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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #242791
Title: Efecto de la dieta artificial MP sobre la emergencia y relacion de sexos de Phymastichus coffea (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) mantenido sobre su hueped, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scloytidae)a traves de generaciones contin

Author
item Portilla, Maribel
item Streett, Douglas

Submitted to: Sistemas Agroecologicos y Modelos Biomatematicos
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2010
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The coffee berry borer (CBB) is the most important pest of coffee worldwide. Since its accidental introduction to the South American continent, four parasitoids have been introduced as biological control agents. One of these parasitoids attacks adult CBB, but difficulties in rearing and establishment have been reported for this biological control agent. This research demonstrates that the parasitoid can be reared on CBB fed an artificial diet without any deterioration in the parasitoids ability to produce young. This information can be used by coffee producing countries that are involved in the control of CBB in an Insect Pest Management program.

Technical Abstract: Phymastichus coffea La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an endoparasitoid that attacks the adult coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). The MP diet developed by Portilla and Streett is the only reported diet that allows cultures of P. coffea to develop and reproduce on its host. Effects of the MP artificial diet on parasitoid emergence, total sex ratio and number per host per generation of the parasitoid maintained on the coffee berry borer were evaluated. Significant differences were not found among generations of the parasitoid for emergence and total sex ratio. Male and female emergence began 35 days after parasitization. The highest daily emergence, 25.1% for males and 25.3% for females occurred during the second and third day of the emergence period. A comparable mean emergence number was observed for both females (8697 ± 91) and males (7287 ± 93) per rearing container with no significant differences among generations. The female: male (F: M) sex ratio for the total adult emergence was 1.20 ± 0.01. Six different sex ratios were found, however, 1F: 1M / host (70 ± 4.5%) was the most common throughout the five generations followed by 1F: 0M (18.2 ± 3.6%). This study demonstrated that P. coffea can be cultured continuously on H. hampei using the artificial diet MP with no loss in its reproductive potential.