Advancing Biological Control of the Wheat Stem Sawfly: New Strategies in a 100-yr Struggle to Manage a Costly Pest in the Northern Great Plains
| Autor: | Gadi V. P. Reddy, Scott L. Portman, Stefan T. Jaronski, David K. Weaver |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Entomopathogenic fungi biology Agroforestry fungi Biological pest control food and beverages Introduced species biology.organism_classification 01 natural sciences Crop 010602 entomology Sawfly Sustainable management Insect Science cardiovascular system PEST analysis Cephidae circulatory and respiratory physiology 010606 plant biology & botany |
| Zdroj: | Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 111:85-91 |
| ISSN: | 1938-2901 0013-8746 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/aesa/say002 |
| Popis: | For more than 100 yrs, the wheat stem sawfly (WSS) Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae), has been a destructive pest of cereal crops in the Northern Great Plains. WSS infestation levels >70% have been reported, and economic loss from crop damage caused by this insect can be as high as $80 million (USD) per year in the state of Montana alone. Contact insecticides are not effective against WSS because the larvae and pupae are protected inside the plant stem, and the development of solid-stem cultivars have not resulted in sufficient declines in WSS populations. Biological control offers the best hope for achieving economical and sustainable management of WSS. However, development and advancement of WSS biological control strategies has been limited in recent years. Presently, there are three main types of biologicals available for managing WSS: two native hymenopteran parasitoids, entomopathogenic nematodes, and entomopathogenic fungi. Here, we present the most current research regarding the use of these biologicals against WSS, and we discuss new strategies and research opportunities for improving their effectiveness for managing this persistent pest. It is unlikely that a single agent will produce the desired results, but by increasing pressure from all three sources, their combined impact may more reliably cause significant reductions in WSS infestations. Eradication of WSS, a native species, is not a realistic goal, but it is probable that WSS populations will decline more readily as biological control methods continue to advance. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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