First Report Using a Native Lacewing Species to Control Tuta absoluta: From Laboratory Trials to Field Assessment

Abstract

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a destructive pest on tomato, has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries. Recently invaded by the pest, most tomato crops in greenhouses and open fields in Tajikistan are currently suffering major damage. While failure in management using chemical insecticide has been frequently observed, alternative options such as biological control is urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the common green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) against T. absoluta. In controlled laboratory conditions, C. carnea showed high predation rate on both T. absoluta eggs (i.e., 36 ± 2 eggs within 24 h and 72 ± 4 eggs within 48 h) and larvae, especially it can attack the larvae both inside and outside the leaf galleries (i.e., an average of 22% of the larvae was killed inside, and an average of 35% was killed outside). In a cage exclusion experiment, T. absoluta showed relatively low larval density in the cages with pre-fruiting release of C. carnea, whereas the larval density was four to six times higher in the “no release” cages. In the “post-fruiting release” cages, the pest population that had already built up during the pre-fruiting stage eventually crashed. In an open-field experiment, the tomato crops in control plots were fully destroyed, whereas low levels of larvae density and damage were observed in the biocontrol plots. Moreover, the field release of C. carnea resulted in significantly higher tomato yield than those without release, despite no differences between the “pre-fruiting release” and “post-fruiting release” treatments. We conclude that the local commercial biocontrol agent C. carnea could be promising for the management of T. absoluta in Tajikistan. It is also one of the first reports showing the management of T. absoluta using a lacewing species. The effectiveness should be validated by further field trials in larger area of commercial crops and various locations.

DNA screening of Drosophila suzukii predators in berry field orchards shows new predatory taxonomical groups

“…Despite some inconsistent laboratory vs. field data for SWD predation [ 13 , 14 , 16 , 23 ], other studies have shown that Chrysopids are promising predators to be used in the control of other insect pests: Chrysoperla spp. larvae might be used to control Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (tomato pinworm) [ 39 ], Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (western flower thrips) [ 40 ], Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) (sugarcane aphid) [ 41 ] or Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (eucalyptus aphid) [ 42 ]. However, the role of chrysopids remains unclear, as the collected individuals were adults, and not all adults of the family Chrysopidae are predators.…”

A review on biology and possible management strategies of tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae in Nepal

“…Natural predators of T. absoluta are Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur and Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter [ 67 ]. Other effective natural enemies are Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) and Dicyphus errans (Wolff), that could be successfully integrated in pest management strategy if their habitat conservation is followed [ 68 , 69 ]. Trichogramma pretiosum (Riley) and T. brassicae Bezdenko are popular egg parasitoids of TLM [ 70 ].…”

Testing the Effects of Prey Type on the Life History and Population-Level Parameters of Chrysoperla externa (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

“…The eggs of E. kuehniella are commonly utilized as factitious prey items in the mass rearing programs of natural enemies [17], which is why we used this prey for comparison purposes. Leucoptera coffeella is considered one of the most economically significant pest species of coffee in Brazil [18]; the exposed nature of the pupal stage renders it readily accessible for C. externa consumption, unlike eggs and larvae within the mines [15]. The eggs of D. saccharalis, a key sugarcane pest in South America, can also serve as natural prey for green lacewing larvae [19].…”