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Wang L, Zhang Y, Huang N, Di N, Tian L, Zhu Z, Liu J, Wang S. Biological traits of the zoophytophagous predatory mirid Nesidiocoris poppiusi (Heteroptera: Miridae), a candidate biocontrol agent in China. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 116:1146-1154. [PMID: 37267079 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toad087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mirid predators are increasingly used in biological control of multiple greenhouse crops pests. However, due to great morphological similarity and tiny body size, some mirid predators have been largely confused with their allied species. Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter as a commercial mirid predator was confused largely with Nesidiocoris poppiusi Carvalho in China. To evaluate the biocontrol potential of N. poppiusi, its biological traits and the functional response to Bemisia tabaci Gennadius were studied compared with N. tenuis under laboratory conditions. The results showed that no significant differences of the developmental times from the first instar to adult stages between the 2 mirids fed on Corcyra cephalonica Stainton eggs were observed, while N. poppiusi had better population growth parameters than N. tenuis. Under the condition with prey, both female and male of N. poppiusi lived significantly longer than those of N. tenuis. It could lay 74.0 eggs, which was significantly higher than that of N. tenuis (30.2 eggs). Under the condition without prey, both N. poppiusi and N. tenuis couldn't complete development to adulthood on tomato, tobacco, muskmelon, and cabbage leaves, however, tobacco and tomato were more suitable than the other 2 plants. A type II functional response was observed for both males and females of the 2 predators. Nesidiocoris poppiusi females consumed significantly more B. tabaci pupae than N. tenuis when prey densities were large than 30. Our results indicated that N. poppiusi could be a promising candidate for biological control of B. tabaci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Wang
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Enemies Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100122, China
| | - Yibo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Ningxing Huang
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Enemies Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100122, China
| | - Ning Di
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Enemies Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100122, China
| | - Lixia Tian
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Zhengyang Zhu
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- College of Agronomy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Junxiu Liu
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Enemies Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100122, China
| | - Su Wang
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Enemies Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100122, China
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Castillo J, Roda A, Qureshi J, Pérez-Hedo M, Urbaneja A, Stansly P. Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2779. [PMID: 36297803 PMCID: PMC9612361 DOI: 10.3390/plants11202779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) and the South America tomato pinworm (Tuta absoluta) are two of the most destructive pests of tomato. Open-field tomato production frequently relies on chemical treatments, which has been shown to lead to pesticide resistance. The integration of biological control using predatory mirid bugs is an effective alternative method for managing these pests. However, methods to establish and maintain populations of zoophytophagous mirids are not adequately described. We explored the potential use of two mirids naturally occurring in Florida, Nesidiocoris tenuis and Macrolophus praeclarus. We conducted 6 field experiments over 4 consecutive years to develop a strategy to maintain the mirids. Pre-plant inoculation of tomato plants did not lead to their establishment, likely due to the low prevalence of prey. We explored the use of sesame (Sesamum indicum) to retain the mirids. Intercropping sesame maintained the populations of N. tenuis throughout the duration of the crop. Macrolophus praeclarus never established in any of the open-field experiments. Nesidiocoris tenuis damage was minimal (<1 necrotic ring/plant) and mirid damage was reduced in the presence of sesame. Our results show that intercropping sesame may provide a means to utilize mirids to manage B. tabaci, an established pest, and provide options to tomato growers should T. absoluta invade USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Castillo
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USA
| | - Amy Roda
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Science and Technology, Miami, FL 33158, USA
| | - Jawwad Qureshi
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USA
| | - Meritxell Pérez-Hedo
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, CV-315, Km. 10, 7, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alberto Urbaneja
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, CV-315, Km. 10, 7, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Philip Stansly
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USA
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Half Friend, Half Enemy? Comparative Phytophagy between Two Dicyphini Species (Hemiptera: Miridae). INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13020175. [PMID: 35206748 PMCID: PMC8874493 DOI: 10.3390/insects13020175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Despite their importance as biological control agents, zoophytophagous dicyphine mirids can produce economically important damage. We evaluated the phytophagy and potential impact on tomato plants of Dicyphus cerastii and Nesidiocoris tenuis. We developed a study in three parts: (i) a semi-field trial to characterize the type of plant damage produced by these species on caged tomato plants; (ii) a laboratory experiment to assess the effect of fruit ripeness, mirid age, and prey availability on feeding injuries on fruit; and (iii) a laboratory assay to compare the position of both species on either fruit or plants, over time. Both species produced plant damage, however, although both species produced scar punctures on leaves and necrotic patches on petioles, only N. tenuis produced necrotic rings. Both species caused flower abortion at a similar level. Overall, N. tenuis females produced more damage to tomato fruit than D. cerastii. There was an increased frequency of D. cerastii females found on the plants over time, which did not happen with N. tenuis. Our results suggested that, although D. cerastii caused less damage to fruit than N. tenuis, it still fed on them and could cause floral abortion, which requires field evaluation and caution in its use in biological control strategies.
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