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Effects of a photoselective greenhouse cover on the performance and host finding ability of Aphidius ervi in a lettuce crop

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Abstract

In the search for a durable pest control management, biological control agents and photoselective covers are suitable candidates to be implemented in greenhouse crops. In this work, we studied the effects of a 50 mesh photoselective cover compared to a standard with similar characteristics but without UV-absorbing additives on the performance of Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a widely used parasitoid to control aphids in vegetable crops. Four field experiments were conducted in La Poveda Experimental Farm (Central Spain) where a lettuce crop was grown during the years 2008–2010. Lettuce plants were infested by Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the parasitoid A. ervi was released and monitored throughout the crop cycle to evaluate any constraint in its performance produced by UV-absorbing nets. The ability of A. ervi to find and parasitize the host was not modified by the photoselective cover during the four seasons studied. Thus, we suggest that both strategies could be combined in the context of IPM in vegetable crops where this natural enemy is released.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank María Plaza (CSIC) for her technical assistance. We are indebted to two anonymous reviewers who contribute generously to improve an earlier draft of this manuscript and to Pedro Hernaiz and his team in “La Poveda Experimental Farm” for conducting lettuce experiments according to the requirements of the region. E. Velázquez was financially supported by a scholarship from Conacyt (Mexico) and the work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2007-66399-C03-01/02). A. Fereres, P. Del Estal and E. Viñuela are members of the Associate unit IVAS (CSIC-UPM): Control of insect vectors of viruses in horticultural sustainable systems.

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Author notes

  1. S. Legarrea

    Present address: Entomology Department, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA

  2. E. Velázquez

    Present address: Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas (UNICH), Calle Corral de Piedra No. 2, Ciudad Universitaria Intercultural, 29299, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

  3. D. Rodríguez

    Present address: Universidad Veracruzana, 94500, Veracruz, Mexico

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Protección Vegetal, Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias ICA, CSIC, C/Serrano 115 dpdo, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    S. Legarrea & A. Fereres

  2. Protección de Cultivos, E.T.S.I. Agrónomos, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    E. Velázquez, P. Aguado, I. Morales, D. Rodríguez, P. Del Estal & E. Viñuela

  3. Associated unit IVAS CSIC-UPM, C/Serrano 115 dpdo, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    A. Fereres, P. Del Estal & E. Viñuela

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  1. S. Legarrea
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Viñuela.

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S. Legarrea, E. Velázquez have contributed equally to the manuscript.

Handling Editor: Stefano Colazza.

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Legarrea, S., Velázquez, E., Aguado, P. et al. Effects of a photoselective greenhouse cover on the performance and host finding ability of Aphidius ervi in a lettuce crop. BioControl 59, 265–278 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9564-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9564-0

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