Generalist predator contributions to the control of Tetranychus urticae in strawberry crops documented by PCR-based gut content analysis
Autor: | Eric G. Chapman, Annette Bruun Jensen, Stine K. Jacobsen, James D. Harwood, Kristian S. Hansen, Mónica A. Hurtado, Lene Sigsgaard |
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Rok vydání: | 2019 |
Předmět: |
Crops
Agricultural 0106 biological sciences Food Chain Denmark Zoology Generalist and specialist species Fragaria Polymerase Chain Reaction 01 natural sciences Anthocoridae 030308 mycology & parasitology Hemiptera 03 medical and health sciences Spider mite Animals Tetranychus urticae Pest Control Biological Predator 0303 health sciences Tick Control Ecology biology General Medicine biology.organism_classification 010602 entomology Animal ecology Predatory Behavior Insect Science Anthocoris PEST analysis Tetranychidae |
Zdroj: | Experimental and Applied Acarology. 77:133-143 |
ISSN: | 1572-9702 0168-8162 |
Popis: | The contribution of generalist insect predators to the control of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), an herbivorous pest of many crops, is poorly understood. One of the common insect predators in strawberries is the generalist predatory bug Anthocoris nemorum L. (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), which has the potential to contribute to the control of pest populations. The feeding of adult A. nemorum on T. urticae was assessed by sampling individuals from an organic strawberry field in Denmark, and using PCR gut content analysis to detect remains of T. urticae within their gut. In the lab, we assessed that the DNA half-life detectability was 21.5 h. Significant numbers of field-collected A. nemorum tested positive for T. urticae prey DNA, with very high numbers in June (62.8%) and August (38.8%). This study presents conclusive evidence that the generalist predator A. nemorum can contribute to the decrease of T. urticae densities in strawberry fields, although the actual contribution in the present study is probably limited because predator populations were relatively low compared to T. urticae. The abundance of T. urticae did not increase significantly during the period of sampling, suggesting that a complex of natural enemies can achieve biological control of T. urticae in protected strawberries. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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