Abstract
Two species of predaceous mites,Amblyseius barkeri (Hughes) [=A. mckenziei Schuster & Pritchard] andA. cucumeris (Oudemans) [Acarina: Phytoseiidae] were evaluated as potential biological control agents forThrips tabaci Lindeman [Thysanoptera: Thripidae] on cabbage.A. barkeri colonized cabbage heads in preliminary trials. Field releases of different numbers of mites per plant during 1987 showed thatA. barkeri reduced the number of thrips in cabbage heads at harvest, and the reduction was proportional to the number of mites released, but thrips damage was unaffected. ReleasingA. cucumeris at different times during 1988, but releasing the same number of mites each time, we found that earlier releases resulted in fewer thrips and less damage at harvest; these relationships were not present, however, in plots treated with pyrethroid insecticides. We conclude that inoculative release ofAmblyseius spp. is a potentially useful thrips management strategy, but improvements in release timing and strategy will be required to provide commercially acceptable control.
Résumé
Deux espèces d'acariens prédateurs,Amblyseius barkeri (Hugues [=A. mckenziei Schuster & Pritchard] etAmblyseius cucumeris (Oudemans), ont été testés comme agents de lutte biologique potentiels contreThrips tabaci Lindeman sur chou.A. barkeri colonisa les pommes des choux durant les essais préliminaires. Des lâchers en plein champ de différents nombres d'A. barkeri en 1987 ont démontré que les thrips sur choux étaient réduits proportionnellement au nombre d'acariens lâchés, mais le dommage dû aux thrips demeurait identique. En 1988, des lâchers en plein champ d'un même nombre d'A. cucumeris, mais à des périodes différentes, ont démontré que les premiers lâchers réduisaient au maximum le nombre de thrips et les dommages à la récolte, mais cette corrélation n'était pas établie quand les pyréthroides sont employés. Nous concluons qu'un lâcher inoculatif d'Amblyseius spp. est une stratégie potentielle utilisable contre les thrips du chou, en perfectionnant le choix du nombre et du moment des lâchers, pour rendre la lutte acceptable sur le plan commercial.
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Hoy, C.W., Glenister, C.S. ReleasingAmblyseius spp. [Acarina: Phytoseiidae] to controlThrips tabaci [Thysanoptera: Thripidae] on cabbage. Entomophaga 36, 561–573 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374439
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374439