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Single and combined releases of biological control agents against canopy- and soil-dwelling stages of Frankliniella occidentalis in cyclamen

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Abstract

Frankliniella occidentalis is a major pest in agriculture. Problems with its control are mainly due to pupation in the soil and resistance to insecticides. Biological control agents (BCA) can be used against thrips pests as an alternative to conventional insecticides. We evaluated the effectiveness of a number of BCA for control of F. occidentalis in cyclamen under greenhouse conditions. Three BCA (Amblyseius swirskii, Neoseiulus californicus and Orius laevigatus) were applied to the canopy and two (Macrocheles robustulus and Steinernema feltiae) to the soil in single and combined releases. Results showed that applications of predatory mites and nematodes achieved good control of F. occidentalis. Unsatisfactory control was obtained using O. laevigatus. The use of nematodes determined the extinction of thrips, but with a delay. The combination of nematodes in the soil and predatory mites in the canopy caused a more prompt reduction of thrips in flowers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank “Gruppo Padana Ortofloricoltura dei F.lli Gazzola” for providing technical support to this study. The authors are grateful to Evangelia Chatzidimitriou, Anna Nicole Skourti and Andrea Raffagnato for the assistance during the experiment. The authors thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on previous versions of the manuscript. This study has been partially funded by REG. (CE) N. 1698/05—Programma di sviluppo rurale della Regione Veneto Misura 124 DGR 745, 15 March 2010 «Cooperazione per lo sviluppo di nuovi prodotti, processi e tecnologie nel settore agricolo» project “PROBIOSER”.

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  1. Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Viale dell’Università 16, Legnaro, 35020, Padua, Italy

    Alberto Pozzebon, Andrea Boaria & Carlo Duso

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  1. Alberto Pozzebon
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  2. Andrea Boaria
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  3. Carlo Duso
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Correspondence to Alberto Pozzebon.

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Handling Editor: Arne Janssen.

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Pozzebon, A., Boaria, A. & Duso, C. Single and combined releases of biological control agents against canopy- and soil-dwelling stages of Frankliniella occidentalis in cyclamen. BioControl 60, 341–350 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9641-4

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