Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (2005) 114, 205-213
Xiaoxia Liu, Qingwen Zhang, Jian-Zhou Zhao, Qingnian Cai, Huanli Xu and Jiancheng Li (2005)
Effects of the Cry1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis on Microplitis mediator, a parasitoid of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 114 (3), 205-213
Abstract: Interactions between the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), its larval parasitoid Microplitis mediator (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and the Cry1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The growth of H. armigera larvae was delayed and its pupal rate and pupal weight decreased when they were fed on a diet containing Cry1Ac toxin. Due to the lowered growth rate of the host larvae, the time available for parasitization of H. armigera by M. mediator increased when the host larvae were reared on a diet containing Cry1Ac toxin at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 µg g-1. The longevity of female and male parasitoids was not significantly affected when newly emerging wasps fed on honey solutions containing three different concentrations of Cry1Ac toxin (125, 250, and 500 µg ml-1). When female parasitoids were fed on honey solutions containing Cry1Ac, their offsprings' egg and larval development period, pupal weight, length of pupation, adult weight, and adult longevity did not change significantly in most of the treatments compared with controls. When the female parasitoids parasitized host larvae that had been fed on a diet containing 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 µg g-1 Cry1Ac toxin, their offsprings' eggs and larvae were significantly delayed. Their pupal weight, adult weight, and adult longevity were also significantly less than controls.
(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): Xiao-Xia Liu, Qing-Nian Cai, Jiancheng Li
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicoverpa armigera | ||||
| Microplitis mediator (parasitoid) | Helicoverpa armigera | |||
| Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A-toxin (entomopathogen) | Helicoverpa armigera |
