Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (2016) 161, 50-56

Jing Xu, Xiangbing Yang, Ying Lin, Lian-Sheng Zang, Chun-Yu Tian and Chang-Chun Ruan (2016)
Effect of fertilized, unfertilized, and UV-irradiated hosts on parasitism and suitability for Trichogramma parasitoids
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 161 (1), 50-56
Abstract: Trichogramma spp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitoids have been commonly used as biological control agents in insect pest management. Host quality is believed to influence parasitism, host preference, and suitability for parasitoids. To date, limited studies have compared the parasitism of Trichogramma parasitoids on fertilized, unfertilized, and sterilized host eggs. Hence, we studied the performance of three Trichogramma egg parasitoids, Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii, and Trichogramma leucaniae Pang and Chen, on fertilized, unfertilized, and ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated fertilized (UVF) eggs of rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). In a no-choice test, T. japonicum and T. leucaniae parasitized significantly more fertilized or UVF than unfertilized hosts, and T. chilonis parasitized significantly more UVF than either fertilized or unfertilized hosts. In a choice test, all three Trichogramma parasitoids parasitized UVF hosts the most, and unfertilized hosts the least. There were similar percentages of adult emergence and female progeny among fertilized, unfertilized, and UVF hosts for all three Trichogramma parasitoids, except that T. japonicum had significantly lower adult emergence on fertilized hosts. We also found that all three Trichogramma parasitoids developed slower on unfertilized hosts. Regardless of host treatments, T. leucaniae had the longest developmental time and T. chilonis had the shortest. We conclude that Trichogramma parasitoids prefer parasitizing UVF eggs of C. cephalonica without negative effects on their emergence and sex allocation.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Xiang-Bing Yang, Lian-Sheng Zang

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
rearing/culturing/mass production

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Corcyra cephalonica
Trichogramma chilonis (parasitoid)	Corcyra cephalonica
Trichogramma japonicum (parasitoid)	Corcyra cephalonica
Trichogramma leucaniae (parasitoid)	Corcyra cephalonica