ISSN:
1570-7458
Keywords:
Trichogramma nubilale
;
Ostrinia nubilalis
;
inundative release
;
sweet corn
;
biological control
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract We conducted inundative release experiments withTrichogramma nubilale (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to suppressOstrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in sweet corn (Zea mays): two experiment duringO. nubilalis first generation and three experiments during second generation. Five measurements of ear and stalk damage were used to assess.O. nubilalis control in treated and untreated plots within each experimental field. In one experiment during second generation, naturalO. nubilalis populations were sufficiently high to demonstrate that the parasitoids (three releases totaling 4.4 million parasitoids per ha) parasitized an estimated 57.4% of the placedO. nubilalis egg masses and reduced the mean number ofO. nubilalis larvae per ear by 97.4% the number of tunnels per stalk by 92.9%, and the number of larvae per stalk by 94.3% in the release plot. Ear damage in this experiment was suppressed to meet acceptable standards for use in cut-corn commercial processing. Larval mortality was apparently density independent, which implies that density-dependent larval loss would not compensate for egg parasitism byT. nubilale.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00688996
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