Biology of the Introduced Biocontrol Agent<i>Microctonus hyperodae</i>(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Its Host<i>Listronotus bonariensis</i>(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Northern New Zealand

Barker, G. M.

doi:10.1603/en11248

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Lolium perenne pastures such as Samson are distributed across New Zealand and are favoured by farmers due to their persistence arising from their continuous production of secondary tillers (O'Connor et al, 2020). As mentioned above, in the 1990s, parasitism levels were often around 75% (Barker, 2013;Goldson and Tomasetto, 2016); however, these have now reduced to as little as ca. 14% in the central North Island and ca.…”

Section: Diploid Samsonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant-Mediated Behavioural Avoidance of a Weevil Towards Its Biological Control Agent

et al. 2022

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New Zealand pastures largely comprising Lolium ryegrass species (Poales: Poaceae) are worth $19.6B and are subject to major pest impacts. A very severe pest is the Argentine stem weevil Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). This has been previously suppressed by the importation biological control agent, Microctonus hyperodae Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). However, this suppression has recently declined and is subject to investigation. It has been hypothesised that grass type influences the parasitism avoidance behaviour by the weevil and thus parasitism rates. This study explored the hypothesis using three common pasture grasses: a diploid Lolium perenne x Lolium multiflorum hybrid ryegrass (cv. Manawa), a tetraploid Italian ryegrass L. multiflorum Lam. (cv. Tama), and a diploid perennial ryegrass L. perenne L. (cv. Samson). The described laboratory-based microcosm methodology determined the extent of weevil avoidance behaviour on each of these three grasses when subjected to the parasitoid. Such reaction was gauged by the extent of reduced weevil on-plant presence and feeding compared to the control populations. In the absence of the parasitoid, the hybrid cv. Manawa ryegrass is as highly favoured by the weevil as the tetraploid cv. Tama. On diploid cv. Samson, feeding is considerably less. In the presence of the parasitoid, weevils on the tetraploid cv. Tama plants showed little avoidance activity in response to the parasitoid and it can be argued that the benefits of staying on this plant outweighed the possibility of parasitism. Conversely and surprisingly, in the parasitoid’s presence, weevils on diploid cv. Manawa showed very strong avoidance behaviour leading to levels of exposure similar to those found on the less-preferred diploid cv. Samson. These findings reflect how weevil parasitism rates have declined in most Lolium grasses, particularly diploids, since the 1990s, but not in the tetraploid L. multiflorum. This contribution supports the hypothesis that the decline in weevil parasitism rates has been the result of rapid evolution arising from parasitoid-induced selection pressure and the countervailing effect of the nutritional quality of the host plants.

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Section: Diploid Samsonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant-Mediated Behavioural Avoidance of a Weevil Towards Its Biological Control Agent

et al. 2022

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“…Adult L. hesperus were obtained from a laboratory-reared colony maintained on common bean pods (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and raw sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus L.) as shown previously [53]. The colony was initiated from adults collected from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) on the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center farm, Maricopa, AZ.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The colony was initiated from adults collected from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) on the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center farm, Maricopa, AZ. Because L. hesperus reared for more than three generations exhibit effects of laboratory selection [53], we examined only insects collected less than three generations from the field. Adults were collected from the colony within 24 h after adult eclosion.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insecticidal activity of marigold Tagetes patula plants and foliar extracts against the hemipteran pests, Lygus hesperus and Bemisia tabaci

Fabrick¹,

Yool²,

Spurgeon³

2020

PLoS ONE

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The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) and the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are key hemipteran pests of numerous crop plants throughout the western United States and Mexico. Management in the U.S. currently relies on only a few insecticides and is threatened by the evolution of resistance. New chemistries or alternative management strategies are needed to reduce selection pressure on current insecticides and enhance control. Here, we investigated the bio-insecticidal toxicity of the French marigold, Tagetes patula Linnaeus (Asterales: Asteraceae), against both L. hesperus and B. tabaci. Assays indicated significantly reduced survival of both pest species on T. patula plants, and in diet incorporation assays containing aqueous and methanolic marigold foliar extracts. Mortality was concentration-dependent, indicating the presence of one or more extractable toxicants. These data suggest that T. patula plants have insecticidal constituents that might be identified and developed as novel alternatives to conventional chemical treatments.

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“…The success of classical biological control in New Zealand pastures dealing with invasive weevil species has been extraordinarily high. Barlow and Goldson (1993), Basse et al (2015) and Barker (2013) have shown high levels of control of Sitona discoideus Gyllenhal in lucerne Medicago sativa L., S. obsoletus (Gmelin) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in clover and ASW in pasture. This has all been via species and ecotypes of Microctonus.…”

Section: Genetic Diversity Of Field and Laboratory Populations Of Masmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, Langkawi, Malaysia, September 11-15, 2017

Mason¹,

Gillespie²,

Vincent³

2017

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Accidental introductions of natural enemies, including parasitoid and predatory groups, may exceed species introduced intentionally. Several factors favor this: a general surge in international trade; lack of surveillance for species that are not associated with live plants or animals; inability to intercept tiny organisms such as parasitoids; huge invasive host populations in source and/or receiving areas that allow rapid establishment; and lack of aggressive screening for pests already established. Recent frequent and surprisingly rapid accidental natural enemy introductions call into question the regulatory emphasis on a rigorous and protracted process for classical biological control (CBC) introductions, when adventives have a high probability to displace or disrupt this planned process. We provide an overview with three brief case studies.The volume of global international trade is staggering, and it continues to increase. International shipping moves 127 million containers (TEUs, each ~40m³ in volume and weighing ~14 tonnes) per year between countries, the majority between continents, for a total of ~5 billion m³ of freight (2014 totals; World Shipping Council, 2017). About 4x this amount moves domestically in coastal shipping. Additionally, 3.2 billion passenger trips take place by air, and air freight amounts to ~185 million tonnes (about 1/50th of the weight shipped by boat, but delivered in <1 day) (2014 totals;. A single adult parasitoid weighs about 1 mg (Harvey et al., 2006), or approximately 70 parts per trillion of a single shipping container -less than a needle in a haystack -and 350,000 such haystacks arrive from foreign ports worldwide per day! Given this massive exchange of merchandise, invading natural enemies are of low to vanishing priority for national authorities inspecting imports for harmful organisms and other threats. Primary concerns are plant and animal pests and pathogens that will do the most serious and immediate damage, not to mention a host of other non-biological concerns such as terrorism, hazardous substances, and material that is illegal, smuggled, and/or counterfeit. In the US Department of Agriculture, the very name APHIS PPQ (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine) reflects these priorities, and, aside from known plant and animal pests and pathogens, and their associated carriers, very little else attracts the attention of border patrol inspectors.Reece Sailer, in a prescient perspective, estimated the number of "beneficial immigrant species" to the US, determining that nearly half (134 of 287=47%) had been accidentally introduced (numbers from his Figure 6, not his text). "As an entomologist specialized in References Blossey, B. (2016) The future of biological control: a proposal for fundamental reform. In: Van

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Biology of the Introduced Biocontrol AgentMicroctonus hyperodae(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Its HostListronotus bonariensis(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Northern New Zealand

Cited by 21 publications

References 46 publications

Plant-Mediated Behavioural Avoidance of a Weevil Towards Its Biological Control Agent

Plant-Mediated Behavioural Avoidance of a Weevil Towards Its Biological Control Agent

Insecticidal activity of marigold Tagetes patula plants and foliar extracts against the hemipteran pests, Lygus hesperus and Bemisia tabaci

Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, Langkawi, Malaysia, September 11-15, 2017

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