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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #58589
Title: INTEGRATION OF INHERITED STERILITY AND A PARASITOID, ARCHYTAS MARMORATUS (DIPTERA: TACHINIDAE) FOR MANAGING HELICOVERPA ZEA (LEPIDOPTERA:NOCTUIDAE):ACCEPTABILITY AND SUITABILITY OF HOSTS

Author
item MANNION, CATHARINE - FORMERLY USDA
item Carpenter, James
item GROSS, HARRY - DECEASED

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Agricultural losses and cost of control for the corn earworm/cotton bollworm commonly exceed $1 billion in the U.S. When the corn earworm is irradiated with substerilizing dosages of irradiation, deleterious effects, which can reduce the rate of reproduction for several generations, are passed from parents to their progeny. Combined management strategies involving sterility and parasites can produce both additive and synergistic effects. Sterile progeny from irradiated moths also can act as hosts for parasites. Corn earworm larvae from moths exposed to radiation were tested as hosts for Archytas marmoratus (no common name available), a larval-pupal parasite of the corn earworm and other pests. Parasite emergence from larvae that resulted from crosses between irradiated male and normal female moths did not differ from that of larvae from normal male by normal female crosses in both the laboratory and in the field. Our results suggest that strategies involving the combinant use of progeny from irradiated moths with a parasite may be a feasible approach for managing the corn earworm in American agriculture.

Technical Abstract: Normal Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) larvae and larvae from crosses between irradiated males and normal females were placed in whorl- stage corn and exposed to maggots of Archytas marmoratus. Host and parasitoid emergence was about equal from both the normal and irradiated treatment; however, parasitism was greater in normal hosts. In field cage studies in which A. marmoratus were released and allowed to larviposit, percentage parasitism and emergence of H. zea and A. marmoratus were equal for the normal and the irradiated treatments. When maggots were applied to caged plants, emergence of both H. zea and A. marmoratus was low. Significantly more H. zea emerged in the normal treatment than in the irradiated treatment, and the application of maggots did not affect emergence of H. zea. There was no significant difference between emergence of A. marmoratus in normal and irradiated treatments. In a concurrent laboratory study, emergence of H. zea did not differ between normal and irradiated treatments but was greatly reduced when exposed to maggots. Similarly, emergence of A. marmoratus was not affected by irradiation. Larvae from crosses between irradiated males and normal females appear to be acceptable and suitable for development and subsequent emergence of A. marmoratus.