| Host stage preference of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsly by parasitoid wasp, Aenasius bambawalei Hayat |
| Paper ID : 1101-3IICE (R1) |
| Authors: |
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Ebrahim Tamoli Torfi *1, Arash Rasekh2, Mohammad Saeed Mossadegh2, Ali Rajabpour3 1Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran university, Ahvaz, Iran. 2Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran 3Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Ahvaz, Iran |
| Abstract: |
| Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Hym.: Encyrtidae) is a solitary endoparasioid wasp. This wasp belongs to koinobiont group which is active on mealybugs of Pseudococcidae family (Hemiptera), specially cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley. In recent years, irreparable damages of Ph. solenopsis agricultural crops have been reported from India and Pakistan. In the south of Iran, Ph.Solenopsis and its parasitoid wasp, A.bambawalei are active on the Chinese hibiscus shrubs (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.). In this research, some of the biologic characteristics (such as parasitism rate, adult emergence%, sex ratio and developmental time) of A. bambawalei were evaluated on different growth stages of cotton mealybug, by choice and no-choice tests under laboratory condition (25 ± 1°C, 60±5% RH, and a 16L:8D h photoperiods). For this purpose, firstly the synchronous cohort of all growth stages of cotton mealybug was selected, then the mated females (2 days old) were released individually into a Petri dish containing a China rose leaf infested by 30 cotton mealybug from each growth stage in the no-choice access test, and fifteen 3rd nymph instar with fifteen adult females in the choice access test (n=12, for each treatment). The parasitoid wasps were removed after 24 hours. According to the results, female wasps did not parasitize the first nymphal stage. The second nymphal stage was parasitized but adult wasp did not emergence from their mummified. The results revealed that the percentage of mealybug mummified and sex ratio were significantly higher when mealybug hosts were parasitized at adult females compared to third or second nymphal stages. The developmental times of A. bambawalei females and males developing in adult female cotton mealybug were significantly longer compared with those reared on third nymphal instar. Findings indicated the high control ability of A. bambawalei, on the later growth stages of cotton mealybug. |
| Keywords: |
| Endoparasitoid, koinobiont, Chinese hibiscus shrubs, mealybugs, biologic characteristics. |
| Status : Paper Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
