Effect of different cold storage periods of rearing host eggs on the performance of the parasitoid Trichogramma evanescens (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

Amany Siam,Alia Mohammed Abd Elhafez,Nawal Zohdy Mohammed Zohdy,Laila Eid Moursy,Hanaa Ahmed E L Sherif

doi:10.1186/s41938-019-0139-3

Amany Siam, Alia Mohammed Abd Elhafez + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41938-019-0139-3

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Abstract

Laboratory experiments were carried out to evaluate the acceptance of Trichogramma evanescens (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to long and short cold storage periods of the host, the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) eggs. The eggs were stored at 5 °C for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 days, before exposing to the parasitoid. Fecundity, longevity, percentage of adult emergence, sex ratio, and general productivity (GP) were investigated. Storage period to 5 days showed the highest productivity of (28.16 females), with a parasitism efficiency of 85.64%. Increasing storage periods to 10, 15, and 20 days reduced the general productivity of the females to 22.90, 15.00, and 7.75 females, respectively, accompanied by decreased parasitization efficacy values 69.65, 46.62, and 23.57%, respectively. The 30-day storage period decreased sharply the fitness components of Trichogramma females. Generally, the results indicated that the storage period to 5 days was the most favorable.

Highlights

Cold storage of rearing host eggs received more attention in recent years because of its importance in the field of biological control (Huang et al 2017)
Effect of different cold storage periods of S. cerealella eggs on the efficacy of T. evanescens Data in Table 1 shows that the parasitization on the non-cold-stored host eggs were higher than any of the cold stored ones
Cold storage of host eggs had a significant effect on the acceptance of Trichogramma females (P < 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Cold storage of rearing host eggs received more attention in recent years because of its importance in the field of biological control (Huang et al 2017). It assures its availability in sufficient numbers at the time of release, providing flexibility and efficiency in mass production (Gosh and Ballal 2017). Trichogramma evanescens (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) is a true egg parasitoid species, widely used in inoculative and augmentative release programs to regulate pest populations, mainly lepidopterous ones (Smith 1996). It shows a vital role in destroying the early stages of the.

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