BioControl (2014) 59, 265-278

S. Legarrea, E. Velázquez, P. Aguado, A. Fereres, I. Morales, D. Rodríguez, P. Del Estal and E. Viñuela (2014)
Effects of a photoselective greenhouse cover on the performance and host finding ability of Aphidius ervi in a lettuce crop
BioControl 59 (3), 265-278
Abstract: In the search for a durable pest control management, biological control agents and photoselective covers are suitable candidates to be implemented in greenhouse crops. In this work, we studied the effects of a 50 mesh photoselective cover compared to a standard with similar characteristics but without UV-absorbing additives on the performance of Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a widely used parasitoid to control aphids in vegetable crops. Four field experiments were conducted in La Poveda Experimental Farm (Central Spain) where a lettuce crop was grown during the years 2008-2010. Lettuce plants were infested by Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the parasitoid A. ervi was released and monitored throughout the crop cycle to evaluate any constraint in its performance produced by UV-absorbing nets. The ability of A. ervi to find and parasitize the host was not modified by the photoselective cover during the four seasons studied. Thus, we suggest that both strategies could be combined in the context of IPM in vegetable crops where this natural enemy is released.
(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): Elisa Viñuela, Alberto Fereres

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.
	Macrosiphum euphorbiae	Lettuce (Lactuca)	Spain (Baleares)
Aphidius ervi (parasitoid)	Macrosiphum euphorbiae	Lettuce (Lactuca)	Spain (continental)