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Incomplete control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, by the parasitoid Cotesia vestalis in a cabbage field under tropical conditions

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Abstract

Immature Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and parasitoids were sampled for 39 months in an unsprayed cabbage field near Cotonou, Benin, to determine how and when host-parasitoid interactions influence the population dynamics of the moth in a tropical environment. Eighty-three samples were taken at approximately two-week intervals. There were no seasonal patterns in the abundance of immature moths, which was not correlated with weather variables, although heavy rainfall during the principal rainy season may have temporarily affected the population. The host-parasitoid system consisted almost exclusively of P. xylostella and its larval parasitoid Cotesia vestalis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), both species occurring at similar levels of abundance (on average 7.5 ± 0.3 and 7.2 ± 0.3 individuals per plant, respectively). The tendency for host-parasitoid dynamics to cycle was apparent in the field. P. xylostella and C. vestalis showed coupled oscillations in abundance, with a time lag of about two weeks between host and parasitoid peaks. High parasitoid abundance resulted in significant decreases in moth abundance over several weeks. However, the parasitoid population in turn decreased, could not prevent the moth from rebounding, and there was no stable control of the pest. We conclude that under tropical conditions in which P. xylostella populations grow rapidly, combined with a high probability of recolonization from surrounding areas, biological control by a well-established specialist parasitoid reaches its limits and additional control measures are necessary.

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Acknowledgments

We are greatly indebted to A.E. Goudegnon who was instrumental in collecting the data in Cotonou, and to G. Delvare for identifying the specimens of parasitoids and hyperparasitoids collected. We are very grateful to A.A. Kirk for checking the English in the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIRAD-Persyst, UPR HortSys, Campus International de Baillarguet, TA B 103/L, 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Laurence Arvanitakis & Dominique Bordat

  2. Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle & Evolutive, CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Jean-François David

Authors
  1. Laurence Arvanitakis
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  2. Jean-François David
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  3. Dominique Bordat
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Correspondence to Laurence Arvanitakis.

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Arvanitakis, L., David, JF. & Bordat, D. Incomplete control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, by the parasitoid Cotesia vestalis in a cabbage field under tropical conditions. BioControl 59, 671–679 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9609-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9609-4

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