping region. The relationship among insect pest, natural enemy and insecticide were studied based on the principle of the pest management system engineering. The optimal management models of the two systems were developed. Their diagrams of optimal feedback control strategy were contoured for computer monitoring of the pest-natural enemy-insecticide system. The population densities of pest and natural enemy in the future could be forecasted and the optimal strategy could be made when the current field densities of pest and natural enemy were input into the computer. The optimal performance index, which is a combination of the total cost of using the chemical and the total cost of pest damage to crops, for pest control is minimized. The objective of the system management is to drive the state of the system towards a beneficial equilibrium of the system generally. A comparison of the new IPM strategy with the ordinary strategy based on a single economic threshold is conducted in this paper. The optimal control strategies suggest that both pest and natural enemy populations should be controlled in the integrated pest management.     

Identification of Top-Down Forces Regulating Cotton Aphid Population Growth in Transgenic Bt Cotton in Central China

The cotton aphid Aphis gossypii Glover is the main aphid pest in cotton fields in the Yangtze River Valley Cotton-planting Zone (YRZ) in central China. Various natural enemies may attack the cotton aphid in Bt cotton fields but no studies have identified potential specific top-down forces that could help manage this pest in the YRZ in China. In order to identify possibilities for managing the cotton aphid, we monitored cotton aphid population dynamics and identified the effect of natural enemies on cotton aphid population growth using various exclusion cages in transgenic Cry1Ac (Bt)+CpTI (Cowpea trypsin inhibitor) cotton field in 2011. The aphid population growth in the open field (control) was significantly lower than those protected or restricted from exposure to natural enemies in the various exclusion cage types tested. The ladybird predator Propylaea japonica Thunberg represented 65% of Coccinellidae predators, and other predators consisted mainly of syrphids (2.1%) and spiders (1.5%). The aphid parasitoids Aphidiines represented 76.7% of the total count of the natural enemy guild (mainly Lysiphlebia japonica Ashmead and Binodoxys indicus Subba Rao & Sharma). Our results showed that P. japonica can effectively delay the establishment and subsequent population growth of aphids during the cotton growing season. Aphidiines could also reduce aphid density although their impact may be shadowed by the presence of coccinellids in the open field (likely both owing to resource competition and intraguild predation). The implications of these results are discussed in a framework of the compatibility of transgenic crops and top-down forces exerted by natural enemy guild.     

Evaluation of the impact of natural enemies on Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) populations on commercial Brassica farms

Abstract 1 Accurate assessment of the impact of natural enemies on pest populations is fundamental to the design of robust integrated pest management programmes. In most situations, diseases, predators and parasitoids act contemporaneously on insect pest populations and the impact of individual natural enemies, or specific groups of natural enemies, is difficult to interpret. These problems are exacerbated in agro‐ecosystems that are frequently disrupted by the application of insecticides. 2 A combination of life‐table and natural enemy exclusion techniques was utilized to develop a method for the assessment of the impact of endemic natural enemies on Plutella xylostella populations on commercial Brassica farms. 3 At two of the experimental sites, natural enemies had no impact on P. xylostella survival, at two other sites, natural enemy impact was low but, at a fifth site, natural enemies drastically reduced the P. xylostella population. 4 The calculation of marginal death rates and associated k‐values allowed the comparison of mortality factors between experimental sites, and indicated that larval disappearance was consistently the most important mortality factor, followed by egg disappearance, larval parasitism and pupal parasitism. The appropriateness of the methods and assumptions made to calculate the marginal death rates are discussed. 5 The technique represents a robust and easily repeatable method for the analysis of the activity of natural enemies of P. xylostella, which could be adapted for the study of other phytophagous pests.     

Biological control of thrips and whiteflies by a shared predator: Two pests are better than one

We studied the capacity of one species of predator to control two major pests of greenhouse crops, Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)) and the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood)). In such a one-predator–two-prey system, indirect interactions can occur between the two pest species, such as apparent competition and apparent mutualism. Whereas apparent competition is desired because it brings pest levels down, apparent mutualism is not, because it does the opposite. Because apparent competition and apparent mutualism occurs at different time scales, it is important to investigate the effects of a shared natural enemy on biological control on a time scale relevant for crop growth. We evaluated the control efficacy of the predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) and Euseius ovalis (Evans) in cucumber crops in greenhouse compartments with only thrips, only whiteflies or both herbivorous insects together. Each of the two predators controlled thrips, but A. swirskii reduced thrips densities the most. There was no effect of the presence of whiteflies on thrips densities. Whitefly control by each of the two predators in absence of thrips was not sufficient, yet better with E. ovalis. However, whitefly densities in presence of thrips were reduced dramatically, especially by A. swirskii. The densities of predators were up to 15 times higher in presence of both pests than in the single-pest treatments. Laboratory experiments with A. swirskii suggest that this is due to a higher juvenile survival and developmental rate on a mixed diet. Hence, better control may be achieved not only because of apparent competition, but also through a positive effect of mixed diets on predator population growth. This latter phenomenon deserves more attention in experimental and theoretical work on biological control and apparent competition.     

Biological control of arthropod pests using banker plant systems: Past progress and future directions

The goal of banker plant systems is to sustain a reproducing population of natural enemies within a crop that will provide long-term pest suppression. The most common banker plant system consists of cereal plants infested with Rhopalosiphum padi L. as a host for the parasitoid Aphidius colemani L. Aphidius colemani continually reproduce and emerge from the banker plants to suppress aphid pests such as Aphis gossypii Glover and Myzus persicae Sulzer. Banker plant systems have been investigated to support 19 natural enemy species targeting 11 pest species. Research has been conducted in the greenhouse and field on ornamental and food crops. Despite this there is little consensus of an optimal banker plant system for even the most frequently targeted pests. Optimizing banker plant systems requires future research on how banker plants, crop species, and alternative hosts interact to affect natural enemy preference, dispersal, and abundance. In addition, research on the logistics of creating, maintaining, and implementing banker plant systems is essential. An advantage of banker plant systems over augmentative biological control is preventative control without repeated, expensive releases of natural enemies. Further, banker plants conserve a particular natural enemy or potentially the ‘right diversity’ of natural enemies with specific alternative resources. This may be an advantage compared to conserving natural enemy diversity per se with other conservation biological control tactics. Demonstrated grower interest in banker plant systems provides an opportunity for researchers to improve biological control efficacy, economics, and implementation to reduce pesticide use and its associated risks.     

Natural parasitism of Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi (Tylenchida: Allantonematidae) on the coffee berry borer in Chiapas,Mexico

We assessed the parasitism of Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi on its host, the coffee berry borer, in 20 coffee plantations of Mexico. A total of 23,568 adult borers were dissected, with 179 of these infected with nematodes (0.76% infection rate). Although the level of parasitism is not encouraging, the nematode is another natural enemy, which limits the population growth of this pest in Mexico.     

Influence of leaf trichome density on the efficiency of two polyphagous insect predators

Plant characteristics, such as leaf structure or hairiness, are important for the movement and attachment of insects. It has been suggested that increased trichome density on new Salix cinerea L. (Salicaceae) leaves, produced after grazing by the willow leaf beetle Phratora vulgatissima L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), function as an inducible defence against the beetle and especially its larvae. Here we studied whether and how two of the main natural enemies of P. vulgatissima, viz., Anthocoris nemorum L. (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) and Ortothylus marginalis L. (Heteroptera: Miridae), were influenced by trichome density on S. cinerea leaves. The effect of trichome density on these two predators was studied on plants with different trichome densities, comparing natural enemy efficiency, measured as number of P. vulgatissima eggs consumed or larvae missing and/or killed. To obtain different trichome densities, cuttings of several different clones of S. cinerea were used. In the experiment using eggs as prey, an increase in trichome density was, in addition, induced through leaf beetle defoliation on half of the plants of each willow clone. Furthermore, a field study was performed to investigate whether trichome density was correlated with natural enemy abundance. The results indicate that neither the efficiency of these two natural enemies in the greenhouse, nor their abundance in the field was influenced by trichome density. A well‐known behavioural difference between the two predator species could probably account for the higher disappearance of larvae after exposure to the more active predator. These findings are relevant for the development of pest management programs, not least because the enemies are polyphagous predators. It is concluded that an induced increase in leaf hairiness in willows in response to leaf beetle grazing could be a plant resistance trait worthy of further study in this system, because no negative effects on the main natural enemies were observed.     

Temperature Requirements may Explain why the Introduced Parasitoid Quadrastichus citrella Failed to Control Phyllocnistis citrella in Spain

Quadrastichus citrella Reina and La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is a parasitoid of Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), indigenous to South Eastern Asia where it is considered a key natural enemy of this pest. It was introduced in Spain in a classical biological control program and became established, but was not as successful as forecast. To check whether its biology could explain this lack of control, development and reproduction at different temperatures were studied. Quadrastichus citrella can survive at temperatures between 15 and 35 °C. Lower development threshold was 12.3 °C, which resulted in a thermal constant of 138.06 DD. The combination of development and reproduction into demographic parameters resulted in highest net reproduction occurring in the range 20–25 °C (78.2 females per female), and highest intrinsic rate of increase at 30 °C (0.2571 females per female per day). These values make Q. citrella an intrinsically superior natural enemy compared to other leaf miner parasitoids. However, overwintering of Q. citrella in Spain may present a barrier, especially in areas like Valencia, where average winter temperatures are around 11 °C. This could account for the low recovery rates observed in Spain in spite of the key natural enemy status enjoyed by this species in its area of origin.     

Parasitoid associated with Liriomyza huidobrensis (Diptera: Agromyzidae) outbreaks in tomato fields in Brazil

1. The knowledge of natural factors that affect pest populations is essential in predicting the occurrence of pest outbreaks and in developing integrated pest management programmes. Natural enemies, climatic elements and host plants are among the most important factors affecting pest dynamics.
2. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the second most consumed vegetable worldwide. The pea leaf miner Liriomyza huidobrensis (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is a major pest to the tomato in Brazil.
3. This study aimed to determine the main natural factors that regulate L. huidobrensis populations in tomato fields in Brazil.
4. Liriomyza huidobrensis densities were evaluated by directly counting the number of active mines on the basal leaf of the middle section of the plant canopy, and predators and parasitoids were assessed using the leaf‐beating‐against‐a‐tray technique. Eight commercial tomato fields were assessed over two years. The phenological growth stages of the tomato plants (vegetative and reproductive) were noted during the assessments.
5. Liriomyza huidobrensis populations peaked between the middle and end of the planting season.
6. Opius sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the main natural enemy of L. huidobrensis.
7. Our results suggest that phenological growth stage and Opius sp. are associated with population dynamics of L. huidobrensis in tomato fields.
8. Therefore, integrated pest management programmes should aim to preserve populations of the parasitoid Opius sp.

     

Evaluation of natural enemies for biological control: A behavioral approach

The success of biological pest control has stimulated the development of analytical models that explore the dynamics of natural enemies and their hosts or prey. These models seek to identify those general characteristics o f the natural enemy, host or prey population that lead to economic pest control. Because the models are strategic in nature, they are of limited value in identifying the specific attributes of an effective biological control agent prior to its introduction. Empirically developed criteria have also been of limited predictive value because they too provide only general guidelines. Behavioral ecology and foraging and sexratio theories may be useful adjuncts to these approaches, by identifying the evolutionary constraints and thus helping to define better the attributes of an effective natural enemy.     

Effect of flower identity and diversity on reducing aphid populations via natural enemy communities

Floral plantings are often used in agriculture to attract pollinator communities, but they also play an important role in recruiting and establishing natural communities for natural pest control. Inconsistent effects of floral plantings for pest control may be a result of an absence of mechanistic insights and a reliance on the idea that simply increasing flower diversity will benefit these services. A more tailored set of flower species may be needed to benefit the natural enemies through provision of nectar and alternative prey. We used an outside pot experiment to investigate the effect of three flower plants (Fagopyrum esculentum, Vicia faba, and Trifolium pratense) on reducing aphid pests on four different plant cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare), over two years. We grew the four cultivars of barley alone, next to a single flower or next to a mixture of flowers, and observed aphid and natural enemy colonization across the growing season. Aphid population sizes were reduced on all barley cultivars grown next to a flower with stronger pest suppression when all flowers were present. Each flower species recruited a different community of non‐barley aphids that, in turn, varied in their ability to establish the natural enemy populations and subsequently the ability to reduce barley aphid populations. Overall, increased pest suppression in the mixed treatments was a result of numerous weaker interactions between different flower, aphid, and natural enemy species, rather than a few dominant interactions. Natural enemy communities could be enhanced by incorporating flower species that vary in their ability to attract and host alternative prey (i.e., non‐pest aphids) as well as suitable nectar provisioning. We can use our knowledge of ecological interactions to tailor floral plantings to increase the effectiveness of pest control services.     

Introducing Encarsia lahorensisagainst Dialeurodes citriin Israel: a case of successful biological control

The parasitoid Encarsialahorensis has been present in Israel since its import in 1980 for biological control of Dialeurodes citri, a serious pest of citrus. The larvae of D. citri secrete honey dew, which is colonized by sooty mould fungi, leading to aesthetic impairment of the fruit as well as leaf drop and yield loss. In a process which took about 3years, the parasitoid reduced the pest to low levels and maintained the population beneath the economic damage threshold for several years. This study, carried out in a citrus orchard during the years1987–1991, was intended to demonstrate the existence of efficient biological control by comparing the pest populations before and after the unhindered introduction of the natural enemy to a new region. In the course of two years, the pest population decreased from a peak level of 122 eggs to 2–7 per half-leaf. Concurrently, the population of the vulnerable fourth nymphal in star decreased from a maximum of 12 to 3 perhalf-leaf. Thereafter, D. citri was maintained at this low level, with peaks of parasitism ranging from20 to 50%. It was concluded that D. citri is under successful biological control in Israel by the specific parasitoid E. lahorensis. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mix‐planting pubescent and glabrous cassava affects abundance of Typhlodromalus aripo and its prey mite Mononychellus tanajoa

There is an increasing awareness that vegetation diversity can affect herbivore and natural enemy abundance and that plants can play a major role in directly manipulating natural enemy abundance for protection against herbivore attacks. Using data from cassava fields, we aimed at (i) testing the capacity of the predatory mite Typhlodromalus aripo to control the herbivorous mite Mononychellus tanajoa in a chemical exclusion trial; and (ii) testing, based on the differential preference by T. aripo for cassava cultivars, how combinations of two morphologically different cassava cultivars with differential suitability to the predator can improve its population densities on the non‐favourable cultivar, thereby reducing M. tanajoa densities with subsequent increases in cassava yield. The study was conducted in a cassava field in Benin, West Africa. The experiments confirmed that T. aripo effectively suppresses M. tanajoa populations on both cultivars and showed, in the no‐predator‐exclusion experiments, that cultivar combinations have significant effects on M. tanajoa and T. aripo densities. Indeed, T. aripo load on the non‐preferred cultivar was lowest in subplots where the proportion of T. aripo‐preferred cultivar was also low, while, and as expected, M. tanajoa load on the non‐preferred cultivar showed decreasing trends with increasing T. aripo densities. The possible mechanisms by which cultivar mixing could increase predator load on the non‐favourable cultivar were discussed. Our data showed that appropriate cultivar combinations effectively compensate for morphologically related differences in natural enemy abundance on a normally predator‐deficient cultivar, resulting in lower pest densities on the non‐favourable cultivar. In practical terms, this strategy could, in part, enhance adoption of cultivars that do not support sufficient levels of natural enemies for pest control.     

Effects of crop species richness on pest-natural enemy systems based on an experimental model system using a microlandscape

The relationship between crop richness and predator-prey interactions as they relate to pest-natural enemy systems is a very important topic in ecology and greatly affects biological control services. The effects of crop arrangement on predator-prey interactions have received much attention as the basis for pest population management. To explore the internal mechanisms and factors driving the relationship between crop richness and pest population management, we designed an experimental model system of a microlandscape that included 50 plots and five treatments. Each treatment had 10 repetitions in each year from 2007 to 2010. The results showed that the biomass of pests and their natural enemies increased with increasing crop biomass and decreased with decreasing crop biomass; however, the effects of plant biomass on the pest and natural enemy biomass were not significant. The relationship between adjacent trophic levels was significant (such as pests and their natural enemies or crops and pests), whereas non-adjacent trophic levels (crops and natural enemies) did not significantly interact with each other. The ratio of natural enemy/pest biomass was the highest in the areas of four crop species that had the best biological control service. Having either low or high crop species richness did not enhance the pest population management service and lead to loss of biological control. Although the resource concentration hypothesis was not well supported by our results, high crop species richness could suppress the pest population, indicating that crop species richness could enhance biological control services. These results could be applied in habitat management aimed at biological control, provide the theoretical basis for agricultural landscape design, and also suggest new methods for integrated pest management.     

Optimum timing for integrated pest management: Modelling rates of pesticide application and natural enemy releases

Many factors including pest natural enemy ratios, starting densities, timings of natural enemy releases, dosages and timings of insecticide applications and instantaneous killing rates of pesticides on both pests and natural enemies can affect the success of IPM control programmes. To address how such factors influence successful pest control, hybrid impulsive pest-natural enemy models with different frequencies of pesticide sprays and natural enemy releases were proposed and analyzed. With releasing both more or less frequent than the sprays, a stability threshold condition for a pest eradication periodic solution is provided. Moreover, the effects of times of spraying pesticides (or releasing natural enemies) and control tactics on the threshold condition were investigated with regard to the extent of depression or resurgence resulting from pulses of pesticide applications. Multiple attractors from which the pest population oscillates with different amplitudes can coexist for a wide range of parameters and the switch-like transitions among these attractors showed that varying dosages and frequencies of insecticide applications and the numbers of natural enemies released are crucial. To see how the pesticide applications could be reduced, we developed a model involving periodic releases of natural enemies with chemical control applied only when the densities of the pest reached the given Economic Threshold. The results indicate that the pest outbreak period or frequency largely depends on the initial densities and the control tactics.     

周期性羽化昆虫形成机制

当昆虫类群表现为长生命周期k(k > 1)年时,成虫的羽化表现为非周期性、周期性和过渡周期性3种形式。非周期性即为成虫每年均羽化,周期性即为成虫每k年才羽化1次,过渡周期性为非周期昆虫逐渐进化为羽化周期性的必经阶段,不同年份羽化的同生群在密度上产生了显著差异,形成了小同生群和优势同生群。自然界中表现出完全羽化周期性的昆虫种类是较少的,但由于其高种群密度的成虫同步性羽化现象,对比非周期性昆虫更易暴发成灾。为明确周期性昆虫演化进程并为林区虫害防控提供理论指导,总结了周期性昆虫的种类和生活特性,不同年间的气候异质性、自然灾害、扩散到未分布区域、天敌、种间和种内竞争等因素均有可能成为过渡周期现象形成的最初驱动力,生活史延长、寄主-天敌互作、低温驱动效应、天敌不敏感-捕食者饱足效应、种间和种内竞争等是促使昆虫羽化周期性形成的可能机制。在林区管理实践中,应提前评估害虫羽化周期性产生的趋势和程度。当成虫表现出完全羽化周期性,应在集中羽化年份内采取见效快的综合防控策略,降低唯一同生群密度至经济阈值以下。当成虫表现出过渡周期性,应加大优势同生群防治力度、降低小同生群防治频率,以及采取天敌林间释放和保育技术以平衡天敌对目标害虫的不同发育阶段种群的控制作用大小,遏制或减缓天敌-寄主互作驱动下的周期性演化进程,逐渐实现由过渡周期阶段向非周期性的逆转。当成虫表现出非周期性,应减少专化性天敌的释放和针对害虫特定阶段的防治措施使用频率,优先选择作用于所有发育阶段且致死率不存在显著差异的防治手段,避免因人为干扰产生的周期性演化和进一步的成灾。