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Effects on the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi of an insecticide (Plenum®, pymetrozine) specific to plant-sucking insects

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Abstract

The use of a selective insecticide is highly recommended for Integrated Pest Management programs. Plenum (a.i.: pymetrozine; Syngenta Agro), a systemic insecticide, is regarded as a good candidate for use in situations where plant-sucking insects have to be controlled and where natural enemies can play a substantial role as biological control agents. In this context, the effects of Plenum on a host–endoparasitoid relationship were investigated. Potato aphids Macrosiphum euphorbiae were reared for 4 days on an artificial diet supplemented with a low concentration of Plenum (sublethal concentration inducing 15% aphid mortality) before parasitization by the endoparasitoid Aphidius ervi. The development of A. ervi larvae was negatively affected, especially during the early stages of development, and the sex ratio of the progeny was strongly male-biased. Moreover, the host-choice experiment showed that A. ervi was not able to discriminate between control and Plenum-contaminated aphids. These results show that Plenum may not be as selective as it was previously thought to be, and the observed effects need to be considered when developing IPM systems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Syngenta Agro (St. Cyr l’Ecole, France) for supplying Plenum; the UMR203 INRA-INSA (Villeurbanne, France) for providing aphids; the “Comité Nord Plants de Pommes de Terre” (France) for providing potato tubers; and Dr. Alice Mauchline for her advice on the use of the English language in the paper.

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  1. Biologie des Plantes et Contrôle des Insectes Ravageurs (UPRES EA 3900), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80039, Amiens Cedex, France

    Jean-Rener Joseph, Arnaud Ameline & Aude Couty

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  1. Jean-Rener Joseph
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  2. Arnaud Ameline
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  3. Aude Couty
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Correspondence to Aude Couty.

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Joseph, JR., Ameline, A. & Couty, A. Effects on the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi of an insecticide (Plenum®, pymetrozine) specific to plant-sucking insects. Phytoparasitica 39, 35–41 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-010-0134-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-010-0134-4

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