Hostname: page-component-669899f699-g7b4s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T11:07:17.980Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Utilizing the assassin bug, Pristhesancus plagipennis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), as a biological control agent within an integrated pest management programme for Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Creontiades spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) in cotton

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2007

P.R. Grundy
P.R. Grundy*
Affiliation:
Plant Science, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Locked Mail Bag 1, Biloela, Queensland 4715, Australia
*
*Fax: 07 4992 3468 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Helicoverpa spp. and mirids, Creontiades spp., have been difficult to control biologically in cotton due to their unpredictable temporal abundance combined with a cropping environment often made hostile by frequent usage of broad spectrum insecticides. To address this problem, a range of new generation insecticides registered for use in cotton were tested for compatibility with the assassin bug, Pristhesancus plagipennis (Walker), a potential biological control agent for Helicoverpa spp. and Creontiades spp. Indoxacarb, pyriproxifen, buprofezin, spinosad and fipronil were found to be of low to moderate toxicity on P. plagipennis whilst emamectin benzoate, abamectin, diafenthiuron, imidacloprid and omethaote were moderate to highly toxic. Inundative releases of P. plagipennis integrated with insecticides identified as being of low toxicity were then tested and compared with treatments of P. plagipennis and the compatible insecticides used alone, conventionally sprayed usage practice and an untreated control during two field experiments in cotton. The biological control provided by P. plagipennis nymphs when combined with compatible insecticides provided significant (P<0.001) reductions in Helicoverpa and Creontiades spp. on cotton and provided equivalent yields to conventionally sprayed cotton with half of the synthetic insecticide input. Despite this, the utilization of P. plagipennis in cotton as part of an integrated pest management programme remains unlikely due to high inundative release costs relative to other control technologies such as insecticides and transgenic (Bt) cotton varieties.

Keywords

miridspredatorsinundativemass release
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 97 , Issue 3 , June 2007 , pp. 281 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abbott, W.S. (1925) A method for computing the effectiveness of an insecticide. Journal of Economic Entomology 18, 265–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barber, J. (2005) New benchmarks and new opportunities. Australian Cotton Grower 26 (7) 59–62.Google Scholar
Cohen, A.C. (1985) Simple method for rearing the insect predator Geocoris punctipes (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) on a meat diet. Journal of Economic Entomology 78, 1173–1175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A.C. & Smith, L.K. (1998) A new concept in artificial diets for Chrysoperla carnea: the efficacy of solid diets. Biological Control 13, 49–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coombs, M. & Khan, S.A. (1998) Population levels and natural enemies of Plautia affinis (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on raspberry, Rubus idaeus L., in south-eastern Queensland. Australian Journal of Entomology 37, 125–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Clercq, P. & Degheele, D. (1993) Quality assessment of the predatory bugs Podisus maculiventris (Say) and Podisus sagitta (Fab.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) after prolonged rearing on meat based artificial diet. Biocontrol Science and Technology 3, 133–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Clercq, P., Merlevede, F. & Tirry, L. (1998) Unnatural prey and artificial diets for rearing Podisus maculiventris (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Biological Control 12, 137–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutscher, S.A., Wilson, L.J. & Mensah, R.K. (Eds) (2004) Integrated pest management guidelines for cotton production systems in Australia. The Australian Cotton Cooperative Research Centre, Narrabri, New South Wales.Google Scholar
Doyle, B., Reeve, I. & Barclay, E. (2002) The performance of Ingard® cotton in Australia during the 2000–2001 season. Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Narrabri, New South Wales.Google Scholar
Farrer, R.R. & Bradley, J.R. (1985) Within-plant distribution of Heliothis spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) eggs and larvae on cotton in North Carolina. Environmental Entomology 14, 205–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitt, G.P. (1994) Cotton pest management. Part 3. An Australian perspective. Annual Review of Entomology 39, 543–562.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitt, G.P. (2000) An Australian approach to IPM in cotton: integrating new technologies to minimise insecticide dependence. Crop Protection 19, 793–800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, P.R. (2001) The augmentation of Pristhesancus plagipennis as a biological control agent of Helicoverpa spp., Creontiades dilutus and Nezara viridula in summer oil seed crops. PhD Thesis. School of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Queensland, Australia.Google Scholar
Grundy, P.R. (2004) Impact of low release rates of the assassin bug Pristhesancus plagipennis (Walker) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) on Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Creontiades spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) in cotton. Australian Journal of Entomology 43, 77–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, P. & Maelzer, D. (2000) Assessment of Pristhesancus plagipennis (Walker) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) as an augmented biological control in cotton and soybean crops. Australian Journal of Entomology 39, 305–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, P.R. & Maelzer, D.A. (2002) Augmentation of the assassin bug Pristhesancus plagipennis Walker (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) as a biological control agent for Helicoverpa spp. in cotton. Australian Journal of Entomology 41, 192–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, P.R. & Maelzer, D.A. (2003) Towards the on-farm conservation of the assassin bug Pristhesancus plagipennis (Walker) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) during winter using crop plants as refuges. Australian Journal of Entomology 42, 153–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, P.R., Maelzer, D.A., Collins, P.J. & Hassan, E. (2000a) Potential for integrating eleven agricultural insecticides with the predatory bug Pristhesancus plagipennis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 93, 584–589.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grundy, P.R., Maelzer, D.A., Bruce, A. & Hassan, E. (2000b) A mass-rearing method for the assassin bug Pristhesancus plagipennis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Biological Control 18, 243–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, P.R., Sequiera, R. & Short, S. (2004) Suitability of legume species as trap crops for management of Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in central Queensland cotton cropping systems. Bulletin of Entomological Research 94, 481–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hassan, S.A., Bigler, F., Bogenschutz, H., Boller, E., Brun, J., Calis, J.N.M., Coremans-Pelseneer, J., Duso, C., Grove, A., Heimback, U., Helyer, N., Hokkanen, H., Lewis, G.B., Mansour, F., Moreth, L., Polgar, L., Samsoe-Petersen, L., Sauphanor, B., Staubli, A., Sterk, G., Vainio, A., van de Veire, M., Viggiani, G. & Vogt, H. (1994) Results of the sixth joint pesticide testing programme of the IOBC/WPRS-working group (Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms). Entomophaga 39, 107–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herron, G.A., Beattie, G.A.C., Kallianpur, A. & Barchia, L. (1998) Influence of spray volume and oil concentration on the efficacy of petroleum spray oil against Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Australian Journal of Entomology 37, 70–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holland, J.M. & Chapman, R.B. (1995) Comparative toxic and sublethal effects of fluvalinate on the two spotted spider mite and European red mite. Experimental Applied Acarology 19, 549–570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holloway, J. & Forrester, N.W. (1998) New insecticide chemistry for Australian cotton. Proceedings of the Ninth Australian Cotton Conference pp. 603–610. Broadbeach, Queensland. 12–14 August 1998, Australian Cotton Growers Research Association, Wee Waa, Australia.Google Scholar
Hoque, Z., Dillon, M., Farquharson, B. & Kauter, G. (2000) Soft options can reduce costs and increase cotton profits. Australian Cotton Grower 21, 33–37.Google Scholar
Iriarte, J. & Castane, C. (2001) Artificial rearing of Dicyphus tamaninii (Heteroptera: Miridae) on a meat based diet. Biological Control 22, 98–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, D.G. (1994) Prey consumption by Pristhesancus plagipennis Walker (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) during development. Australian Entomologist 21, 43–47.Google Scholar
James, D.G. & Vogele, B. (2001) The effect of imidacloprid on survival of some beneficial arthropods. Plant Protection Quarterly 16, 58–62.Google Scholar
Johnson, A. & Farrell, T. (Eds) (2003) Cotton pest management guide 2003/2004. New South Wales Agriculture Department, Orange, Australia.Google Scholar
Johnson, M.L., Pearce, S., Wade, M., Davies, A., Silberbauer, l., Gregg, P. & Zalucki, M. (2000) Review of beneficials in cotton farming systems. Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Narrabri, New South Wales.Google Scholar
King, E.G. & Powell, J. (1992) Propagation and release of natural enemies for control of cotton insect and mite pests in the United States. Crop Protection 11, 497–506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mansfield, S., Dillon, M.L. & Whitehouse, M.E.A. (2006) Are arthropod communities in cotton really disrupted? An assessment of insecticide regimes and evaluation of the beneficial disruption index. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 113, 326–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mensah, R.K. (2002) Development of an integrated pest management programme for cotton. Part 1: establishing and utilizing natural enemies. International Journal of Pest Management 48 (2), 87–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mensah, R.K., Liang, W., Gibb, D., Coates, R. & Johnson, D. (2005) Improving the efficacy of nuclear polyhedrosis virus and Bacillis thuringiensis against Helicoverpa spp. with ultra-violet light protected petroleum spray oils on cotton crops in Australia. International Journal of Pest Management 51 (2), 101–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miles, M.M. (1995) Identification, pest status, ecology and management of the green mirid, Creontiades dilutus (Stål) (Hemiptera: Miridae), a pest of cotton in Australia. PhD thesis. Department of Entomology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.Google Scholar
Murdoch, W.W., Chesson, J. & Chesson, P.L. (1985) Biological control in theory and practice. American Naturalist 125, 344–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, D.A.H., Lloyd, R.J. & Hopkinson, J.E. (2005) Efficacy of new insecticides for management of Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Australian grain crops. Australian Journal of Entomology 44, 62–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New, T.R. (2002) Insects and pest management in Australian agriculture. 346 pp. Melbourne, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Nyffeler, M., Sterling, W.L. & Dean, D.A. (1992) Impact of the striped lynx spider (Aranea: Oxyopidae) and other natural enemies on the cotton fleahopper (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Texas cotton. Biological Control 21, 1178–1188.Google Scholar
Payne, R., Lane, P.W., Ainsley, A.E., BicknellK,E. K,E., Digby, P.G.N., Harding, S.A., Leech, P.R., Simpson, R., Todd, A.D., Verrier, P.J. & White, R.P. (1989) Genstat 5 Reference Manual. Oxford, Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Pyke, B.A. & Brown, E.H. (1996) The cotton pest and beneficial guide. 51 pp. Woolloongabba, Australia, GoPrint.Google Scholar
Schulze, K.J. & Tomkins, A.R. (Eds) (2002) Cotton pest management guide 2002/2003. New South Wales Agriculture Department, Orange, Australia.Google Scholar
Sequeira, R. (2001) Inter-seasonal population dynamics and cultural management of Helicoverpa spp. in a central Queensland cropping system. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 249–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, D., Beattie, G.A.C. & Broadley, R. (Eds) (1997) Citrus pests and their natural enemies. 272 pp. Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, Australia.Google Scholar
Stanley, J. (1997) The seasonal abundance and impact of predatory arthropods on Helicoverpa spp. in Australian cotton fields. PhD thesis. University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.Google Scholar
Waage, J. (1996) ‘Yes, but does it work in the field?’ The challenge of technology transfer in biological control. Entomophaga 41, 315–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L.J., Bauer, L.R. & Lally, D.A. (1998) Effect of early season insecticide use on predators and outbreaks of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) in cotton. Bulletin of Entomological Research 88, 477–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L., Hickman, M. & Deutscher, S. (2006) Research update on IPM and secondary pests. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Australian Cotton Conference. Gold Coast Queensland. 8–10 August 2006, Australian Cotton Growers Research Association, Wee Waa, Australia.Google Scholar
Zalucki, M.P., Daglish, G., Firempong, S. & Twine, P. (1986) The biology and ecology of Heliothis armigera (Hübner) and H. punctigera (Wallengren) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Australia: what do we know? Australian Journal of Zoology 34, 779–814.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zanuncio, J.C., Saavedra, J.L.D., Oliveira, H.N., De Clercq, P. & Degheele, D. (1996) Development of the predatory stinkbug Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) on different proportions of artificial diet and pupae of Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Biocontrol Science and Technology 6, 619–625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar