Conservation of natural enemies in cotton: role of insect growth regulators in management of Bemisia tabaci

By S. Naranjo, Peter C. Ellsworth, J. Hagler. Biological control (Print), 2004

144 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Field studies were conducted from 1997 to 1999 to contrast the effects of two insect growth regulators (IGRs) and conventional insecticides on natural enemy conservation in cotton within the context of alternative management strategies for Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). Compared with an untreated control, insecticide regimes based on the initial use of the IGR buprofezin or pyriproxyfen reduced densities of eight predator taxa out of 20 examined in at least one year, including common species such as Geocoris punctipes (Say), Nabis alternatus Parshley, Chrysoperla carnea s.l., and the empidid fly Drapetis nr. divergens. Patterns of predator and pest population change relative to IGR application dates suggest that factors other than direct toxic effects, such as reduction in prey availability, were likely involved. In comparison, the use of conventional insecticides reduced populations of nearly all the predatory taxa examined in most years, including those affected by IGRs, with the impact being greater and more immediate in all cases. Predator:prey ratios were significantly increased by the use of IGRs compared with both the untreated control and a conventional insecticide regime in most instances. The application of conventional insecticides for suppression of Lygus hesperus Knight, another key pest in the system, in a split-plot design reduced densities of most predator taxa and diminished the selective advantage of the IGRs. Rates of parasitism by aphelinid parasitoids (Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerowich and Encarsia spp.) were generally low and did not vary consistently due to B. tabaci or L. hesperus insecticide regimes over the three years. Our 3year study demonstrates the more selective action of buprofezin and pyriproxyfen in an effective integrated control system for B. tabaci. The use of these IGRs could further facilitate biologically based management in cotton production systems. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Subfields: Insect Science, Molecular Biology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a5a30995bf93269cb9a3ce75656f0590ee6fa70c

How researchers see this paper

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In Insect Science

1. S. Naranjo
2. J. Torres
3. Peter C. Ellsworth
4. J. Ruberson
5. G. Dively
6. Jörg Romeis
7. M. Meissle
8. J. Obrycki

In Molecular Biology

1. S. Naranjo
2. J. Torres
3. J. Ruberson
4. G. Dively
5. Jörg Romeis
6. M. Meissle
7. J. Obrycki
8. J. Harwood

Citations in the corpus

• Enhancing pest control in annual crops by conservation of predatory Heteroptera (2011, unknown): “on cotton (Naranjo et al., 2004).”
• Canopy- and Ground-Dwelling Predatory Arthropods in Commercial Bt and non-Bt Cotton Fields: Patterns and Mechanisms (2005, background): “…in a Bt cotton ecosystem are probably more related to changes in insecticide use patterns than the presence of toxins in the plants, and the species shift is typical of changes observed in predator communities in cotton after insecticide application (Naranjo et al. 2003, 2004, Men et al. 2003).”
• Long-Term Assessment of the Effects of Transgenic Bt Cotton on the Function of the Natural Enemy Community (2005, background): “In contrast, the use of selective insecticides forB. tabacionly slightly reduces the abundance of various natural enemies (Naranjo et al. 2004) but allows the complex to continue inßicting signiÞcant mortality, enabling long-term pest suppression in the absence of additional insecticides (Naranjo…”
• Mortality dynamics and population regulation in Bemisia tabaci (2005, background): “…of mortality during each individual developmental period followed the distribution shown in Figure 1A. Based on identifications from an associated study (Naranjo et al., 2004b), parasitism was primarily due to the natives Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerowich and Encarsia meritoria Gahan.”
• Long-Term Assessment of the Effects of Transgenic Bt Cotton on the Abundance of Nontarget Arthropod Natural Enemies (2005, methodology): “Similar resolution was shown in even smaller plots used to test alternative insecticide regimens for B. tabaci (Naranjo et al. 2004).”