Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #376821
Research Project: Systematics of Parasitic and Herbivorous Wasps of Agricultural Importance

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Surveying populations of Delia radicum (L.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) and its associated natural enemies in organic cauliflower in California

Author
item NIETO, DIEGO - University Of California Santa Cruz
item LETOUMEAU, D.K. - University Of California Santa Cruz
item TOYAMA, LUCY - University Of California Santa Cruz
item SLAY, CAITLIN - University Of California Santa Cruz
item Kula, Robert

Submitted to: Biocontrol Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/28/2020
Publication Date: 11/21/2020
Citation: Nieto, D.J., Letoumeau, D., Toyama, L., Slay, C., Kula, R.R. 2020. Surveying populations of Delia radicum (L.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) and its associated natural enemies in organic cauliflower in California. Biocontrol Science and Technology. 31(1):112-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2020.1845609.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2020.1845609

Interpretive Summary: Parasitic wasps and beetles attack crop, forest, and horticultural pests that cause billions of dollars of damage to agricultural commodities and natural resources annually. The wasps and beetles treated in this paper parasitize cabbage root fly, a pest of cole crops in North America. Increased knowledge of these parasitic insects can help determine their potential for regulating cabbage root fly populations. Cabbage root fly larvae and pupae were collected from cauliflower fields in California; one beetle and one wasp species each were reared from the collected flies and represented 11.0% and 10.9% of emerged insect specimens, respectively. This research is useful to scientists, insect pest managers, and agricultural extension agents.

Technical Abstract: Delia radium is a root-feeding pest of cole crops. In California, the biological control agents associated with D. radicum are not well understood. Soil samples and sentinel pupae were used to assess D. radicum densities and associated beneficial insects present in cauliflower fields. Delia radicum parasitoids collected from soil samples included Aleochara bilineata (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and Aphaereta pallipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). An average of 2.2 sentinel pupae were predated upon when placed on the soil surface, compared with only 0.3 predated sentinel pupae when buried. Comprehensive (e.g., multi-seasonal) surveys are recommended to better understand D. radicum biocontrol opportunities in California.