The potential of the solitary parasitoid Microctonus brassicae for the biological control of the adult cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephalaShow others and affiliations
2020 (English)In: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, ISSN 0013-8703, E-ISSN 1570-7458, p. 1-11Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), Psylliodes chrysocephala L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a major pest of oilseed rape, Brassica napus L. (Brassicaceae), within the UK and continental Europe. Following the withdrawal of many broad-spectrum pesticides, most importantly neonicotinoids, and with increased incidence of pyrethroid resistance, few chemical control options remain, resulting in the need for alternative pest management strategies. We identified the parasitoid wasp Microctonus brassicae (Haeselbarth) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) within CSFB collected from three independent sites in Norfolk, UK. Parasitism of adult CSFB was confirmed, and wasp oviposition behaviour was described. Moreover, we show that within captive colonies parasitism rates are sufficient to generate significant biological control of CSFB populations. A sequence of the M. brassicae mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (MT-CO1) gene was generated for rapid future identification. Moroccan specimens of Microctonus aethiopoides (Loan), possessing 90% sequence similarity, were the closest identified sequenced species. This study represents the first description published in English of this parasitoid of the adult cabbage stem flea beetle.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2020. p. 1-11
Keywords [en]
oilseed rape, Brassica napus, CSFB, parasitoid wasp, molecular barcode, CO1, Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Hymenoptera, Braconidae, biocontrol agent, Brassicaceae
National Category
Zoology
Research subject
Diversity of life
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:nrm:diva-3827DOI: 10.1111/eea.12910OAI: oai:DiVA.org:nrm-3827DiVA, id: diva2:1502057
2020-11-182020-11-182020-11-19Bibliographically approved