Abstract
The two biocontrol agents Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) have the potential to complement one another as part of an integrated pest management programme. While both can suppress whitefly and thrips infestations in protected crops, A. swirskii is primarily used preventatively whereas B. bassiana can be used as a curative treatment at higher pest levels. With this concomitant use in mind, the research presented here aimed to identify potential negative effects of the commercial B. bassiana strain GHA on A. swirskii in a laboratory study. Adult A. swirskii were found to be susceptible to B. bassiana infection with slight to moderate virulence (20.74 ± 3.89 to 48.33 % ± 3.07) depending on the type of exposure and with a reduction in fecundity over time. There was however no negative effect on juvenile survival neither on dry residue nor on the offspring of infected mites. Thus, these two biocontrol agents do have the potential to be complementary. Further trials in the field are still required before a final conclusion can be reached.
Highlights
Augmentative biocontrol in protected crops often involves multiple biological control agents (BCAs) targeting the same or different pest species (Wittman and Leather 1997; Shipp et al 2003; Calvo et al 2009; Labbe et al 2009; Chow et al 2010; Messelink et al 2011). These BCAs may be used in conjunction with biorational chemicals in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes where the focus is to combine crop protection strategies with the overall aim to reduce the use of broad spectrum pesticides and chemical residues on produce (Cock et al 2010)
The B. bassiana treatments had a significant effect on the survival rates of adult A. swirskii compared with the control treatment
Beauveria bassiana strain GHA was found to be infectious to A. swirskii when exposed to topical difference in survival rate as analysed by the Weibull distribution and compared using Tukey’s post-hoc (p \ 0.05)
Summary
Augmentative biocontrol in protected crops often involves multiple biological control agents (BCAs) targeting the same or different pest species (Wittman and Leather 1997; Shipp et al 2003; Calvo et al 2009; Labbe et al 2009; Chow et al 2010; Messelink et al 2011) These BCAs may be used in conjunction with biorational chemicals in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes where the focus is to combine crop protection strategies with the overall aim to reduce the use of broad spectrum pesticides and chemical residues on produce (Cock et al 2010). The products used for corrective treatments should have minimal impact on other BCAs present in the crop
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