Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes
The silverleaf whitefly (<i>Bemisia tabaci</i>) and the South America tomato pinworm (<i>Tuta absoluta</i>) are two of the most destructive pests of tomato. Open-field tomato production frequently relies on chemical treatments, which has been shown to lead to pesticide resist...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/20/2779 |
| _version_ | 1797470254442479616 |
|---|---|
| author | Jose Castillo Amy Roda Jawwad Qureshi Meritxell Pérez-Hedo Alberto Urbaneja Philip Stansly |
| author_facet | Jose Castillo Amy Roda Jawwad Qureshi Meritxell Pérez-Hedo Alberto Urbaneja Philip Stansly |
| author_sort | Jose Castillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The silverleaf whitefly (<i>Bemisia tabaci</i>) and the South America tomato pinworm (<i>Tuta absoluta</i>) are two of the most destructive pests of tomato. Open-field tomato production frequently relies on chemical treatments, which has been shown to lead to pesticide resistance. The integration of biological control using predatory mirid bugs is an effective alternative method for managing these pests. However, methods to establish and maintain populations of zoophytophagous mirids are not adequately described. We explored the potential use of two mirids naturally occurring in Florida, <i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> and <i>Macrolophus praeclarus</i>. We conducted 6 field experiments over 4 consecutive years to develop a strategy to maintain the mirids. Pre-plant inoculation of tomato plants did not lead to their establishment, likely due to the low prevalence of prey. We explored the use of sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum</i>) to retain the mirids. Intercropping sesame maintained the populations of <i>N. tenuis</i> throughout the duration of the crop. <i>Macrolophus praeclarus</i> never established in any of the open-field experiments. <i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> damage was minimal (<1 necrotic ring/plant) and mirid damage was reduced in the presence of sesame. Our results show that intercropping sesame may provide a means to utilize mirids to manage <i>B. tabaci,</i> an established pest, and provide options to tomato growers should <i>T. absoluta</i> invade USA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:34:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec938e3856b8437cbbd1f30eb1f7e93a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:34:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec938e3856b8437cbbd1f30eb1f7e93a2023-11-24T02:05:17ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-10-011120277910.3390/plants11202779Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field TomatoesJose Castillo0Amy Roda1Jawwad Qureshi2Meritxell Pérez-Hedo3Alberto Urbaneja4Philip Stansly5Department of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USAUnited States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Science and Technology, Miami, FL 33158, USADepartment of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USAInstituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, CV-315, Km. 10, 7, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, SpainInstituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, CV-315, Km. 10, 7, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, SpainDepartment of Entomology and Nematology, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USAThe silverleaf whitefly (<i>Bemisia tabaci</i>) and the South America tomato pinworm (<i>Tuta absoluta</i>) are two of the most destructive pests of tomato. Open-field tomato production frequently relies on chemical treatments, which has been shown to lead to pesticide resistance. The integration of biological control using predatory mirid bugs is an effective alternative method for managing these pests. However, methods to establish and maintain populations of zoophytophagous mirids are not adequately described. We explored the potential use of two mirids naturally occurring in Florida, <i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> and <i>Macrolophus praeclarus</i>. We conducted 6 field experiments over 4 consecutive years to develop a strategy to maintain the mirids. Pre-plant inoculation of tomato plants did not lead to their establishment, likely due to the low prevalence of prey. We explored the use of sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum</i>) to retain the mirids. Intercropping sesame maintained the populations of <i>N. tenuis</i> throughout the duration of the crop. <i>Macrolophus praeclarus</i> never established in any of the open-field experiments. <i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> damage was minimal (<1 necrotic ring/plant) and mirid damage was reduced in the presence of sesame. Our results show that intercropping sesame may provide a means to utilize mirids to manage <i>B. tabaci,</i> an established pest, and provide options to tomato growers should <i>T. absoluta</i> invade USA.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/20/2779preventive biological controlcompanion plantinvasive pests<i>Bemisia tabaci</i><i>Tuta absoluta</i><i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> |
| spellingShingle | Jose Castillo Amy Roda Jawwad Qureshi Meritxell Pérez-Hedo Alberto Urbaneja Philip Stansly Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes Plants preventive biological control companion plant invasive pests <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> <i>Tuta absoluta</i> <i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> |
| title | Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes |
| title_full | Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes |
| title_fullStr | Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes |
| title_short | Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes |
| title_sort | sesame as an alternative host plant to establish and retain predatory mirids in open field tomatoes |
| topic | preventive biological control companion plant invasive pests <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> <i>Tuta absoluta</i> <i>Nesidiocoris tenuis</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/20/2779 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT josecastillo sesameasanalternativehostplanttoestablishandretainpredatorymiridsinopenfieldtomatoes AT amyroda sesameasanalternativehostplanttoestablishandretainpredatorymiridsinopenfieldtomatoes AT jawwadqureshi sesameasanalternativehostplanttoestablishandretainpredatorymiridsinopenfieldtomatoes AT meritxellperezhedo sesameasanalternativehostplanttoestablishandretainpredatorymiridsinopenfieldtomatoes AT albertourbaneja sesameasanalternativehostplanttoestablishandretainpredatorymiridsinopenfieldtomatoes AT philipstansly sesameasanalternativehostplanttoestablishandretainpredatorymiridsinopenfieldtomatoes |