Journal of Pest Science (2010) 83, 447-452

Jeannine Pizzol, Bernard Pintureau, Othman Khoualdia and Nicolas Desneux (2010)
Temperature-dependent differences in biological traits between two strains of Trichogramma cacoeciae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)
Journal of Pest Science 83 (4), 447-452
Abstract: Parasitoids' efficiency in controlling pests depends not only on their ability to parasitize their hosts but also on how much they are adapted to climatic conditions (notably temperature) of the area where they are planned to be released. In addition, the optimal conditions for production of parasitoids used for inundative releases like Trichogramma spp. may also vary largely as a function of strains. Using the parasitoid Trichogramma cacoeciae Marchal as biological model, we studied how temperature affects important parasitoid efficiency-related biological traits under laboratory conditions. Emergence, mortality rates and fecundity of two strains of T. cacoeciae, one originating from France (Alsace) and the other one from Tunisia (Degache), were compared at constant temperatures of 15, 20, 25 and 30°C. The parasitoids of the French strain showed highest fecundity at 25°C with wasps that had been reared at 20 or 25°C. The Tunisian strain showed the highest fecundity at 25°C, but only when wasps were previously reared at 25 or 30°C. For both strains, the highest mortality occurred among wasps that had laid eggs at 30°C. Emergence rates were relatively high at all temperatures, although the French strain did better at 15-25°C and the Tunisian one at 20-30°C. Because of the differences in biological traits of these two T. cacoeciae strains in relation to the temperature, a judicious choice must be made among the various strains when using this species in biological control programs.
(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): Jeannine Pizzol, Nicolas Desneux

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Trichogramma cacaeciae (parasitoid)			France
Trichogramma cacaeciae (parasitoid)			Tunisia