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Phytoseiid predators suppress populations of Bemisia tabaci on cucumber plants with alternative food
Authors:Nomikou Maria  Janssen Arne  Schraag Ruud  Sabelis Maurice W
Institution:(1) IBED, Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94084, 1090 GB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract:Phytoseiids are known to attack whiteflies, but it is an open question whether they can be used for biological control of these pest insects. Preselection experiments in the laboratory showed that two out of five phytoseiid species tested, Euseius scutalis and Typhlodromips swirskii, stood out in terms of their ability to develop and reproduce on a diet of Bemisia tabaci immatures. In this paper, we show that both predators are able to suppress whitefly populations on isolated cucumber plants in a greenhouse. Predatory mites were released 2 weeks in advance of the release of B. tabaci. To enable their survival and promote their population growth, they were provided weekly with alternative food, that is, Typha sp. pollen. A few weeks after whitefly introduction, the numbers of adult whiteflies on plants with predators were consistently lower than on plants without predators, where B. tabaci populations grew exponentially. After 9 weeks, this amounted to a 16- to 21-fold difference in adult whitefly population size. This shows that the two phytoseiid species are promising biocontrol agents of B. tabaci on greenhouse cucumber. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.
Keywords:Euseius scutalis                      Typhlodromips swirskii            greenhouse experiments  population dynamics  pollen  biological control  generalist predators  supplementary food
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