Populations’ synchronization of aphids Homoptera: Aphididae and ladybird beetles Coleoptera: Coccinellidae and exploitation of food attractants for predator

Year 2009, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 85 - 89, 15.08.2009

Muhammad Sarwar

Abstract

Field Surveillance was conducted on synchronization in populations build up of aphids and its predator ladybird beetles Coccinellidae in canola [rape] Brassica napus L. field. Studies reflected that there was no appropriate synchronization between populations of the prey and its predator that appeared later. The nominal population of the predator was recorded when the population of the aphid was at its peak and the pest started to migrate from the canola fields. This gap may only be filled up by the use of environmentally non-toxic chemicals to attract predator for acceptable and ecofriendly suppressive measures of insect pest. Since behavioral approaches are key elements in integrated pest management, insect’s food attractants technique to attract aphid predator coccinellids ladybird beetles was tested using the foliar application of protein hydrolysate, casein, sugar and torula yeast. Results demonstrated that increased population of lady beetle and reduced aphid damage occurred in treated plants in comparison with those in control. Treatments consisting of protein hydrolysate and sugar were more efficacious where the uppermost predator numbers were observed than in caseinapplied treatment where the slight population was detected. Studies further revealed that the predator observed in torula yeast treated crop were moderate in numbers but significantly higher than in non-treated. The aphids’ infestation was significantly low in protein hydrolysate bait spray treatment followed by sugar and torula yeast treatments. An identical trend of grain yield was recorded in the chemically treated crop in comparison with control where dropped yield was recorded. These results suggest that predator-attracting strategy may be used for aphid management

Keywords

Synchronization, Ladybird beetle, Coccinellid, Aphid, Food attractants

References

• Akram, W., Akbar, S., Mehmood, A. 1996. Studies on the biology and predatory efficacy of Coccinella septempunctata with special reference to cabbage. Pakistan Entomol. 18 (1/2): 104-106.
• Ansari, M.S., Barkat, H., Qazi, N.A. 2007. Influence of abiotic environment on the population dynamics of mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) on Brassica germplasm. Journal of Biological Sciences. 7 (6): 993-996.
• Arredondo-Bernal, H.C., Cibrian-Tovar, J., Williams, R.N. 1995. Responses of Macrodactylus spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and other insects to food attractant in Tlaxcala and Jalisco, Mexico. Florida Entomol. 78 (1): 56-61.
• Arshad, A., Rizvi, P.Q. 2007. Development and predatory performance of Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on different aphid species. Journal of Biological Sciences. 7 (8): 1478-1483.
• Brewer, M.J., Elliott, N.C. 2004. Biological control of cereal aphids in North America and mediating effects of host plant and habitat manipulations. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 49: 219-242.
• Chaudhary, O.P. 2006. Diversity, foraging behaviour of floral visitors and pollination ecology of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.). J. Spices and Aromatic Crops. 15 (1): 34-41.
• Cook, S.M., Khan, Z.R., Pickett, J.A. 2007. The use of Push-Pull Strategies in Integrated Pest Management. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 52 (52): 375-400.
• Foster, S.P., Harris, M.O. 1997. Behavioural manipulation methods for insect pest management. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 42: 123-146.
• Hasyim, A., Muryati, I.M., Kogel, W.J. 2007. Male fruit fly, Bactrocera tau (Diptera; Tephritidae) attractants from Elsholtzia pubescens Bth. Asian Journal of Plant Sciences. 6 (1): 181-183.
• Holler, T., Sivinski, J., Jenkins, C., Fraser, S. 2006. A comparison of yeast hydrolysate and synthetic food attractants for capture of Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae). Florida Entomol. 89 (3): 419-420.
• Ilichev, A.L. 1992. Segeton - the food attractant of Agrotis segetum. Z. Rastenii (Moskva). 7: 41 pp.
• Mathur, K.C. 1983. Aphids of agricultural importance and their natural enemies of Jullunder Punjab. In: The Aphids. Ed. by Behura BK. The Zool. Soc. Orissa, Utkal University, Bhubneshwar, India. pp 229-233.
• Pankanin, F.M., Ceryngier, P. 1995. Cereal aphids, their parasitoids and coccinellids on oats in central Poland. J. Appl. Entomol. 119 (2): 107-111.
• Park, Y.L., Obrycki, J.J. 2004. Spatio-temporal distribution of corn leaf Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) and lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Iowa cornfields. Biological Control. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 31 (2): 210-217.
• Rao, S.R.K., Lal, O.P. 2004. Distribution pattern of the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), on cabbage. Pest Management and Economic Zoology. 12 (2): 173-177.
• Sato, M., Kuwahara, Y., Matsuyama, S., Suzuki, T. 1993. Chemical ecology of astigmatid mites XXXVII. Fatty acid as food attractant of astigmatid mites, its scope and limitation. App. Entomol. and Zool. 28 (4): 565-569.
• Shivayya, V., Kumar, C.T.A., Jayappa, A.H. 2008. Management of melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coq. (Diptera: Tephritidae) using food attractants. Environment and Ecology. 26 (2): 602-605.
• Singh, H., Singh, B. 1986. Population dynamics of mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) on various Brassica genotypes. Proc. Nat. Conf. on Key Pests of Agric. Crops. CSAUAT, Kanpur. 2: 117-123.
• Sivinski, J.M., Calkins, C.O. 1986. Pheromones and parapheromones in the control of Tephritids. Florida Entomol. 69: 157- 168.
• Wackers, F.L. 2003. The parasitoids need for sweets: sugars in mass rearing and biological control. Pp 59- 72. In: Quality Control and Production of Biological Control Agents: Theory and Testing Procedures. Ed. by Van Lenteren JC, CABI Publishing, pp 327.
• Woin, N., Volkmar, C., Ghogomu, T. 2006. Numerical response of predatory ladybirds (Coccinellidae) to aphid outbreaks and their diversity in major rice ecosystems of Cameroon. Arch. of Phytopatho. and Plant Protec. 39 (3): 189-196.
• Yadava, R.P., Singh, V.S. 1994. Species complexity, population density and dominance structure of predatory coccinellids associated with mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) in rapeseed mustard ecosystem. J. Insect. Sci. 7 (1): 18-20.
• Zamoum, T., Simon, J.C., Crochard, D., Ballanger, Y., Lapchin, L., Masutti, F.V., Guillemaud, T. 2005. Does insecticide resistance alone account for the low genetic variability of asexually reproducing populations of the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae? Heredity. 94: 630–639.