The soil mite Gaeolaelaps (Hypoaspis) aculeifer (Canestrini) (Acari: Laelapidae) as a predator of the invasive citrus mealybug Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae): Implications for biological control

Pérez-Rodríguez, Jésica; Calvo, Javier; Urbaneja, Alberto; Tena, Alejandro

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2018.08.015

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…On the one hand, many ant species can protect citrus by preying upon and repelling pests (Stuart et al, 2003, Xiao et al, 2007, Piñol et al, 2009, Bownes et al, 2014. Ants prey on pests in the canopy but also on the soil, and many citrus pests spent part of their life-cycle in the soil, for example, the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Tephritidae) (Monzó et al, 2011), the false codling moth Thaumatotibia leucotreta Meyrick, 1913 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (Bownes et al, 2014), the mealybug Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) (Pérez-Rodríguez et al, 2018) and several species of thrips (Grout et al, 1986, Navarro-Campos et al, 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

et al. 2021

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

et al. 2021

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“…Biological control is currently not an option because native parasitoids, the most important group of biological control agents of mealybugs, cannot develop in D. aberiae, and the role of predators is poorly known (Tena et al, 2017). Recently, the predatory mite Gaeolaelaps aculeifer (Canestrini 1883) (Acari: Laelapidae) has been recorded as a potential enemy of young instars of D. aberiae in the soil because it feeds on the first instar under semi-field conditions (Pérez-Rodríguez et al, 2018), but the impact of other generalist predators is still unknown. Coccinellidae) has been used worldwide in many biological control programs (Kairo et al, 2000;Stiling, 2004;Maes et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field evaluation of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) as biological control agent of the mealybug Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

et al. 2019

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Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is one of the latest invasive mealybugs in Europe. It causes severe fruit distortion and reduced fruit size leading into important economic losses in citrus. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) (Coleoptera:Coccinellidae) is probably one of the most-used predators of mealybugs in biological control programs worldwide. However, its impact on D. aberiae is still unknown. Here, we conducted a two-year field study in nine citrus orchards located in eastern Spain in order to describe the population dynamics of D. aberiae and C. montrouzieri and evaluate the effect of the predator on D. aberiae using different approaches. Our results showed that C. montrouzieri and D. aberiae had two main synchronised population peaks per year: early spring and summer.Although D. aberiae and C. montrouzieri seasonal trends were synchronised, C. montrouzieri neither reduced mealybug density within the same year nor prevented fruit damage, which occurs early in the season. Moreover, D. aberiae population growth rates were not correlated with C. montrouzieri density. When two consecutive years were analyzed, the increase of D. aberiae in the second year was negatively correlated with the density of C. montrouzieri in summer of the previous year. Based on our two years of data, C. montrouzieri was not able to regulate D. aberiae on its own or prevent the damages produced by the mealybug but might become a valuable addition to the natural enemy guild when combined with other natural enemies and rational control measures.

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“…Because the delay between introduction (sowing) and larvae emergence is hard to predict [52], it was necessary to sustain the G. aculeifer population with an alternative food source during this period. We chose to use a known prey for G. aculeifer, Aleuroglyphus ovatus (Troupeau 1879) [53,54], which is also used in our rearing unit at Bioline AgroSciences. To establish a proof of concept of this PIF strategy in realistic conditions before a wider experimental plan, we led the trial in one maize field and compared it with pesticide treatment and a negative control.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Promising Predator-In-First Strategy to Control Western Corn Rootworm Population in Maize Fields

Pasquier

Monticelli

Moreau³

et al. 2021

Agronomy

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Western Corn Rootworm is a pest of maize that mostly damages roots. Many alternative strategies have been explored to control this species, with little or non-lasting success, and it remains a threat to maize production worldwide. Gaeolaelaps aculeifer, a soil-dwelling predatory mite that inhabits the first few centimeters of the soil, showed high predatory potential against WCR larvae in the laboratory. In this study, we explored the efficiency of G. aculeifer against WCR in more realistic contexts. First, we infested maize plants isolated in pots in a greenhouse with WCR, and tested the impact of different densities of mites on plant protection. Using standard indicators of WCR population presence and impact, we confirmed that G. aculeifer has the potential to control WCR at densities starting from 100 mites/plant. Then, considering that the release of a large amount of biocontrol agents at WCR emergence might be too costly and constraining for large-scale implementation, we tested the efficiency of a predator-in-first strategy in a maize field infested by WCR. The goal was to introduce fewer G. aculeifer combined with Aleuroglyphus ovatus eggs as an alternative food source in order to let the mite population grow in the field and reach sufficient density at the critical stage for protection. This strategy gave comparable results to pesticide on all indicators examined in our field trial, highlighting the potential to sustainably manage this pest.

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The soil mite Gaeolaelaps (Hypoaspis) aculeifer (Canestrini) (Acari: Laelapidae) as a predator of the invasive citrus mealybug Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae): Implications for biological control

Cited by 7 publications

References 61 publications

Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

Field evaluation of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) as biological control agent of the mealybug Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

A Promising Predator-In-First Strategy to Control Western Corn Rootworm Population in Maize Fields

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