Dataset Information

Biological Control Potential and Drawbacks of Three Zoophytophagous Mirid Predators against Bemisia tabaci in the United States.

ABSTRACT: Miridae (Hemiptera) of the tribe Dicyphini are important zoophytophagous predators use to control pest arthropods in vegetable crops. However, the risk that their herbivory may cause economic damage could hinder their application as useful biocontrol agents and may limit the likelihood they would meet regulatory requirements for importation. We conducted field cage studies to assess the predation capacity and tomato plant damage of three mirid species established in south USA, a known biocontrol agent (Nesidiocoris tenuis), and two native species (Macrolophus praeclarus and Engytatus modestus). All three species significantly reduced the number of whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) on tomato plants compared to tomato plants without mirids. More damage, evaluated as the number of necrotic rings, was observed on tomato plants with E. modestus and N. tenuis compared to M. praeclarus. In our experiments that included sesame plants (Sesamum indicum) with tomato plants, mirid numbers increased despite a low number of prey, thus showing a benefit of the plant-feeding habit of these predators. USA's established mirids may therefore prove to be immediately available biological agents for the management of present and future tomato pests.

SUBMITTER: Roda A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7600543 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Biological Control Potential and Drawbacks of Three Zoophytophagous Mirid Predators against <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> in the United States.

Roda Amy A Castillo Jose J Allen Carina C Urbaneja Alberto A Pérez-Hedo Meritxell M Weihman Scott S Stansly Philip A PA

Insects 20201001 10

Miridae (Hemiptera) of the tribe Dicyphini are important zoophytophagous predators use to control pest arthropods in vegetable crops. However, the risk that their herbivory may cause economic damage could hinder their application as useful biocontrol agents and may limit the likelihood they would meet regulatory requirements for importation. We conducted field cage studies to assess the predation capacity and tomato plant damage of three mirid species established in south USA, a known biocontrol ...[more]

PMID: 33019565

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Project description:The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and the viruses it transmits, are a major constraint to vegetable crops, worldwide. Although the whitefly is usually controlled using chemical pesticides, biological control agents constitute an important component in integrated pest management programs. One of these agents is the wasp Eretmocerus mundus (Mercet) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). E. mundus lays its egg on the leaf underneath the pupa of B. tabaci. First instars of the wasp hatch and penetrate the whitefly larvae. Initiation of parasitization induces the host to form a cellular capsule around the parasitoid. Around this capsule, epidermal cells multiply and thick layers of cuticle are deposited. The physiological and molecular processes underlying B. tabaci-E. mundus interactions have not been investigated so far. We have used a cDNA microarray containing 6,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the whitefly genome to study the parasitoid-whitefly interaction. We compared RNA samples collected across two time points of the parasitization process: when the parasitoid first instar started the penetration process and once it had fully penetrated the host. The results clearly indicated that genes known to be part of the defense pathways described in other insects are also involved in the response of B. tabaci to parasitization by E. mundus. Some of the responses observed included the repression of a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) and the induction of a melanization cascade. A second set of genes that strongly responded to parasitization included bacterial genes encoded by whitefly symbionts. Quantitative real-time PCR and FISH analyses showed that proliferation of Rickettsia, a facultative secondary symbiont, was strongly induced following the initiation of the parasitization process, a result that supported previous reports suggesting that endosymbionts may be involved in the insect host resistance to various environmental stresses. This is the first study examining the transcriptional response of a hemipteran insect to the attack of a biological control agent (Hymenopterous parasitoid), using a new genomic approach developed for this insect pest. The defense response in B. tabaci seems to resemble that of model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. Moreover, endosymbionts of B. tabaci seem to play a role in the response to parasitization, and this is supported by previously published results from aphids. Keywords: time course

Project description:BACKGROUND: A challenge within the context of cryptic species is the delimitation of individual species within the complex. Statistical parsimony network analytics offers the opportunity to explore limits in situations where there are insufficient species-specific morphological characters to separate taxa. The results also enable us to explore the spread in taxa that have invaded globally. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a 657 bp portion of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 from 352 unique haplotypes belonging to the Bemisia tabaci cryptic species complex, the analysis revealed 28 networks plus 7 unconnected individual haplotypes. Of the networks, 24 corresponded to the putative species identified using the rule set devised by Dinsdale et al. (2010). Only two species proposed in Dinsdale et al. (2010) departed substantially from the structure suggested by the analysis. The analysis of the two invasive members of the complex, Mediterranean (MED) and Middle East - Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), showed that in both cases only a small number of haplotypes represent the majority that have spread beyond the home range; one MEAM1 and three MED haplotypes account for >80% of the GenBank records. Israel is a possible source of the globally invasive MEAM1 whereas MED has two possible sources. The first is the eastern Mediterranean which has invaded only the USA, primarily Florida and to a lesser extent California. The second are western Mediterranean haplotypes that have spread to the USA, Asia and South America. The structure for MED supports two home range distributions, a Sub-Saharan range and a Mediterranean range. The MEAM1 network supports the Middle East - Asia Minor region. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The network analyses show a high level of congruence with the species identified in a previous phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of the two globally invasive members of the complex support the view that global invasion often involve very small portions of the available genetic diversity.

Dataset Information

Biological Control Potential and Drawbacks of Three Zoophytophagous Mirid Predators against Bemisia tabaci in the United States.

Publications

Biological Control Potential and Drawbacks of Three Zoophytophagous Mirid Predators against <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> in the United States.

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