Biocontrol Science and Technology (2014) 24, 247-256

Shuping Luo, Hongmei Li, Yanhui Lu, Feng Zhang, Tim Haye, Ulrich Kuhlmann and Kongming Wu (2014)
Functional response and mutual interference of Peristenus spretus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitoid of Apolygus lucorum (Heteroptera: Miridae)
Biocontrol Science and Technology 24 (3), 247-256
Abstract: Peristenus spretus Chen and van Achterberg (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a solitary endoparasitoid, which is considered for augmentative biological control of Apolygus lucorum Meyer-Dür (Heteroptera: Miridae) in Chinese cotton fields. Since the association of P. spretus with A. lucorum was only recently discovered, the biology of the parasitoid remains unknown. In order to understand its reproductive biology, the mutual interference and functional response of P. spretus were investigated by altering either the parasitoid or the host density while keeping the other constant. In both experiments, the effects of parasitoid and host densities on parasitism, superparasitism, progeny production and sex ratio were assessed. P. spretus exhibited a Holling type II functional response to changing host densities, indicating that parasitism increases with increasing host density until the parasitoid reaches its maximum reproductive capacity. The model suggested that a single P. spretus female could parasitise a maximum of 88 nymphs per day or four nymphs per hour. Increasing the wasp-nymph ratio from 1:10 to 1:80 significantly increased the offspring production more than fivefold from ±5.8 to ±35.6; further increasing the host densities (above 80 nymphs) did not significantly increase offspring production. Strong mutual interference of foraging P. spretus females occurred only at high parasitoid densities. Parasitoids foraging alone produced an average progeny of 33.4, whereas parasitoids foraging in groups of 16 produced only 2.6. The optimal wasp-nymph ratio for mass-rearing P. spretus is 4:100, given that resources of parasitoids and nymphs are unlimited.
(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): Tim Haye, Kong Ming Wu, Feng Zhang, Ulrich Kuhlmann

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Apolygus lucorum	Cotton (Gossypium)
Peristenus spretus (parasitoid)	Apolygus lucorum