Southwestern Entomologist (2000) Suppl 23, 27-38

Note: Journal “Southwestern Entomologist” is listed as having many articles relevant to pest management and it is desirable to include the issue in brackets after the volume in a format like “25 (5)”. This enables a better display of a long list of articles for a given year. No brackets are present in the “volume (issue)” field, or this field is empty. Please include the volume and the issue in brackets if it is available.

S. Udayagiri, S.C. Welter and A.P. Norton (2000)
Biological control of Lygus hesperus with inundative releases of Anaphes iole in a high cash value crop
Southwestern Entomologist Suppl 23, 27-38
Abstract: The western tarnished plant bug (WTPB) Lygus hesperus Knight is a major pest in strawberries on the central coast in California. Nymphs and adults feed on the fruits, and as a result, the fruits are distorted or 'cat-faced', and are not acceptable in the fresh market. We evaluated the potential for inundative biological control of WTPB with the native Anaphes iole Girault in strawberries on the central coast in California. Being a high cash value crop, inputs into strawberry production are high, and an expensive control strategy such as inundative biological control has a high likelihood of being adopted if the program is effective. In a trial conducted in strawberry fields, we released 15,000 A. iole in acre-sized plots every week at three sites, and observed a 64 % suppression of WTPB. In comparison, with the application of insecticides, growers achieved 44.7 % reduction in WTPB. In a separate trial that was conducted at four sites the following year, we modified the release strategy and doubled the release frequency to determine if parasitism levels could be increased substantially. While we achieved 51.1 % reduction in WTPB with weekly releases, the semiweekly release provided only an additional 9.5 % reduction. Given that earlier research has shown that plant-related factors affect the performance of A. iole in strawberries, further modification of release numbers or timings are not likely to increase the level of suppression. Since the release program appears to be provide 64 % or less suppression, we need to integrate inundative biological control of WTPB in strawberries with additional tactics aimed at reducing nymph densities. Integration with selective insecticides is an option if parasitoid release timings can be adjusted to reduce the negative impacts of insecticide residues.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

Database assignments for author(s): Andrew P. Norton

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
inundative/inoculative release

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lygus hesperus	Strawberry (Fragaria)	U.S.A. (SW)
Anaphes iole (parasitoid)	Lygus hesperus	Strawberry (Fragaria)	U.S.A. (SW)