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Responses of Microplitis mediator Haliday  (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to different instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and damaged cotton plants

PAN Hong-Sheng, ZHAO Qiu-Jian, ZHAO Kui-Jun, ZHANG Yong-Jun, WU Kong-Ming, GUO Yu-Yuan   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; 2. College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
  • Received:2010-11-15 Online:2011-04-20 Published:2011-04-20
  • Contact: yjzhang@ippcaas.cn E-mail:yjzhang@ippcaas.cn
  • About author:panhongsheng0715@163.com

Abstract: Studying the responses of Microplitis mediator Haliday to different instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera Hübner and damaged cotton plants could supply the theoretical basis for effectively applying M. mediator to control cotton bollworm (CBW). In this study, responses of female M. mediator wasps to different instar larvae of CBW and damaged cotton plants were measured by using Y-shaped olfactometer in laboratory. Results showed that CBW larvae of the 3rd, 4th and 5th instars had no significant attraction to M. mediator, while CBW larvae of the 1st and 2nd instars had significant attraction. Among the behavioral responses of M. mediator to cotton plants damaged by different instar larvae of CBW, we found that both cotton plants damaged by CBW larvae and the healthy ones (the control) could strongly attract wasps. In tests with no larvae removed, M. mediator wasps had a significantly higher preference for damaged cotton plants plus CBW larvae than for the control, but there were notable differences in attraction among different instars, and the relative selective preference order was as follows: plants infested by 5th instar larvae of CBW > plants infested by 2nd and 4th instar larvae of CBW > plants infested by 1st and 3rd instar larvae of CBW. The results may provide some theoretical guidance and practical basis for application of M. mediator in biological control strategy.

Key words: Microplitis mediator, Helicoverpa armigera, cotton, behavioral response, taxis

CLC Number: 

  • Q968