Host Plant Species of <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> Affect Orientational Behavior of the Ladybeetle <i>Serangium japonicum</i> and Their Implication for the Biological Control Strategy of Whiteflies

<i>Serangium japonicum</i> Chapin (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a predominant predator with a preference for <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). To date, the orientational behavior of <i>S. japonicum</i> toward <i>B. tabaci</i>...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mi Tian, Lili Xu, Jun Jiang, Shize Zhang, Tongxian Liu, Yongyu Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Insects
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/7/434
Description
Summary:<i>Serangium japonicum</i> Chapin (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a predominant predator with a preference for <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). To date, the orientational behavior of <i>S. japonicum</i> toward <i>B. tabaci</i>-infested plants has seldom been reported. In this study, greenhouse cage experiments and bioassays with wind tunnels, a Y-tube olfactometer and <i>B. tabaci</i>-induced plant volatiles were executed to clarify this behavior. In greenhouse cage experiments, <i>B. tabaci</i> adults significantly preferred eggplant, cucumber and tobacco to cotton and tomato, whereas <i>S. japonicum</i> adults preferred <i>B. tabaci</i>-infested eggplant, cucumber and cotton to tobacco and tomato. In wind tunnel bioassays, <i>B. tabaci</i> showed a clear preference for eggplant, cucumber and tobacco. Compared with <i>B. tabaci</i>-infested eggplant, cucumber or cotton, <i>B. tabaci</i>-infested tobacco was rarely visited by <i>S. japonicum</i>. In Y-tube bioassays, <i>S. japonicum</i> did not distinguish between <i>B. tabaci</i>-infested and uninfested eggplant. Nine common plant volatiles were detected in different plant species, suggesting that these volatiles may play an important role in the process by which <i>S. japonicum</i> looks for prey. In light of the current results, we discuss the implications of our findings and put forward to a new strategy—i.e., an eggplant + <i>B. tabaci</i> + <i>S. japonicum</i> system—to control <i>B. tabaci</i> damage in the integrated management of whitefly.
ISSN:2075-4450