Effect of Cold Storage on Biological Traits of Psix saccharicola

Psix saccharicola (Mani) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of the pistachio green stink bug, Acrosternum arabicum (Wagner) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), which is one of the most important pests of pistachio in Iran. Augmentation of P. saccharicola field populations using mass-r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic entomology 2018-06, Vol.111 (3), p.1144
Main Authors: Forouzan, Farzane, Jalali, Mohammad Amin, Ziaaddini, Mahdi, Rad, Hamid Hashemi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological control
Pests
Stink bugs
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Psix saccharicola (Mani) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of the pistachio green stink bug, Acrosternum arabicum (Wagner) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), which is one of the most important pests of pistachio in Iran. Augmentation of P. saccharicola field populations using mass-reared individuals may provide an alternative to conventional pesticide use for pistachio green stink bug control. Cold storage is an important component of mass-rearing protocols for optimum timing of host egg parasitization and potentially extended storage of P. saccharicola pupae prior to adult emergence. The impact of cold storage on A. arabicum eggs for various time intervals at 4.0[degrees]C was investigated. Results indicated that host eggs stored at 4.0[degrees]C for up to 60 d could be exploited by P. sacchricola, whereas no offspring were produced when eggs were stored for 120 d. The emergence rates of the [F.sub.1], and [F.sub.2] generations declined with increased host egg storage time. Both sex ratio and survival rate of the [F.sub.2] generation decreased as the refrigeration time of host eggs increased. The impact of cold storage on P. saccharicola pupae was evaluated. Reared pupae of P. saccharicola were held for 1 wk at three temperatures and compared with a control (27 [+ or -] 1[degrees]C). Psix saccharicola pupae were tolerant to cold storage at 8 and 12[degrees]C. Cold storage adversely affected mean adult emergence at 4[degrees]C, which decreased following low temperature exposure. Furthermore, mean percentage survivorship was unaffected by storage at low temperatures in the [F.sub.1], generation, but was reduced at 4[degrees]C. The sex ratio of the F1 generation became more male-biased when held at lower storage temperatures. The highest female proportion was observed at 12[degrees]C. Key words: Platygastridae, biological control, pentatomidae, mass-rearing, cold storage
ISSN:0022-0493
DOI:10.1093/jee/toy087