Journal of Economic Entomology (2015) 108, 414-424

Xiang-Bing Yang, Manuel Campos-Figueroa, Adrian Silva and Donald C. Henne (2015)
Functional response, prey stage preference, and mutual interference of the Tamarixia triozae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) on tomato and bell pepper
Journal of Economic Entomology 108 (2), 414-424
Abstract: The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (šulc), has been detrimental to potato, tomato, and other solanaceous crop production in many countries. Management of B. cockerelli is dominated by frequent insecticide applications, but other approaches need consideration, including biological control. The sole arrhenotokous ectoparasitoid of nymphal potato psyllids is Tamarixia triozae (Burks) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Here, laboratory evaluations of host stage preference, parasitoid mutual interference, and functional response of T. triozae were conducted with varying host B. cockerelli nymphal stages and densities on both tomato and bell pepper plant leaves. Significant differences in prey stage preferences were found on both host plants. In a no-choice host stage test, significantly greater parasitism of fourth- and fifth-instar B. cockerelli nymphs occurred, and no parasitism of first or second instars was found. Similar preferences were found in a host stage choice test. Effect of mutual interference on per capita female parasitism was significant when confining two or three simultaneously ovipositing female T. triozae adults on a given host density versus solitary females. The per capita search efficiency (s) of female T. triozae was significantly and negatively correlated with T. triozae density. The functional response of T. triozae to nymphal B. cockerelli was a Type III form on both host plants. In addition, host plant type did not exert a significant bottom-up effect on either parasitism or functional response of female T. triozae. The feasibility of using bell pepper as a potential banker plant for T. triozae augmentation is also discussed.
(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): Xiang-Bing Yang, Donald C. Henne

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.
	Bactericera cockerelli	Green pepper/chilli (Capsicum)
	Bactericera cockerelli	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Tamarixia triozae (parasitoid)	Bactericera cockerelli	Green pepper/chilli (Capsicum)
Tamarixia triozae (parasitoid)	Bactericera cockerelli	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)