INUNDATIVE RELEASE OF TRICHOGRAMMA BRASSICAE BEZDENKO (HYMENOPTERA: TRICHOGRAMMATIDAE) FOR CONTROL OF EUROPEAN CORN BORER IN SWEET CORN

Abstract

Inundative release of Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko for control of European corn borer was tested in experimental plots in 1991 and 1992 in southern Alberta, Canada, to determine its effectiveness as a potential method of control in sweet corn. The tests were conducted in 1-ha plots, in three different fields of irrigated sweet corn each year, at a release level of about 196 000 wasps per ha. The reduction in European corn borer damage in the release plots ranged from 85 to 87% in 1991 and from 45 to 95% in 1992. The reduction in damage was not significantly different in fields with 25 and 49 release points. General area degree-day accumulation for postdiapause development was not adequate to determine the timing of release for individual fields because European corn borer phenology varied among fields. Total moth catch in pheromone traps, however, was directly related to the number of plants damaged by European corn borer, and releases near the time of peak trap catch produced the greatest reduction in damage.

Biology ofTrichogramma ostriniae (Hym.: trichogrammatidae) reared onOstrinia nubilalis (Lep.: pyralidae) and survey for additional hosts

“…A possible third option would be to rear T. ostriniae at a photoperiod offset from the natural photoperiod such that emergence and placement in the field would coincide. The objective in each case is to minimize the time that the immature parasitoids are susceptible to loss (Losey & Calvin, 1991;Yu & Byers, 1994) and maximize the number of adult parasitoids during their optimal time for oviposition. Time of day …”

“…The use of Trichogramma for augmentative biological control of O. nubilalis is well established with several species in commercial production for this purpose (Hassan, 1993;Yu & Byers, 1994). Relative to other areas of the world, progress in the USA toward the commercial use of Trichogramma for control of O. nubilalis has been slow (Li, 1994).…”

Nymphal development and feeding preference of Podisus maculiventris (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) on eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) parasitised or not by Trichogramma brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

“…because loss of these eggs in augmentative releases of Trichogramma may reach 50% in corn (Yu & Byers, 1994) and from 91% to 98% in cotton (Jones et al, 1977). The findings of the current study suggest that P. maculiventris can be used in combination with releases of parasitoid wasps of the genus Trichogramma provided that the eggs of the lepidopteran host contain pupae of the parasitoid.…”

Effects of Cold Storage on Field and Laboratory Performance of <I>Trichogramma carverae</I> (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) and the Response of Three <I>Trichogramma</I> spp. (<I>T. carverae</I>, <I>T</I>. nr. <I>brassicae</I>, and <I>T. funiculatum</I>) to Cold

“…The adaptation of the parasitoid to climatic conditions is important for its efficiency in biological control (Yu & Byers 1994). Temperature is one of the most important factors in acclimation of introduced parasitoids (Loni 1997), making it important to define the responses of these natural enemies to this factor (Ables et al 1976).…”