Journal of Economic Entomology (2018) 111, 1144-1150

Farzane Forouzan, Mohammad Amin Jalali, Mahdi Ziaaddini and Hamid Hashemi Rad (2018)
Effect of cold storage on biological traits of Psix saccharicola (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), an egg parasitoid of Acrosternum arabicum (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
Journal of Economic Entomology 111 (3), 1144-1150
Abstract: Psix saccharicola (Mani) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of the pistachio green stink bug, Acrosternum arabicum (Wagner) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), which is one of the most important pests of pistachio in Iran. Augmentation of P. saccharicola field populations using mass-reared individuals may provide an alternative to conventional pesticide use for pistachio green stink bug control. Cold storage is an important component of mass-rearing protocols for optimum timing of host egg parasitization and potentially extended storage of P. saccharicola pupae prior to adult emergence. The impact of cold storage on A. arabicum eggs for various time intervals at 4.0°C was investigated. Results indicated that host eggs stored at 4.0°C for up to 60 d could be exploited by P. sacchricola, whereas no offspring were produced when eggs were stored for 120 d. The emergence rates of the F₁ and F₂ generations declined with increased host egg storage time. Both sex ratio and survival rate of the F₂ generation decreased as the refrigeration time of host eggs increased. The impact of cold storage on P. saccharicola pupae was evaluated. Reared pupae of P. saccharicola were held for 1 wk at three temperatures and compared with a control (27 ± 1°C). Psix saccharicola pupae were tolerant to cold storage at 8 and 12°C. Cold storage adversely affected mean adult emergence at 4°C, which decreased following low temperature exposure. Furthermore, mean percentage survivorship was unaffected by storage at low temperatures in the F₁ generation, but was reduced at 4°C. The sex ratio of the F₁ generation became more male-biased when held at lower storage temperatures. The highest female proportion was observed at 12°C.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): M. Amin Jalali

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
formulation/storage of bioagents

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Acrosternum arabicum	Pistachio nut and relatives (Pistacia)	Iran
Psix saccharicola (parasitoid)	Acrosternum arabicum	Pistachio nut and relatives (Pistacia)	Iran