Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i>
Current quality control of mass-reared biological control agents (BCAs) is usually performed in the laboratory and often fails to include behavioural aspects of the BCAs. As a result, the use of efficacy measurements determined solely under laboratory conditions to predict field efficacy can be ques...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/2/95 |
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| author | Long Chen Annie Enkegaard Jesper Givskov Sørensen |
| author_facet | Long Chen Annie Enkegaard Jesper Givskov Sørensen |
| author_sort | Long Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Current quality control of mass-reared biological control agents (BCAs) is usually performed in the laboratory and often fails to include behavioural aspects of the BCAs. As a result, the use of efficacy measurements determined solely under laboratory conditions to predict field efficacy can be questioned. In this study, microcosms were designed to estimate biological control efficacy (realised parasitisation efficiency) of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> Nagaraja and Nagarkatti (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitising <i>Ephestia kuehniella</i> Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs across the operational temperature range (15–30 °C). Temperature greatly affected the success of females in finding and parasitising <i>E. kuehniella</i> eggs, with parasitisation being reduced at 15 and 20 °C, as both the percentage of parasitised host eggs and the percentage of leaves per plant with parasitised host eggs decreased sharply compared with higher temperatures. Graphing previous data on laboratory fecundity against parasitisation efficiency shows that the laboratory-measured fecundity of <i>T. achaeae</i> was unlikely to predict field efficacy across temperatures. Results also showed that leaf side had no effect on the preference of <i>T. achaeae</i> in parasitising <i>E. kuehniella</i> eggs; however, <i>T. achaeae</i> preferred to lay their eggs on the top tier of plants. These findings suggest that more complex assays, which include behavioural responses, might be developed for optimised quality control of BCAs intended for field application. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:54:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9587c8f276154586ad66df9481ce306b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:54:38Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-9587c8f276154586ad66df9481ce306b2023-12-03T14:22:14ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-01-011229510.3390/insects12020095Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i>Long Chen0Annie Enkegaard1Jesper Givskov Sørensen2Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, 4200 Slagelse, DenmarkDepartment of Agroecology, Aarhus University, 4200 Slagelse, DenmarkDepartment of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkCurrent quality control of mass-reared biological control agents (BCAs) is usually performed in the laboratory and often fails to include behavioural aspects of the BCAs. As a result, the use of efficacy measurements determined solely under laboratory conditions to predict field efficacy can be questioned. In this study, microcosms were designed to estimate biological control efficacy (realised parasitisation efficiency) of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> Nagaraja and Nagarkatti (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitising <i>Ephestia kuehniella</i> Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs across the operational temperature range (15–30 °C). Temperature greatly affected the success of females in finding and parasitising <i>E. kuehniella</i> eggs, with parasitisation being reduced at 15 and 20 °C, as both the percentage of parasitised host eggs and the percentage of leaves per plant with parasitised host eggs decreased sharply compared with higher temperatures. Graphing previous data on laboratory fecundity against parasitisation efficiency shows that the laboratory-measured fecundity of <i>T. achaeae</i> was unlikely to predict field efficacy across temperatures. Results also showed that leaf side had no effect on the preference of <i>T. achaeae</i> in parasitising <i>E. kuehniella</i> eggs; however, <i>T. achaeae</i> preferred to lay their eggs on the top tier of plants. These findings suggest that more complex assays, which include behavioural responses, might be developed for optimised quality control of BCAs intended for field application.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/2/95fecundityoviposition strategyparasitisationqualitythermal biology |
| spellingShingle | Long Chen Annie Enkegaard Jesper Givskov Sørensen Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> Insects fecundity oviposition strategy parasitisation quality thermal biology |
| title | Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> |
| title_full | Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> |
| title_fullStr | Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> |
| title_short | Temperature Affects Biological Control Efficacy: A Microcosm Study of <i>Trichogramma achaeae</i> |
| title_sort | temperature affects biological control efficacy a microcosm study of i trichogramma achaeae i |
| topic | fecundity oviposition strategy parasitisation quality thermal biology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/2/95 |
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