Abstract
The western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is one of the most important thysanopteran pests belonging to the family Thripidae. This species is a cosmopolitan and serious insect pest of greenhouse and field crops worldwide. Orius laevigatus (Fiber) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is an important zoophytophagous insect that attacks a wide variety of insect pests and is commercially available as a biological control agent of F. occidentalis. However, the biological control success by this predator strongly depends on the morphological characteristics and nutritional quality of the host plant. In the present study, the suitability of green bean, marigold, and strawberry as banker plants for O. laevigatus were evaluated in the laboratory condition (25 ± 1 °C, a relative humidity of 70 ± 5% with a 16-h day). The shortest and longest developmental time of whole nymphal periods of O. laevigatus was on the green bean (10.6 days) and marigold (13.2 days) plants, respectively. The highest fecundity of O. lavigatus was on the green bean (113.0 eggs) and the lowest on the marigold (38.4 eggs). The highest net reproductive rate (R0: 47.3 female/female), intrinsic rate of increase (rm: 0.10 female/female/day), finite rate of increase (λ: 1.16 female/female/day), and generation time (T: 24.1 days) were obtained on the green bean. Based on our results, the green bean can be a good candidate as a banker plant for O. laevigatus in integrated pest management programs.
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