Cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hubner, is a cosmopolitan polyphagous pest of many crops. Habrobracon hebetor Say and Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) are two important biocontrol agents used to manage this pest, sometimes in combination. We evaluated the sublethal effects of HearNPV on H. hebetor life table parameters under laboratory conditions when its host (second instar H. armigera) was treated with HearNPV, and tested H. hebetor females for their ability to discriminate against inoculated hosts. Emergence of adults reared as solitary larvae was reduced by half on LC30-inoculated larvae compared to controls, but not on LC5 or LC15-inoculated hosts. Low concentrations (LC5, LC15, and LC30) of HearNPV had no effects on overall parasitoid developmental time, but longevity and lifetime fecundity was reduced for females emerging from hosts receiving the LC30 treatment. Net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (rm), and finite rate of increase (λ) were all decreased in a concentration-dependent manner in the LC15 and LC30 treatments, as were female life expectancy, age-specific survivorship (lx), and age-specific fecundity (mx), whereas population doubling time (DT) increased. Parasitoids did not discriminate against LC15-inoculated larvae in choice or no-choice tests, but parasitized more LC50-inoculated hosts than controls in the choice test, with no significant differences in total numbers of eggs laid in either case. Although parasitoids suffered some loss of fitness in HearNPV-inoculated hosts under these laboratory conditions, these agents still appear compatible for joint application against H. armigera under field conditions, provided parasitoid releases are made 2 d after NPV application.

Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner subsp. kurstaki (Btk) and Habrobracon hebetor Say are both biological control agents of Helicoverpa armigera Hubner. The present study evaluated their compatibility for combined application against this pest by examining the acceptability of Btk-inoculated hosts for H. hebetor females and testing for negative life-history impacts on developing progeny. Second-instar H. armigera larvae fed for 72 h on potted chickpea plants treated with three concentrations of Btk (LC15, LC35, and LC70) and were then used in bioassays of parasitoid development and parasitism behavior. Survival of parasitoids was significantly reduced, and immature development prolonged, on hosts fed chickpea plants treated with LC35 and LC70  Btk, but not on plants treated with LC15  Btk. Parasitoids failed to discriminate against hosts treated with LC15 or LC35  Btk in choice tests, but attacked fewer hosts treated with LC70  Btk, paralyzing and parasitizing more healthy hosts, and laying more eggs on them. In contrast, a no-choice test revealed that more hosts treated with LC35 and LC70  Btk were paralyzed compared with control or LC15-treated hosts, but the numbers of hosts parasitized and eggs laid did not vary among Btk treatments. Thus, females required an experience with healthy hosts, as they had in the choice test, to discriminate against diseased ones. We conclude that H. hebetor and Btk are compatible for joint application against H. armigera, which could potentially improve biological control of this pest.

The chickpea pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera H€ ubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important pest of many legume crops, including chickpea, Cicer arietinum L. (Fabaceae). We field-tested the efficacy of two pathogens, Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrosis virus (HaNPV) and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner subsp. kurstaki (Btk), both alone and in combination with the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hh) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), for control of H. armigera larvae in chickpea fields. A randomized complete block design was used at two sites, so that wasp release treatments at one site would not contaminate pathogen-only treatments at the other. Pathogens were applied when most pest larvae were in the second instar, and wasp releases were made 2 days later. Number of H. armigera larvae per plant, number of damaged pods, yield (kg ha À1 ), treatment cost (US$ ha À1 ), and benefit:cost ratio were all determined. Treatments separated significantly at 14 days after treatment, with the HaNPV+Hh and Btk+Hh treatments providing the best control, suggesting a synergistic impact of the wasp and the pathogens when applied together. These treatments also produced the fewest damaged pods, the highest yields, and the greatest yield increments in comparison to untreated controls. However, costs were also highest for these combined treatments, which reduced their net benefit in comparison to use of Hh or Btk alone, although more efficient mass production of the pathogens might make combined applications feasible. We conclude that both HaNPV and Btk are suitable for integration with releases of H. hebetor against H. armigera in chickpea fields, provided parasitoid releases are delayed until 2 days after pathogen application.