scholarly journals The southern ladybird (Cleobora mellyi) as a new species association biocontrol agent of tomatopotato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli)

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 321-321
Author(s):  
A.R. Pugh ◽  
D.M. O'Connell ◽  
S.D. Wratten
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Green Peach Aphid ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Bactericera Cockerelli ◽  
Potato Tubers ◽  
Greenhouse Whitefly ◽  
Potato Aphid ◽  
Floral Resource ◽  
Potato Crops

Since its discovery in New Zealand in 2006 the tomatopotato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) (TPP) has emerged as a major pest of solanaceous crops In potato crops the management of TPP has predominantly relied on insecticide applications as biological control by generalist predators has been constrained by both insecticide use and temporal and spatial scales This research sought to further investigate a generalist predator already established in New Zealand the southern ladybird (Cleobora mellyi) introduced from Tasmania as a biocontrol agent for Paropsis charybdis in the 1970s and 1980s as a potential biocontrol agent of TPP The southern ladybirds prey selection ladybird longevity and ladybirdTPP predatorprey dynamics were investigated A choice test assay utilised small experimental arenas of three alternative choices between (1) TPP and green peach aphid Myzus persicae (2) TPP and potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae and (3) TPP and greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum Cleobora mellyi larvae and adults did not demonstrate a significant prey preference between TPP and either green peach aphid or potato aphid but did show a significant aversion to greenhouse whitefly Longevity trials consisted of a water only control and three treatments (1) a floral resource (flowering buckwheat) (2) 10 TPP/day or (3) flowering buckwheat 10 TPP/day All three treatments lived significantly longer than the water only control and southern ladybirds adults lived significantly longer when given both the floral resource and TPP compared to only being given TPP A glasshouse mesocosm study was used to investigate ladybirdTPP predatorprey dynamics Within 3 weeks the southern ladybird had significantly reduced TPP densities in the treatment in which they were present along with potato plants and TPP compared to the treatment without ladybirds a reduction that was maintained until the completion of the experiment Where there was only TPP and no ladybird no potato tubers were formed; in the presence of southern ladybird small and few potato tubers were formed while the most tubers were produced in insectfree controls This indicates a specieslevel trophic cascade This study has shown that the southern ladybird is capable of predating upon TPP and reducing densities within the controlled conditions of a glasshouse However with the current state of knowledge the southern ladybird is not likely to be a viable predator for controlling TPP in potato crops outside glasshouses in New Zealand This is due in part to the freedom to disperse in the field the economics of such large scale rearing and fundamental differences in habitat type compared to their natural environment but applications in alternative contexts cannot be ruled out

scholarly journals The ability of the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) to penetrate mesh crop covers used to protect potato crops against tomato potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli)

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9317
Author(s):  
Howard London ◽  
David J. Saville ◽  
Charles N. Merfield ◽  
Oluwashola Olaniyan ◽  
Stephen D. Wratten
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Myzus Persicae ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Green Peach Aphid ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Potato Psyllid ◽  
Bactericera Cockerelli ◽  
Crop Cover ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Potato Crops

In Central and North America, Australia and New Zealand, potato (Solanum tuberosum) crops are attacked by Bactericera cockerelli, the tomato potato psyllid (TPP). ‘Mesh crop covers’ which are used in Europe and Israel to protect crops from insect pests, have been used experimentally in New Zealand for TPP control. While the covers have been effective for TPP management, the green peach aphid (GPA, Myzus persicae) has been found in large numbers under the mesh crop covers. This study investigated the ability of the GPA to penetrate different mesh hole sizes. Experiments using four sizes (0.15 × 0.15, 0.15 × 0.35, 0.3 × 0.3 and 0.6 × 0.6 mm) were carried out under laboratory conditions to investigate: (i) which mesh hole size provided the most effective barrier to GPA; (ii) which morph of adult aphids (apterous or alate) and/or their progeny could breach the mesh crop cover; (iii) would leaves touching the underside of the cover, as opposed to having a gap between leaf and the mesh, increase the number of aphids breaching the mesh; and (iv) could adults feed on leaves touching the cover by putting only their heads and/or stylets through it? No adult aphids, either alate or apterous, penetrated the mesh crop cover; only nymphs did this, the majority being the progeny of alate adults. Nymphs of the smaller alatae aphids penetrated the three coarsest mesh sizes; nymphs of the larger apterae penetrated the two coarsest sizes, but no nymphs penetrated the smallest mesh size. There was no statistical difference in the number of aphids breaching the mesh crop cover when the leaflets touched its underside compared to when there was a gap between leaf and mesh crop cover. Adults did not feed through the mesh crop cover, though they may have been able to sense the potato leaflet using visual and/or olfactory cues and produce nymphs as a result. As these covers are highly effective for managing TPP on field potatoes, modifications of this protocol are required to make it effective against aphids as well as TPP.

scholarly journals Aphids species on potato crops in Canterbury

2001 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A.W. Stufkens ◽  
D.A.J. Teulon
Keyword(s):  
Green Peach Aphid ◽  
Aphis Gossypii ◽  
Leaf Roll ◽  
Macrosiphum Euphorbiae ◽  
Potato Leaf ◽  
Potato Aphid ◽  
Potato Viruses ◽  
Foxglove Aphid ◽  
Melon Aphid ◽  
Potato Crops

A survey of aphids infesting table processing and seed potato crops was undertaken in Canterbury during the 19992000 season (November March) The green peach aphid (Myzus persicae (Sulzer)) was the most common aphid found on potato plants (>85 of all aphids) followed by the foxglove aphid (Aulacorthum solani (Kaltenbach)) and the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas)) These three aphids are vectors of the potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) and other potato viruses A further eight species were found in low numbers including five species that are vectors of potato viruses (not PLRV) The melon aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) was found in sizable numbers on sprayed potatoes in the Hawkes Bay This species which is known to have developed resistance to some insecticides on other crops in New Zealand was found in only low numbers in three crops in Canterbury

What habitat does spiny snout mite occupy in Tasmania

2015 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 446-446
Author(s):  
D.J. Wilson ◽  
P.J. Gerard
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sand Dune ◽  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Predatory Mites ◽  
Mite Species ◽  
Predatory Mite ◽  
Habitat Specificity ◽  
Nontarget Organisms ◽  
Flea Control ◽  
Potential Biocontrol Agent

Spiny snout mite (Neomolgus capillatus) is a potential biocontrol agent for clover flea (Sminthurus viridis) a white clover pest on dairy farms in warmer and wetter parts of New Zealand In the 1990s this mite was introduced from Brittany France into Tasmania for clover flea control Results during the release programme were highly promising and subsequent anecdotal farmer reports indicate widespread decreases in damage As N capillatus is a predatory mite and already known to attack nontarget organisms habitat specificity will determine whether it could be introduced into New Zealand without risk to native insects To assess this pastures on nine of the original Tasmanian release farms and adjacent nontarget habitats ranging from bush wetlands eucalypt stands to sand dune country were sampled in April 2014 Litter samples were collected heat extracted and mite species identified Neomolgus capillatus was found at effective densities in pastures that had good clover cover Where present it displaced Bdellodes spp mites that are ineffective against clover flea No N capillatus were found in the nontarget habitats all of which lacked clover and contained other predatory mites including Bdellodes spp Therefore the preference by N capillatus for lush pastures makes it an excellent prospect for introduction as a biocontrol agent into clover flea prone regions of New Zealand

scholarly journals Transgenerational Effects of a Neonicotinoid and a Novel Sulfoximine Insecticide on the Harlequin Ladybird

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
Changchun Dai ◽  
Michele Ricupero ◽  
Zequn Wang ◽  
Nicolas Desneux ◽  
Antonio Biondi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Harmonia Axyridis ◽  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Cotton Aphid ◽  
Transgenerational Effects ◽  
Harlequin Ladybird

The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is a generalist predator and an effective biocontrol agent of various insect pests that has been exploited for the control of aphid pests in the greenhouse and field. However, insecticides are widely used to control aphid pests worldwide and the potential non-target effects of sulfoxaflor and imidacloprid for controlling aphid pests towards this biocontrol agent are little known. Although both sulfoxaflor and imidacloprid act on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of insects, sulfoxaflor has a novel chemical structure compared with neonicotinoids. We assessed the lethal, sublethal and transgenerational effects of sulfoxaflor and imidacloprid on H. axyridis simultaneously exposed via ingestion of contaminated prey and via residual contact on the host plant at LC20 and LC50 doses estimated for the cotton aphid. Imidacloprid significantly reduced the survival of H. axyridis adults compared to sulfoxaflor at the same lethal concentration against cotton aphid. Both concentrations of imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor reduced the proportion of ovipositing females, and both concentrations of imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor, except LC20 dose of sulfoxaflor, reduced the fecundity and fertility of the parental generation. In the progeny of imidacloprid- and sulfoxaflor-exposed parents, both tested LC50 concentrations significantly decreased the juvenile survival rate, and both concentrations of imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor, except LC20 dose of sulfoxaflor, prolonged the development time. Our findings provide evidence of the negative influence of imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor at low lethal concentrations on the harlequin ladybird and on the progeny of exposed individuals, i.e., transgenerational effects. Hence, these findings stress the importance of optimizing the applications of imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor for the control of aphid pests, aiming at preserving the biocontrol services provided by H. axyridis throughout the integrated pest management approach.

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