Journal of Pest Science (2020) 93, 747-755

Pingyang Zhu, Xusong Zheng, Hongxing Xu, Anne C. Johnson, Kong Luen Heong, Geoff M. Gurr and Zhongxian Lu (2020)
Nitrogen fertilization of rice plants improves ecological fitness of an entomophagous predator but dampens its impact on prey, the rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens
Journal of Pest Science 93 (2), 747-755
Abstract: Nitrogen fertilizers are widely used to maximize crop productivity but are also known to benefit pest insects. Here we show that nitrogen not only increased the egg size of the key pest, brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål, but also benefitted the predatory mirid bug, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae). Predator nymph survival and development rate, female adult weight, longevity and fecundity were all enhanced. Importantly, however, high nitrogen levels also extended the predator handling time (Th), reducing the number of prey eggs attacked per predator and signalling a weakening of top-down control. We conclude that nitrogen fertilizer can exacerbate pest impact by natural enemy-mediated effects in addition to previously reported direct effects on herbivores. Our results highlighted the need to moderate the use of nitrogen fertilizers to maintain effective biological control of these rice pests to reduce dependence on insecticides, another potentially hazardous input.
(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): Kong Luen Heong, Geoff M. Gurr, Zhong Xian Lu

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Nilaparvata lugens
Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (predator)	Nilaparvata lugens	Rice (Oryza)