Performance of the two parasitoid species, Aphelinus varipes and Lysiphlebia japonica against sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari

Authors: HUANG, YUAN-QIN - Guizhou University; Yang, Xiangbing; BAI, QING-RONG - Guizhou University; ZANG, LIAN-SHENG - Guizhou University; TANG, LIANG-DE - Guizhou University; Singh, Sukhwinder

Submitted to: Biological Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2024
Publication Date: 5/22/2024
Citation: Huang, Y., Yang, X., Bai, Q., Zang, L., Tang, L., Singh, S. 2024. Performance of the two parasitoid species, Aphelinus varipes and Lysiphlebia japonica against sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari. Biological Control. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2024.105532.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2024.105532

Interpretive Summary: Sugarcane aphid is a destructive piercing-sucking pest to sugarcane, sorghum, and other graminaceous crops by feeding damages as well as transmitting diseases. Current management of this pest relied heavily on conventional synthesized pesticide, that has caused various issues including environmental contamination and resistance development of this pest. To develop an environmentally friendly management program for sugarcane aphid, scientists from the Guizhou University (Guizhou, China) and USDA-ARS (Miami, FL, USA) investigated the performance of two parasitoid species, Aphelinus (A.) varipes (Förster) and Lysiphlebia (L.) japonica (Ashmead), on Melanaphis (M.) sacchari. A two-sex age-staged life table analysis was conducted to analyze the life history and population parameters of the two parasitoids. The results showed that the two parasitoids are promising parasitoids for controlling sugarcane aphid, with A. varipes performed better than that of L. japonica. The number of eggs laid by A. varipes, and the number of oviposition days were significantly higher than those of L. japonica. Moreover, the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase ('), and net reproductive rate (R0) of A. varipes were significantly higher for A. varipes too. In addition, the net killing rate (C0) of A. varipes was significantly higher than that of L. japonica. These findings suggested that both parasitoids are promising biological control agent for managing sugarcane aphid, with A. varipes showing higher potential as biological control agent for sugarcane aphid.

Technical Abstract: Sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis (M.) sacchari Zehntner, is an important piercing-sucking pest on sorghum, sugarcane, and other graminaceous crops, not only damaging host plants by direct feeding, but also transmitting plant viruses that is detrimental to sugarcane production. To evaluate the performance of two native parasitoid species, Aphelinus (A.) varipes (Förster) and Lysiphlebia japonica (Ashmead), on M. sacchari, the age stage, two-sex life table analysis was conducted to evaluate the demographic parameters of the two species. The results showed that the two parasitoids parasitized M. sacchari and completed their whole life history. The number of eggs laid by A. varipes (F: 209.49 offspring/female) and the number of oviposition days (Od: 14.18 d) were significantly higher than those of L. japonica (F: 87.47 offspring/female, Od: 3.36 d). Moreover, the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase ('), and net reproductive rate (R0) of A. varipes (r: 0.3746 d-1, ': 1.4160 d-1, R0: 113.125 offspring/individual) were significantly higher for A. varipes than those of Lysiphlebia (L.) japonica (r: 0.3386 d-1, ': 1.4030 d-1, R0: 48.092 offspring/individual). In addition, the net killing rate (C0) of A. varipes was 119.57 (eggs/female), which was significantly higher than that of L. japonica (53.34 eggs/female). These findings suggested that A. varipes had higher performance with promising potential as biological control agent for sugarcane aphid.