Prey-predator relationship between Lipaphis erysimi Kalt. (Homoptera Aphididae) and Coccinella septempunctata Linn. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). III. Effect of host plants on the searching strategy, mutal interference and killing power of the predator

The present paper describes the effect of different host plants on the searching efficiency of the predator Coccinella septempunctata, which was found to decrease linearly with an increase of predator density. This decrease is least for aphids reared on Brassica oleracea followed by Raphanus sativus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological agriculture & horticulture 1999, Vol.17 (1), p.11-17
Main Authors: Siddiqui, A, Kumar, A, Kumar, N, Tripathi, C.P.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brassica oleracea
Brassica rapa subsp. campestris
Coccinella septempunctata
efficiency
foraging
host plants
leaves
Lipaphis erysimi
plant pests
population density
predator-prey relationships
Raphanus sativus
ratios
species differences
surfaces
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Summary:The present paper describes the effect of different host plants on the searching efficiency of the predator Coccinella septempunctata, which was found to decrease linearly with an increase of predator density. This decrease is least for aphids reared on Brassica oleracea followed by Raphanus sativus and Brassica campestris. However, when the prey density increased, the searching efficiency (highest for B. oleracea reared aphids followed by R. sativus and B. campestris aphids) decreased significantly. The leaf surfaces of the host plants and the interference between the predators at high densities is suggested as a cause of this type of behavioural response which is explained by the population model of Hassell & Varley (1969). For the suppression of Lipaphis erysimi population, it is suggested that the predator to prey ratio may be 1:40, while for mass rearing of the predator, when B. oleracea is not available in the field R. sativus may be used as an alternative host plant.
ISSN:0144-8765
2165-0616