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Biological Control of Asparagus Pests Using Synthetic Herbivore-Induced Volatiles
- Source :
- Environmental entomology. 48(1)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Natural enemies can be important regulators of pests in agroecosystems, and they often rely on volatile chemical cues to find hosts. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) have been a focal point in many studies that seek to increase the efficacy of biological control programs by increasing recruitment and retention of natural enemies. Our research sought to explore the role of HIPVs in asparagus agroecosystems to answer the following questions: 1) What is the composition of HIPV produced by asparagus ferns following feeding by a chewing herbivore? 2) Do field deployed lures baited with synthetic asparagus HIPVs attract natural enemies? and 3) Can HIPV lures increase biological control of asparagus pests? Volatiles were field collected from the headspace of healthy asparagus ferns, mechanically damaged ferns, and ferns fed upon by asparagus beetle larvae (Crioceris asparagi L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). We found that asparagus beetle damaged asparagus had significantly higher concentrations of (E)-β-ocimene, (E,E)-α-farnesene, and (1)-tetradecanol than healthy or mechanically damaged ferns. Field experiments demonstrated that lures baited with isolates of ocimene and farnesene attracted parasitoids without attracting pests, but had no impact on predator recruitment. Finally, we determined that overall parasitism rates were not increased by synthetic HIPV lures but found evidence that lures may increase parasitism of asparagus miner (Ophiomyia simplex Loew) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) by pteromalids.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Farnesene
Biological pest control
Parasitism
Biology
01 natural sciences
Ocimene
chemistry.chemical_compound
Animals
Asparagus
Herbivory
Pest Control, Biological
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Volatile Organic Compounds
Ecology
business.industry
Plant Extracts
Asparagus beetle
Pest control
biology.organism_classification
Coleoptera
010602 entomology
Horticulture
chemistry
Agromyzidae
Insect Science
Larva
business
Asparagus Plant
010606 plant biology & botany
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19382936
- Volume :
- 48
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Environmental entomology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....95c0097f1ae534f7477cfb55955b7d1b