Abstract
Abstract The environment inside Canadian prairie greenhouses differs from greenhouses built in other northern latitude locations in terms of lighting, temperature, humidity, and photoperiod. Since the performance of biocontrol agents depends upon several interactive environmental variables, their effectiveness to control pests in a particular crop growing under certain climatic conditions does not directly translate to another crop or location. So, we analyzed research trials assessing the efficacy and compatibility of various biocontrol agents (Amblyseius cucumeris, Amblyseius cucumeris, Phytoseiulus persimilis, Encarsia formosa, Aphidius colemani, Aphidius ervi, and Steinernema feltiae) on key pests (Western flower thrips, two-spotted spider mites, greenhouse whiteflies, and aphids) of spring bedding plants grown in a commercial floricultural greenhouse. Were analyzed several compatible combinations of biocontrol agents and observed a significant reduction in pest densities and plant damage symptoms as compared to untreated control plants. The results demonstrate that P. persimilis controlled two-spotted spider mites successfully in calibrachoa crop. The combination of Amblyseius cucumeris and S. feltiae resulted in significantly better control of Western flower thrips than the use of Amblyseius cucumeris alone in sweet potato vine plants. The application of E. formosa and Amblyseius cucumeris individually reduced greenhouse whiteflies on calibrachoa plants as compared to control, but their combination performed better resulting in a significantly lower number of whiteflies on plants. Another combination of Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi controlled green peach aphids and foxglove aphids effectively on the pansy crop. The biocontrol agents were effective for managing a variety of pests in a commercial greenhouse setting.
Highlights
Canadian Prairie Provinces receive ample amounts of bright sunlight and longer day lengths as compared to other parts of the country where the greenhouse industry is mostly concentrated
We focused on key greenhouse pests viz. Western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Greenhouse whiteflies Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Green peach aphids Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Foxglove aphids Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and two-spotted spider mites Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), commonly found in commercial greenhouse environments
The biocontrol agents used in the study include predatory mites, viz. Amblyseius cucumeris Oudemans (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Amblyseius swirskii Athias-henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae); parasitoid wasps viz. Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); and parasitic nematode, Steinernema feltiae Filipjev (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) as biocontrol agents against the pests mentioned above
Summary
Canadian Prairie Provinces receive ample amounts of bright sunlight and longer day lengths as compared to other parts of the country where the greenhouse industry is mostly concentrated. Most prairie greenhouses use air inflated double polyethylene (due to continuous freezing and thawing of the ground) as covering material in contrast to glass, which is a material of choice in most other greenhouse growing regions. Due to these factors, the environmental conditions inside the greenhouses situated on the Canadian prairies are different from those located in other parts of Canada or Europe. Crops are produced on a large scale, with high species diversity in highdensity greenhouse plantings. Plants arrive regularly from many different sources increasing the chances of pest introductions. A longer stay increases the chances for pest incidence and development
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