scholarly journals Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid heralds a new era for arthropod biological control

Author(s):  
Kris Wyckhuys ◽  
Prapit Wongtiem ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Anchana Thancharoen ◽  
George Heimpel ◽  
...  

Biological control constitutes one of the world’s prime ecosystems services, and can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in both natural and agricultural environments. Following (very few) widely-documented historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of insect biological control has -over the past three decades- gone through much-needed reform. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with insect biological control, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a rare, successful case of biological control against the invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered 2- to 3-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels at a continental scale, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s 4-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide, heralds a new era for insect biological control, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating (invertebrate) biodiversity loss across the globe, this study unequivocally demonstrates how biological control – as a pure public good – constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Wyckhuys ◽  
Prapit Wongtiem ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Anchana Thancharoen ◽  
George Heimpel ◽  
...  

Biological control constitutes one of the world’s prime ecosystems services, and can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in both natural and agricultural environments. Following (very few) widely-documented historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of insect biological control has -over the past three decades- gone through much-needed reform. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with insect biological control, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a rare, successful case of biological control against the invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered 2- to 3-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels at a continental scale, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s 4-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide, heralds a new era for insect biological control, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating (invertebrate) biodiversity loss across the globe, this study unequivocally demonstrates how biological control – as a pure public good – constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris A.G. Wyckhuys ◽  
Prapit Wongtiem ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Anchana Thancharoen ◽  
George E. Heimpel ◽  
...  

Biological control, a globally-important ecosystem service, can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in natural, urban and agricultural environments. Following (few) historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of arthropod biological control has—over the past decades—evolved and matured. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with the planned introduction of insect natural enemies, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a successful case of biological control against the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered two- to three-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels over a broad geographical area, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s four-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide. Furthermore, it accentuates the importance of scientifically-guided biological control for insect pest management, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating biodiversity loss across the globe, this study demonstrates how biological control—as a pure public good endeavor—constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Lin Liao ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Miao-Feng Xu ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
De-Sen Wang ◽  
...  

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest that feeds on many economically important cereal crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. Native to the Americas, it has become a serious invasive pest in Africa and Asia. Recently, this pest was found in China and has spread quickly across the country. As S. frugiperda will most likely become a major pest in China, Integrated Pest Management strategies, including biological control methods, should be developed to manage its populations. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in southern China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the parasitism rates of T. remus on S. frugiperda could reach 30% and 50% for egg masses and per egg mass, respectively. Further application of T. remus against S. frugiperda in biological control programs are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Lin Liao ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Miao-Feng Xu ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
De-Sen Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractThe fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest that feeds on many economically important cereal crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. Native to the Americas, it has become a serious invasive pest in Africa and Asia. Recently, this pest was found invaded China and has spread exceptionally fast across the country. As S. frugiperda will most likely become a major pest in China, Integrated Pest Management strategies, including biological control methods, should be developed to win the battle against it. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in South China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the natural parasitism rates of T. remus on S. frugiperda could reach 30% and 50% for egg masses and per egg mass, respectively. Further application of T. remus against S. frugiperda in biological control programs are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
I WAYAN SUPARTHA ◽  
I KADEK WISMA YUDHA ◽  
PUTU ANGGA WIRADANA ◽  
I WAYAN SUSILA

Abstract. Supartha IW, Yudha IKW, Wiradana PA, Susila IW. 2020. Response of parasitoids to invasive pest Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on cassava crop in Bali, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 4543-4549. Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an invasive pest that entered Indonesia in 2010 and attacks cassava plants, especially in Bali Province. This study aimed to identify species and establish the population distribution mapping, community structures (diversity, abundance, and dominance), and parasitization rate on cassava crops in Bali. This study conducted with a field observation method by taking infested shoots of cassava plants by P. manihoti purposively in the field. The cassava mealybug that was present in the leaves or shoots were kept in the laboratory until the parasitoid appeared. The results showed that four species of parasitoids were found to respond to invasive pest, namely Anagyrus lopezi (Encyrtidae), Acerophagus sp. (Encyrtidae), Blepyrus sp. (Encyrtidae) and Encarsia sp. (Aphelinidae). Structurally the parasitoid community had a low abundance (R1 = 0.50–0.87) and low diversity index value (H'= 0.27-0.28). While the parasitoid dominance index was in the moderate category with a value D = 0.33–0.59 in Bangli, Klungkung, Badung, Tabanan, and Buleleng Districts. But it had high dominance index values in Gianyar, Denpasar, Jembrana, and Karangasem Districts with a value D = 0.62-0.72. The three species of parasitoid spread evenly in all districts and cities in Bali according to the host distribution map, namely P. manihoti on cassava crop. The four parasitoids showed varying parasitic levels in the field with the highest parasitization rate was A. lopezi followed by Acerophagus sp., Blepyrus sp., and Encarsia sp.


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