Design and Testing of a Boom Sprayer Prototype to Release Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in Sweet Corn for Biocontrol of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Abstract

Abstract. Sweet corn requires many insecticide applications to control its main pest: the European corn borer () (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). The use of is an effective biological alternative to control the European corn borer in sweet corn. However, manual introduction at large scale of using Trichocards is time-consuming. Mechanized introduction of using a boom sprayer is an innovative and advantageous solution. The objective of this study was to design and test a boom sprayer to spray (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in sweet corn canopy under real field conditions. parasitized eggs were sprayed at a rate of 800,000 individuals ha-1 using a boom sprayer designed at the Department of Soils and Agri-Food Engineering of Université Laval, Québec, Canada. parasitized eggs were also introduced at a rate of 500,000 individuals ha-1 using Trichocards. Overall, eight releases were made during the 2016 season. Field trial results showed a 17.22% emergence rate reduction of in the sprayed plots compared to Trichocards. Total fecundity and longevity of sprayed females were not negatively affected by spraying; indicating that spraying did not have any negative impact on their quality. The parasitism rates observed on natural egg masses of and on sentinel egg masses of were comparable for both methods. At harvest, sprayed and Trichocards treatments resulted in adequate control of the European corn borer. Obtained results also showed that spraying was 1.7 times faster than the manual introduction of Trichocards. Overall, the results indicate that spraying is a promising technique for an efficient and viable introduction of parasitized eggs. However, more research is recommended to further optimize the spraying parameters. The spraying system successfully used in sweet corn could also be used in corn production and adapted to other crops such as pepper, beans, and potatoes to control the European corn borer. Keywords: Biological control, European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, Trichogramma, Trichogramma ostriniae, Sweet corn, Corn production, Spraying, Boom sprayer, Beneficial insects, Trichocards.