BioControl (2018) 63, 629-639
F.J. Calvo, J.C. Velázquez-González, M.B. Velásquez-González and A. Torres (2018)
Supplemental releases of specialist parasitic wasps improve whitefly and psyllid control by Dicyphus hesperus in tomato
BioControl 63 (5), 629-639
Abstract: Dicyphus hesperus Knight (Heteroptera: Miridae) can contribute to the suppression of populations of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Bactericera cockerelli Sulcer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in tomato. Nevertheless, the remaining levels of these pests could still be too high for the crop to tolerate. We thus tested here whether the combination of D. hesperus with the specialist parasitoids Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerowich (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) (whitefly) and Tamarixia triozae (psyllid) can result in better pest control compared with methods based exclusively on single-species releases in tomato. We conducted two simultaneous experiments in tomato ('Whitefly' and 'Psyllid' Experiment), where we compared the effectiveness against B. tabaci and B. cockerelli in cages receiving releases of the predator or the specialist parasitoid alone, or in combination. Although all natural enemies reduced pest levels when released separately, the combination of D. hesperus with E. eremicus and D. hesperus with T. triozae resulted in better whitefly and psyllid control, respectively, compared with the separate releases.
(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): Francisco Javier Calvo
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
application technology
