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Dispersal of Trichogramma platneri Nagarkatti (Hym., Trichogrammatidae) from point‐source releases in an apple orchard in California
Author(s) -
McDougall S. J.,
Mills N. J.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0418.1997.tb01394.x
Subject(s) - biology , trichogrammatidae , trichogramma , parasitism , orchard , biological dispersal , biological pest control , codling moth , botany , horticulture , parasitoid , ecology , toxicology , lepidoptera genitalia , host (biology) , population , demography , sociology
Egg parasitoids of the genus Trichogramma are commonly released in inundative biological control programmes for lepidopteran pests in a range of cropping systems. In this study we evaluated the dispersal of Trichogramma platneri from a central release point in an apple orchard in relation to time and the number of parasitoids released. Dispersal was monitored by parasitism of codling moth eggs from an insectary culture—used as sentinel eggs. Higher release rates of T. platneri resulted in greater parasitism of sentinel eggs during the first 3 days, increasing from about 18% for a release rate of 5 400 to about 36% for a release rate of 32 400. T. platneri parasitized a greater percentage of sentinel eggs on the north side of the tree. Parasitism of sentinel eggs declined by 50% during the second 3 day period following release from a point source release in comparison to the first 3 day period. Parasitism of sentinel eggs declined from a mean of 62% at the point–source to less than 10% 14 m away during the first 3 days after release.