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Utilization of synergies between conservation and inoculation biological control through niche partitioning and selective biodiversity

Rännbäck, Linda-Marie; Anderson, Peter; Meyling, Nicolai

Abstract

This project will investigate the impact of complementary biological control strategies on pest control of Delia radicum and D. antiqua, and interactions between the control agents. We will combine inoculation biological control, using entomopathogenic fungi, with conservation biological control of the specialist parasitoid Trybliographa rapae and the generalist predator/parasitoid Aleochara bipustulata in a crop rotation system. It is a novel ecologically-based management system that relies on the combined effects of biological control strategies, through niche complementarity of natural enemies in time and space. The impact of the fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae on T. rapae and A. bipustulata regarding intraguild interactions, behaviour and fitness will be investigated. This study will combine knowledge of biological control with studies in chemical ecology, to evaluate the role of chemical signals in ecological and as well as behavioural mechanisms. Other host-parasitoid systems have showed that there is fitness costs involved in developing on infected hosts. This will be evaluated for T. rapae and A. bipustulata by measuring fecundity and offspring number, quality (survival, weight, etc.), development and viability in laboratory cage experiments at different host infection levels. The preliminary results of bioassays regarding choice/no-choice and fitness consequences in T.rapae associated with infected host larvae will be presented and discussed in the context of the agroecosystem

Published in

Title: Book of abstracts 7th Ecology and Behaviour meeting
Publisher: Université de Rennes

      SLU Authors

      • Anderson, Peter

        • Department of Crop Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Horticulture

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/36506