Tomato plants, Lycopersicon esculentum Miller cv ‘Tres Cantos’, were supplied with high (308 ppm), medium (140 ppm) and low (84 ppm) nitrogen doses in order to determine the influence of nitrogen fertilization on feeding and oviposition site selection by greenhouse whitefly adults, T. vaporariorum (Westwood). The nitrogen and water content was higher in plants supplied with 308 N ppm than in plants with medium or low nitrogen doses and no differences were found in soluble sugar content. The leaves of the upper plant stratum (leaves 1–5) had the greatest nitrogen and water content, independent of the nitrogen dose applied. The plants were exposed to T. vaporariorum adults into a greenhouse under two current (late autumn‐winter and spring‐early summer) situations of the tomato crop in the Mediterranean area. The distribution of whitefly adults on the plants was affected by the nitrogen dose in both experimental conditions, the number of adults was higher on the plants supplied with high nitrogen dose. Within plants, adult distribution was affected by leaf position, the upper plant stratum being preferred for feeding. Whitefly females selected for oviposition and laid more eggs on plants and leaves of plants with higher nitrogen and water contents. We conclude that whitefly host selection for feeding and ovipositing are related to differences in nitrogen and water content of the host plant.

No abstract

A multilateral approach that includes both biotic and climatic data was developed to detect the main variables that affect the ecology and population dynamics of woolly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann). Crawlers migrated up and down the trunk mainly from spring to autumn and horizontal migration through the canopy was observed from May to August. Winter temperatures did not kill the canopy colonies, and both canopy and root colonies are the source of reinfestations in Mediterranean areas. Thus, control measures should simultaneously address roots and canopy. European earwigs Forficula auricularia (Linnaeus) were found to reduce the survival of overwintering canopy colonies up to June, and this can allow their later control by the parasitoid Aphelinus mali (Haldeman) from summer to fall. Preliminary models to predict canopy infestations were developed.

Parasitism, offspring sex ratio and superparasitism of the facultative autoparasitoid Encarsia tricolor Foërster (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) when given access to arenae with different proportions of the primary host (Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood)) and two species of secondary hosts (E. tricolor and Encarsia formosa Gahan) were studied. Parasitism and offspring sex ratio were not affected by female age in the range 3–10 days old. When the secondary hosts were young E. tricolor pupae, eggs were mostly laid on primary hosts, so the offspring sex ratio was more female‐biased than expected, and secondary hosts were not superparasitized at all. When the secondary hosts were fully grown E. formosa larvae, superparasitism was small and offspring sex ratio was more male‐biased than expected. E. tricolor females were able to discriminate between hosts previously parasitized by themselves and non‐parasitized hosts.

No abstract