Egg Parasitoid Telenomus Podisi Research Articles

Optimizing the Release Pattern of Telenomus podisi for Effective Biological Control of Euschistus heros in Soybean.

An augmentative biological control program using the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is a promising tool for the management of the brown stink bug, Euschistus heros (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in soybeans. The T. podisi are released as adults or pupae within lab-reared E. heros eggs. Because of the small size of the parasitoid and potentially limited dispersal ability, determining the optimal release pattern is critical for biological control of the target pest. This study used sentinel E. heros eggs to investigate T. podisi dispersal within soybean crops during two distinct phenological stages: the beginning of flowering (Vn-R1) and the grain-filling phase (R5-R6). Data were analyzed using semi-variograms and kriging maps. The results indicate significant differences in parasitism rates between the two plant growth stages and among different matrices. The maximum dispersal range for T. podisi was calculated at 39.0 m in the Vn-R1 stage with a maximum parasitism rate of 42%, while in the R5-R6 stage, the maximum dispersal range was calculated to be 30.9 m with a maximum parasitism of 73%. Therefore, it is recommended that release points for T. podisi be spaced no further than 30 m apart. These results provide valuable insights for future research and applications in biological control strategies, including adjustment of the logistics and release technique depending upon the crop phenological stage.

Role of herbivore‐induced maize volatiles in the chemotactic behaviour of Telenomus podisi and Diceraeus melacanthus

AbstractPlants respond indirectly to herbivore injury in a species‐specific way and emit a specific blend of volatiles that are attractive to the enemies of herbivores. We evaluated whether maize plants, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), can recognize herbivory damage from a generalist stink bug, Diceraeus melacanthus Dallas (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). This species is not a common pest in maize, but is currently found on maize crops in Brazil. We aimed to answer the following questions: (1) does D. melacanthus use maize plant volatiles for host location? (2) Do maize plant chemical volatile profiles change due to feeding by D. melacanthus? And (3) do herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) emitted by maize plants play a role in the foraging behaviour of the generalist stink bug egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)? The results show that females of D. melacanthus do not use constitutive volatiles or HIPVs as host location cues. However, feeding by D. melacanthus activates maize indirect defence, inducing emission of HIPVs and attracting the herbivore's enemy. Thus, strengthening indirect defence of plants can be a strategy to protect crops in the field by recruiting natural enemies through chemical information, as an additional approach to control D. melacanthus within an integrated pest management program.

Differential induction of volatiles in rice plants by two stink bug species influence behaviour of conspecifics and their natural enemy Telenomus podisi

AbstractTritrophic interactions mediated by semiochemicals have been intensively studied from the viewpoint of ecological relationships with Nearctic tritrophic organisms. However, there are few studies involving interactions with different herbivores on the same host plant in Neotropical systems. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of herbivory by two species of stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) with the same feeding habit – Tibraca limbativentris Stål and Glyphepomis spinosa Campos & Grazia – on indirect and direct defence strategies of rice plants. The responses of each stink bug species (virgin and mated females) and of their main natural enemy, the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae; mated females), to volatiles from undamaged and herbivore‐damaged rice plants were evaluated using a Y‐tube olfactometer. The results showed that rice plants responded differently to T. limbativentris or G. spinosa herbivory, enhancing the production of a different blend of volatile compounds, which reduced the attraction for conspecific stink bugs and elicited the foraging behaviour of T. podisi.

Egg parasitoid exploitation of plant volatiles induced by single or concurrent attack of a zoophytophagous predator and an invasive phytophagous pest

Zoophytophagous insect predators can induce physiological responses in plants by activating defence signalling pathways, but whether plants can respond to facultative phytophagy by recruiting natural enemies remains to be investigated. In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, using a system including a Vicia faba plant, the zoophytophagous predator Podisus maculiventris and the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi, we first demonstrated that T. podisi females are attracted by broad bean plants damaged by feeding activity of P. maculiventris and on which host egg masses had been laid, while they are not attracted by undamaged plants or plants damaged by feeding activity alone. In a second experiment, we evaluated the impact of the invasive phytophagous pest Halyomorpha halys on this plant volatile-mediated tritrophic communication. Results showed that the invasive herbivorous adults do not induce plants to recruit the native egg parasitoid, but they can disrupt the local infochemical network. In fact, T. podisi females are not attracted by volatiles emitted by plants damaged by H. halys feeding alone or combined with oviposition activity, nor are they attracted by plants concurrently infested by P. maculiventris and H. halys, indicating the specificity in the parasitoid response and the ability of the invasive herbivore in interrupting the semiochemical communication between plants and native egg parasitoids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that zoophytophagous predator attacks induce indirect plant defences similarly to those defence strategies adopted by plants as a consequence of single or concurrent infestations of herbivorous insects.

Impact of Insecticides Used in Soybean Crops to the Egg Parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae).

The objective of this study was to evaluate possible side effects of insecticides used in soybean crops on pupae and adults of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) under laboratory conditions. The protocol was adapted from standard methodology stablished by the Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms Working Group of the International Organization for Biological and integrated Control (IOBC) for Trichogramma cacoeciae (Marchal) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). All tested benzoylureas, diacylhydrazines, diamides and spinosins as well as pyrethroid beta-cyfluthrin were harmless to T. podisi pupae and adults, and therefore, can be used in IPM without damage to this biological control agent. The tested organophosphate, pyrethroids (except beta-cyfluthrin) and its combinations with either neonicotinoids or diamides triggered deleterious effects on at least one of the life stages of the parasitoid and should, whenever possible, be replaced by other insecticides more selective to natural enemies.

Host egg pigmentation protects developing parasitoids from ultraviolet radiation

Parasites rely on their hosts not only for nutrition and reproduction, but also for protection against natural enemies and adverse climatic conditions. In host‐parasite interactions, protective characteristics of both players are important to consider regarding damaging effects of environmental hazards. While ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is pervasive and harmful to organisms in general, its impact on parasite fitness remains understudied. Moreover, studies that do examine the effects of UV exposure on parasitic organisms tend to neglect host traits, which may vary inter‐ or intra‐specifically and thus confer different levels of environmental protection. We examined in the laboratory whether the UV‐protective value of host egg pigmentation could also benefit parasitoids, using the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi and the predatory stink bug Podisus maculiventris. This host species lays eggs of variable pigmentation levels from light to dark grey, an adaptation protecting its own embryos from UVR. We showed that higher levels of host egg pigmentation protect parasitoids subjected to a developmental exposure to UVR, increasing emergence rates by up to 86% and reducing development time by up to 4%. This protective effect of host pigmentation was context‐dependent, being less pronounced at low UVR intensity and towards the end of parasitoid development. Parasitoids that emerged from darker‐coloured eggs exposed to UVR were of slightly larger size than those developing in light‐coloured eggs, but other fitness‐related traits (fecundity, longevity, sex ratio) were unaffected. This study provides the first experimental evidence that host pigmentation can increase host suitability for parasitic organisms, and emphasizes the importance of considering trait variation in interacting species when investigating the susceptibility of ecological communities to important abiotic environmental factors.

Development of Dichelops melacanthus and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi reared on Bt-soybean MON 87701 x MON 89788 and its near conventional isoline under different temperatures.

Dichelops melacanthus was studied under controlled conditions (60 ± 10% RH and 14/10 h L/D photoperiod), and three constant temperatures (19, 25, and 31 ± 2 °C). Fresh pods of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybeans and its near non-Bt isoline (A5547) were supplied to nymphs and adults. The biology of T. podisi was studied in the same controlled RH conditions, but only at the standard temperature of 25 ± 2 °C. Overall, the development of D. melacanthus was better at higher temperatures, which accelerated the development of the stink bug without affecting adult biological parameters. No influence of Bt-soybeans on the biology of the pest was observed in any temperature studied, which shows that D. melacanthus is not affected by this transgenic soybean. The egg parasitoid T. podisi also was not harmed when it parasitized eggs of the pest fed with MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybeans, with similar results to those obtained in non-Bt isogenic soybeans. Thus, this study demonstrates that D. melacanthus is favored at high temperatures (31 ± 2 °C), and that neither did MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean pods affect the development of the pest nor its parasitoid T. podisi.

Size-induced phenotypic reaction norms in a parasitoid wasp: an examination of life-history and behavioural traits

The amount of resources available during development often affects body size, causing phenotypic variation in life-history traits and reproductive behaviours. However, past studies have seldom examined the reaction norms of both life-history and behavioural traits versus body size. We measured the phenotypic plasticity of several life-history (age-specific egg load, egg size, longevity) and behavioural (oviposition rate, host marking rate, walking speed) traits of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) in response to body size variation. We predicted that life-history traits would show more evidence of size compensation than behavioural traits, resulting in fewer positively-sloped size versus trait reaction norms among the former. As predicted by life-history models, smaller wasps appear to shift resource allocation towards early-life reproduction, having a similar egg load to large individuals 9 days after emergence. Surprisingly, longevity was unaffected by body size. However, egg size, the number of offspring produced during oviposition bouts, and the rate of subsequent egg synthesis were greater for larger individuals. In addition, as predicted, the reaction norms of behavioural traits versus body size were all positively sloped. Thus, despite possible adaptive compensatory plasticity of life-history traits by small individuals, behavioural constraints directly related to body size would contribute to maintaining a positive size–fitness relationship.

Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Insecticides on the Egg Parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae).

Insecticide use remains controversial, and subjected to increasing environmental and health concerns, even when recent insecticide groups are considered. Neonicotinoids and even bioinsecticides are in the forefront of discussions regarding their nontarget safety. The ubiquitous focus on the lethal effects of insecticides on nontarget species has been expanding to sublethal effects, as sublethal exposure extends for a longer time and affects a broader range of (nontarget) species. Here we explored the lethal and sublethal effects of a lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxan mixture, the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, and the bioinsecticide azadirachtin on the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead, an important parasitoid of stink bug Euschistus heros (F.), a key soybean pest in neotropical America. Contact with dry insecticide residue on glass surface and (parasitized and healthy) host egg immersion exposure bioassays were performed, assessing their acute lethal effects, and their potential sublethal impairment of parasitism, adult emergence, and fertility of the egg parasitoid. Both imidacloprid and the insecticide mixture exhibited high acute lethal activity toward the parasitoid under contact with dry insecticide residue. These insecticides compromised parasitism and wasp emergence when exposure took place before parasitism. In contrast, azadirachtin did not affect adult survival. However, this bioinsecticide compromised parasitism and progeny production, impairing the female parasitoid reproductive potential. Our results indicate strong negative effects of imidacloprid, and specially of the mixture lambda-cyhalthrin + thiamethoxan. However, even azadirachtin, which exhibited low acute lethality, exhibited significant negative sublethal effects on parasitism and population growth of egg parasitoid, cautioning against their use and the need of semifield and field assessments to confirm such an impact.

Influence of original host on chemotaxic behaviour and parasitism in Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae).

The egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi is a natural control agent of pentatomids, including Euschistus heros and Tibraca limbativentris, and success of parasitism is dependent upon the parasitoid finding the host. We tested the influence of host egg volatiles and the synthetic sex pheromone (zingiberenol) of T. limbativentris on chemotaxic behaviour of T. podisi, as well as, the impact of the original host on parasitoid selection. We used mated female T. podisi (48h old) that emerged from the eggs of T. limbativentris or E. heros. The bioassays related to chemotaxy were performed in a Y-tube olfactometer and, to parasitism success, in laboratory and semi-field conditions. Telenomus podisi females that emerged from either the stink bug eggs, chose the pheromone more than control, or the pheromone plus eggs of E. heros in the semi-field bioassay, led to greater parasitism. Females that emerged from E. heros eggs chose egg volatiles from their original host rather than those from T. limbativentris, while females emerging from T. limbativentris, chose the egg volatiles of both hosts equally. When T. limbativentris was the original host, T. podisi females parasitized T. limbativentris over E. heros, while those emerging from E. heros exclusively parasitized E. heros eggs. These results demonstrated that T. podisi is more likely to parasitize the host in which it developed and that the original host can exert influence on the choice by those parasitoids. Understanding how the factors that mediate host-parasitoid communication are interrelated can help biological control programmes establish more effective and reliable tools with T. podisi.

No impact of Bt soybean that express Cry1Ac protein on biological traits of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae)

No impact of Bt soybean that express Cry1Ac protein on biological traits of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae). Biological traits of the stink bug Euschistus heros and its main biological control agent Telenomus podisi were evaluated under controlled environmental conditions (25 ± 2ºC; 60 ± 10% RH; and 14/10 h photoperiod) by placing first instar nymphs into Petri dishes with pods originating from two soybean isolines (Bt-soybean MON 87701 × MON 89788, which expresses the Cry1Ac protein, and its near non-Bt isoline A5547) where they remained until the adult stage. Due to gregarious behavior exhibited by first instar nymphs, they were individualized only when at the second instar. Adults were separated by sex and weighed, and pronotum width of each individual was subsequently measured. They were placed into plastic boxes containing soybean grains of the same soybean isoline as food source. Egg viability and female fecundity were assessed in adult individuals. Adult females of T. podisi (up to 24h old) were placed with eggs of E. heros from mothers reared on both soybean isolines. Nymphal development time, insect weight, pronotum width, sex ratio, female fecundity, and egg viability (% emergence) of Euschistus heros did not differ between treatments. Eggto-adult development time, female longevity, sex ratio, and percentage of parasitized eggs were not impacted by the Bt-soybean (expressing Cry1Ac protein). Results indicate that the Bt-soybean, MON 87701 × MON 89788, has no direct significant impact on the two studied species.

An invasive stink bug as an evolutionary trap for an indigenous egg parasitoid

Invasive alien species can act as ‘evolutionary traps’ for indigenous parasites and predators when the alien species is accepted as prey or a host but is unsuitable for consumption or development. We tested the relationship between acceptance and suitability of eggs of the invasive alien Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in North America relative to eggs of the indigenous Podisus maculiventris (Pentatomidae) for the indigenous generalist egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). T. podisi accepted 0–24 h old H. halys eggs at a rate similar to P. maculiventris eggs (87.5 ± 6.0 and 70.2 ± 9.1 %, respectively). Successful development of T. podisi occurred in 98.3 % of attacked P. maculiventris eggs, but was not observed in H. halys eggs. Oviposition by T. podisi did, however, reduce the developmental success of H. halys embryos relative to unattacked controls by 24.1 % in 0–24 h old eggs and 29.6 % in 24–48 h old eggs. We suggest that as H. halys spreads and increases in abundance in North America, it could operate as an evolutionary trap for indigenous egg parasitoids, thereby indirectly causing an increase in population levels of indigenous pentatomids. This predicted indirect effect would be a result of H. halys eggs acting as an egg sink for T. podisi. We also introduce the concept of a ‘time sink’, which may be particularly relevant for parasitoids such as T. podisi that spend considerable time protecting their reproductive investments.

Aprendizagem e memória de Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae)

O parasitoide de ovos Telenomus podisi Ashmead, 1893 é um importante agente de controle natural de percevejos e seu sucesso de parasitismo está associado à habilidade para a localização do hospedeiro, sendo a aprendizagem e a memória um dos fatores que podem influenciar esta interação. O trabalho avaliou a capacidade de aprendizagem e tempo de retenção da memória de T. podisi ao extrato de capim-limão [Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf. (Poales, Poaceae)], em diferentes estágios do desenvolvimento da fase imatura. Ovos de Euschistus heros (Fabricius, 1798) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) parasitados por T. podisi foram individualizados em tubos de vidro contendo papel filtro com extrato de capim-limão ou solvente acetona (controle) e mantidos em diferentes estágios do desenvolvimento jovem dos parasitoides. Após a emergência, fêmeas de T. podisi foram testadas em olfatômetro tipo "Y" aos odores de ambos tratamentos. Fêmeas inexperientes foram submetidas aos mesmos odores das experientes. Para avaliar a memória, fêmeas oriundas de ovos que permaneceram em contato com o extrato de capim-limão por todo o desenvolvimento do estágio imaturo, foram testadas, após 24, 48, 72 e 96 horas de idade ao odor de capim-limão e acetona. Fêmeas que permaneceram em contato com o capim-limão por toda a fase jovem, direcionaram-se preferencialmente para este extrato, diferente das inexperientes ou das expostas à acetona, as quais preferiram o solvente. A presença do capim-limão, durante todo o estágio do desenvolvimento imaturo, alterou a orientação quimiotáxica de T. podisi, desencadeando aprendizagem nestes organismos, a qual se manteve por até 72 horas.

Influence of volatile compounds from herbivore‐damaged soybean plants on searching behavior of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi

AbstractParasitoids use herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to locate their hosts. However, there are few studies in soybean showing the mechanisms involved in the attraction of natural enemies to their hosts and prey. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Fabaceae) (cv. Dowling), that were induced after injury caused by Euschistus heros (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), on the searching behavior of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Four HIPVs from soybean, (E,E)‐α‐farnesene, methyl salicylate, (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate, and (E)‐2‐octen‐1‐ol, were selected, prepared from standards at various concentrations (10−6 to 10−1 m), and tested individually and in combinations using a two‐choice olfactometer (type Y). Telenomus podisi displayed a preference only for (E,E)‐α‐farnesene at 10−5 m when tested individually and compared to hexane, but they did not respond to the other compounds tested individually at any concentration or when combinations of these compounds were tested. However, the parasitoids stayed longer in the olfactometer arm with the mixture of (E,E)‐α‐farnesene + methyl salicylate at 10−5 m than in the arm containing hexane. The results suggest that (E,E)‐α‐farnesene and methyl salicylate might help T. podisi to determine the presence of stink bugs on a plant. In addition, bioassays were conducted to compare (E,E)‐α‐farnesene vs. the volatiles emitted by undamaged and E. heros‐damaged plants, to evaluate whether (E,E)‐α‐farnesene was the main cue used by T. podisi or whether other minor compounds from the plants and/or the background might also be used to locate its host. The results suggest that minor volatile compounds from soybean plants or from its surroundings are involved in the host‐searching behavior of T. podisi.

Cis-Jasmone indirect action on egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and its application in biological control of soybean stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

In many plants, the secondary metabolite cis-jasmone activates the metabolic pathway that produces volatile organic compounds attractive to natural enemies and, sometimes, repellent to herbivores. Previous studies indicate that the feeding damage caused by the herbivore Euschistus heros or the exogenous application of cis-jasmone in soybean plants induces the release of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) with a similar chemical profile and these compounds can attract the stink bug egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Scelionidae). Herein we tested in field conditions the effect of exogenous application of cis-jasmone in soybean plants on the parasitoid and stink bug community and on stink bug egg parasitism. In two areas, one within a soybean and another within a Crotalaria matrix, we randomly distributed 2m2 plots, with soybean plants induced (treatment, n=5) or not induced by cis-jasmone (control, n=5) in the field. We sampled the parasitoid community weekly with yellow sticky traps (n=3/plot) and monitored parasitism with sentinel eggs of E. heros (n=150/plot). We also monitored the population of stink bugs weekly, by sampling each plot with shake-cloth technique. The abundance of Scelionidae was highest overall and also in treated plots during the first four weeks in the area with a soybean matrix, but decreased thereafter. The richness of parasitoid families was similar between treatment and control plots in the area with a soybean matrix, but higher in control plots in the area with a Crotalaria matrix. Evenness was higher in control plots in the area with soybean matrix, whereas the reverse occurred in the area with a Crotalaria matrix. Results suggest that treatment with cis-jasmone effectively attracted and enhanced the population of scelionid parasitoids, but had no effect on the occurrence and intensity of parasitism and in the number of stink bugs.

Silent singers are not safe: selective response of a parasitoid to substrate-borne vibratory signals of stink bugs

The egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) can eavesdrop on vibratory signals of adult stink bugs. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the parasitoid can selectively respond to the sex- and species-specific songs of different stink bugs. Two-choice plant bioassays were performed using dried bean plants with two expanded opposite leaves that were vibrated with played-back signals or with naturally produced signals from live insects placed on plants. Each leaf was vibrated with signals of the host Euschistus heros Fabricius (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), the alternative host Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) or the nonhost Chinavia impicticornis (Stål) (played back). Parasitoid females showed a selective response to the female songs of E. heros when these songs were tested against male songs or male–female duets. Telenomus podisi females also preferred E. heros female songs to female songs of the other pentatomid bugs tested. Our results show that T. podisi females respond selectively to female songs of their preferred host (E. heros); this behaviour may have relevant adaptive significance for the parasitoid, allowing it to forage in microhabitats with increased probability of finding host eggs. We discuss the ecological significance of the use of vibratory signals and interactions with other (chemical) cues during the host-searching behaviour of T. podisi.

Volatiles Mediating a Plant-Herbivore-Natural Enemy Interaction in Resistant and Susceptible Soybean Cultivars

Several studies have shown that herbivore-induced plant volatiles act directly on herbivores and indirectly on their natural enemies. However, little is known about the effect of herbivore damage on resistant and susceptible plant cultivars and its effect on their natural enemies. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the attraction of the herbivorous pentatomid bug Euschistus heros and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to two resistant and one susceptible soybean cultivars with different types of damage (herbivory, herbivory+oviposition, and oviposition). In a Y-tube olfactometer, the parasitoids were attracted to herbivory and herbivory+oviposition damaged soybean plants when compared to undamaged soybean plants for the resistant cultivars, but did not show preference for the susceptible cultivar Silvânia in any of the damage treatments. The plant volatiles emitted by oviposition-damaged plants in the three cultivars did not attract the egg parasitoid. In four-arm-olfactometer bioassays, E. heros females did not show preference for odors of damaged or undamaged soybean plants of the three cultivars studied. The Principal Response Curves (PRC) analysis showed consistent variability over time in the chemical profile of volatiles between treatments for the resistant cultivar Dowling. The compounds that most contributed to the divergence between damaged soybean plants compared to undamaged plants were (E,E)-α-farnesene, methyl salicylate, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, and (E)-2-octen-1-ol.

Attraction of the stink bug egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to defence signals from soybean activated by treatment with cis‐jasmone

AbstractAfter herbivore attack or chemical activation, plants release a blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that is qualitatively or quantitatively different to the blend emitted by an undamaged plant. The altered blend of VOCs is then usually attractive to the herbivore's natural enemies. Soybean, Glycine max (L.) (Fabaceae), when damaged by stink bug herbivory, has been shown to emit a blend of VOCs that attracts the stink bug egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) to the plant. In this study, our aim was to investigate changes in the VOC profile of soybean (var. BR16) elicited by the naturally occurring plant activator cis‐jasmone, and to determine whether these changes elicited the attraction of T. podisi. cis‐Jasmone elicited chemical defence in soybean similar to that previously reported for stink bug damage. The main components induced by cis‐jasmone were camphene, myrcene, (E)‐ocimene, methyl salicylate, and (E,E)‐4,8,12‐trimethyltrideca‐1,3,7,11‐tetraene. In Y‐tube behavioural bioassays, T. podisi preferred cis‐jasmone treated plants over untreated plants. Thus, cis‐jasmone appears to induce defence pathways in soybean similar to those induced by stink bug damage, and this phenomenon appears to be a promising tool for the manipulation of beneficial natural enemies in future sustainable stink bug control strategies. The delay in response demonstrates that cis‐jasmone treatment is not directly causing the response, but, more importantly, that it is causing activation of induced defence, long after initial treatment.

Euschistus heros mass rearing technique for the multiplication of Telenomus podisi

The objective of this work was to improve the mass rearing technique of Euschistus heros in laboratory. Nymphs and adults were reared at densities 100, 200, 300 and 400 eggs per Petri dish (9 cm diameter), and at 50, 100, 150 and 200 couples per rearing cages (900 mL), respectively. Survival rate of immature stages and survivorship and reproduction of adults were determinated. Survivorship of nymph to adult was the highest (89%) at density 100 eggs per dish. Adult survivorship was independent of density, and 100 couples per cage were the best to improve quality of the produced progeny. In these conditions, fecundity was 160.8±9.28 eggs per female, and a total of 8,950±456 eggs per cage per month was produced. Two hundred couples per cage showed a negative effect on reproduction, which decreased to 65%. With this technique, a colony of 35 cages with 100 couples per cage yields about 313.3 thousands eggs per month, which is enough to supply the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to colonize about 35 ha of soybean field.

Eavesdropping on sexual vibratory signals of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) by the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi

Males and females of the Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros, communicate with vibratory songs transmitted through plants. In this study, we examined the responses of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to vibratory signals of these bugs. Telenomus podisi females responded with orientated movements to the vibratory signals of female songs on plants and on an artificial substrate, whereas male songs, duets or continuous pure tone vibratory signals failed to elicit any response. In addition, T. podisi females had a higher turning rate when stimulated with female songs, indicating some effect on their kinetic behaviour. This is the first demonstration of a parasitoid eavesdropping on the sexual vibratory signals of insects. The potential mechanism of this directionality and its adaptive significance are discussed.