Abstract
Biological control is a key component of integrated pest management (IPM). To suppress pests in a certain threshold, chemical control is used in combination with biological and other control methods. An essential premise for using pesticides in IPM is to ascertain their compatibility with beneficial insects. Chrysopa sinica (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) is an important predator of various pests and used for pest management. This study was intended to analyze metabolic changes in C. sinica larvae after feeding on azadirachtin-treated Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae) larvae through a non-targeted LC–MS (Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry) based metabolomics analysis. Results showed that C. sinica larvae did not die after consuming P. xylostella larvae treated with azadirachtin. However, their pupation and eclosion were adversely affected, resulting in an impairment in the completion of their life cycle. Feeding C. sinica larvae with azadirachtin-treated P. xylostella larvae affected over 10,000 metabolites across more than 20 pathways, including the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipid, cofactors, and vitamins in C. sinica larvae, of which changes in amnio acid metabolism were particularly pronounced. A working model was proposed to illustrate differential changes in 20 metabolites related to some amino acid metabolisms. Among them, 15 were markedly reduced and only five were elevated. Our results suggest that azadirachtin application may not be exclusively compatible with the use of the predator C. sinica for control of P. xylostella. It is recommended that the compatibility should be evaluated not only based on the survival of the predatory insects but also by the metabolic changes and the resultant detrimental effects on their development.
Highlights
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a coordinated process using multiple methods, such as biological, chemical, cultural, mechanical, physical, and pest resistant or tolerant varieties for optimizing control of pests in an ecologically and economically sound manner [1]
The objectives of this study were to analyze metabolic changes in C. sinica larvae after feeding Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae) larvae treated with azadirachtin using ultra high performance liquid chromatograph coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–mass spectrometer (MS)/MS), identify main metabolic pathways altered by the consumption of azadirachtin-treated prey, outline key components underlying the detrimental effects, and address likely problems for the use of azadirachtin and C. sinica in control of P. xylostella in crop production
The larvae of C. sinica fed with P. xylostella larvae that consumed azadirachtin-treated leaves (T) showed no significant growth differences compared to those fed P. xylostella control (CK) as there were no larval mortalities between T and CK before pupation
Summary
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a coordinated process using multiple methods, such as biological, chemical, cultural, mechanical, physical, and pest resistant or tolerant varieties for optimizing control of pests in an ecologically and economically sound manner [1]. The use of pesticides may have adverse effects on non-target organisms, including predatory insects [2]. Azadirachtin as an insecticidal ingredient has been reported to effectively control more than 400 species of insects [6]. This compound displays multiple effects on insects and can be used as an insect repellent, antifeedant, growth retardant, molting inhibitor, and oviposition deterrent [5,6,7]. Azadirachtin was reported to be selective and would not affect important natural enemies of pests [8]. Even when botanical pesticides, such as azadirachtin are used in IPM, knowledge about their relative toxicity to and compatibility with predatory insects should be acquired
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