Work

Uniformity of petroleum‐derived spray oils: lethal and sublethal effects on a herbivore pest and its parasitoid

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Petroleum‐derived spray oils ( PDSO ) are widely used and recommended in many integrate pest management programmes and in organic agriculture against several pests. However, there are numerous discrepancies in their efficacy against pests and, more interestingly, in their side effects on natural enemies. In the present study, we used the citrus key pest A onidiella aurantii M askell ( H emiptera: D iaspididae) and its main parasitoid A phytis melinus DeBach ( H ymenoptera: A phelinedae) as models to evaluate both the lethal and sublethal effects of four commercial PDSO on different instars of the herbivore, as well as on the adult and immature stages of the parasitoid. The four PDSOs displayed similarly high mortalities against young instars of A . aurantii . However, most adult females survived all PDSO applications, and the fecundity of the surviving females was not altered. PDSOs were harmless to the parasitoid A . melinus because the survival (acute toxicity), longevity and fecundity of the surviving adults (sublethal effects) were not affected. Similarly, immature emergence was not affected by any of the four PDSOs after spraying the parasitized hosts. Overall, the results of the present study confirm the environmental‐friendly profile of PDSOs against natural enemies and demonstrate a similar performance for PDSO s when they were correctly sprayed under the same conditions.

Source: Agricultural and Forest Entomology

DOI: 10.1111/afe.12208

Authors: Alejandro Tena, Laura Planes, Alberto Urbaneja

Institution: Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias

Language: English

Topic: Insect-Plant Interactions and Control

Subfield: Insect Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger

Open Access status: green

Funders: Generalitat Valenciana, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación