Phytoparasitica (2010) 38, 133-139

Anderson Mathias Holtz, Angelo Pallini, Madelaine Venzon, José Cola Zanuncio, Dirceu Pratissoli, Wagner Faria Barbosa and Gilberto Santos Andrade (2010)
Antibiosis of Eucalyptus plants on Podisus nigrispinus
Phytoparasitica 38 (2), 133-139
Abstract: The predator Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) has been used as a natural enemy to control herbivorous insects in eucalyptus plantations. However, because of the short co-evolutionary history of the predator with this imported plant species, the defensive compounds of eucalyptus may have a negative effect on the predator. Therefore, the survival and development of P. nigrispinus were studied on eucalyptus (Eucalyptus urophylla; exotic host plant) and guava (Psidium guajava; native host plant). P. nigrispinus performance was indeed superior on guava plants than on eucalyptus. The number of fertile eggs and nymphal survival were 52.6% and 12.0% on guava compared with 20.0% and 1.3% on eucalyptus, respectively. Longevity of P. nigrispinus was 115 days on guava and 98 days on eucalyptus. This shows that the predator is not yet fully adapted to the exotic host plant. One possible reason is that the plant toxic compounds in eucalyptus act on this predator by antibiosis.
(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): José Cola Zanuncio, Dirceu Pratissoli

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Podisus nigrispinus (predator)