Scientia Agricola (2011) 68, 252-254

Ivan Cruz, Ana Carolina Redoan, Rafael Braga da Silva, Maria de Lourdes Corrêa Figueiredo and Angélica Maria Penteado-Dias (2011)
New record of Tetrastichus howardi (Olliff) as a parasitoid of Diatraea saccharalis (Fabr.) on maize
Scientia Agricola 68 (2), 252-254
Abstract: Diatraea saccharalis (Fabr.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) spends the largest part of its life cycle inside the stalk of the host plant,which provides protection against the action of conventional control methods. Biological control has been considered a viable alternative to control this pest in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) and corn (Zea mays L.), two pest preferential hosts. This paper reports the occurrence in Brazil of Tetrastichus howardi (Olliff) (Hymenoptera; Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) parasitizing pupae of D. saccharalis obtained from corn plants. It also includes preliminary biological data about the insect. A single female of T. howardi is able to produce up to 66 offspring using a single pupa of the host D. Saccharalis and apparently does not distinguish between the host pupae of different ages. The life cycle of the parasitoid was around 25.5 days. The presence of the parasitoid in Brazil opens a new perspective on suppression of the sugarcane borer, considering the promising results already obtained in Asian countries. The insect is well adapted to laboratory conditions, can be produced in large scale and may became an additional option for the integrated pest management in those crops where D. saccharalis is a key pest such as the sugarcane, corn and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench).
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Database assignments for author(s): Ivan Cruz

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Diatraea saccharalis	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	Brazil (south)
Tetrastichus howardi (parasitoid)	Diatraea saccharalis	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	Brazil (south)