Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T13:03:16.341Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Use of lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) for bio-control by native arthropods and its effect on yield of pumpkins

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2015

S.A. Qureshi
Affiliation:
School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria 3552, Australia
M. Angove
Affiliation:
School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria 3552, Australia
S. Wilkens*
Affiliation:
School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria 3552, Australia
D.J. Midmore
Affiliation:
Department of Plant and Water Science, CQ University, Rockhampton, QLD 4702, Australia
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +61-3-54447370 Fax: +61-3-54447476 E-mail: s.wilkens@latrobe.edu.au

Abstract

Silverleaf whitefly (SLW, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1) and aphids are sap-sucking insects, which pose a serious threat to Australian cucurbit crops and the horticulture industry. Traditional chemical control for these insect pests is becoming less effective, and there is a need to search for alternative or supplementary methods. This study aimed to manipulate the habitat of pumpkin crops in a tropical setting (Queensland, Australia), by growing pumpkins (var. Japanese pumpkin) alone and between lablab (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet). It was hypothesized that the presence of lablab will increase the populations of natural enemies, and through their control of insect pests such as SLW and aphids, will affect pumpkin yield. The population of arthropods (natural enemies and pests of pumpkin), with a focus on SLW and aphids, were sampled weekly on both lablab and pumpkin crop for a total of 21 weeks. Results showed that lablab hosted more enemies of SLW per plant than pumpkin in either treatment. In addition, adult SLW numbers were significantly higher in the pumpkin-only crop compared with the pumpkin grown between lablab, while pumpkin in the mixed plantings had significantly more ladybirds and lacewing larvae (P < 0.05). While there was no significant difference in the average fruit weight between treatments, the total weight (kg) and number of marketable pumpkins per hectare was greater (P < 0.05) for the pumpkin/lablab treatment than the pumpkin-only treatment. This study shows that growing lablab alongside a pumpkin crop may enhance natural enemies of SLW and could significantly increase the yield.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahmad, M., Arif, M.I. & Naveed, M. (2010) Dynamics of resistance to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides in the cotton whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Pakistan. Journal of Pesticide Science 83(4), 409420.Google Scholar
Bacci, L., Crespo, A.L.B., Galvan, T.L., Pereira, E.J.G., Picanco, M.C., Silva, G.A. & Chediak, M. (2007) Toxicity of insecticides to the sweet potato whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and its natural enemies. Pest Management Science 63(7), 699706.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, A.L. & Riechert, S.E. (1990) Spider colonisation in agroecosystems: mode and source. Environmental Entomology 19, 17381745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boykin, L.M., Shatters, R.G. Jr, Rosell, R.C., McKenzie, C.L., Bagnall, R.A., De Barro, P. & Frohlich, D.R. (2007) Global relationships of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) revealed using Bayesian analysis of mitochondrial COI DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetic Evolution 44(3), 13061319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collins, K.L., Wilcox, A., Chaney, K., Boatman, N.D. & Holland, J.M. (1997) The influence of beetle banks on aphid population predation in winter wheat. Aspects of Applied Biology 50, 341346.Google Scholar
De Barro, P.J. (1995) Bemisia tabaci biotype B: a review of its biology, distribution and control. CSIRO Division of Entomology, Technical Paper No. 33, 58 pp.Google Scholar
Dent, D. (1995) Integrated Pest Management. London, Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
Dinsdale, A., Cook, L., Riginos, C., Buckley, Y.M. & De Barro, P. (2010) Refined global analysis of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodoidae: Aleyrodidae) mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 to identify species level genetic boundaries. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 103(2), 196208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, A.F.G. (2000) Insect Predator-Prey Dynamics: Ladybirds and Biological Control. pp. 268. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gerling, D. (1990) Natural enemies of whiteflies: predators and parasitoids. pp. 147185 in Gerling, D. (Ed.) Whiteflies: their Bionomics, Pest Status and Management. Andover, UK, Intercept.Google Scholar
Gerling, D., Alomar, Ó. & Arnó, J. (2001) Biological control of Bemisia tabaci using predators and parasitoids. Crop Protection 20(9), 779799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) (2012) Bemisia tabaci. Available online at http://www.issg.org/databse/species/ecology.asp?si=106&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN (accessed 22 July 2012).Google Scholar
Gunning, R.V., Byrne, F.J., Conde, B.D., Connelly, M.I., Hergstrom, K. & Devonshire, A.L. (1995) First report of B-biotype Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 34(2), 116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gurr, G.M., Wratten, S.D. & Barbosa, P. (2000) Success in conservation biological control of arthropods. pp. 105132 in Gurr, G.M. & Wratten, S.D. (Eds) Biological Control: Measures of Success. Dordrecht, Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodek, I. & Honek, A. (1996) Ecology of Coccinellidae. pp. 480. Dordrecht, Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopper, K.R. (2003) United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service research on biological control of arthropods. Pest Management Science 59, 643653.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hossain, Z., Gurr, G.M., Wratten, S.D. & Raman, A. (2002) Habitat manipulation in lucerne Medicago sativa: arthropod population dynamics in harvested and ‘refuge’ crop strips. Journal of Applied Ecology 39, 445454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houndete, T.A., K'etoh, G.K., Hema, O.S.A., Brevault, T., Glithob, I.A. & Martin, T. (2010) Insecticide resistance in field populations of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Alerodidae) in West Africa. Pest Management Science 66(11), 11811185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kean, J., Wratten, S.D., Tylianakis, J. & Barlow, N. (2003) The population consequences of natural enemy enhancement, and implications for conservation biological control. Ecology Letters 6, 604612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landis, D.A., Wratten, S.D. & Gurr, G.M. (2000) Habitat management to conserve natural enemies of arthropod pests in agriculture. Annual Review of Entomology 45, 175201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leite, G.L.D., Picanco, M., Jham, G.N. & Moreira, M.D. (2006) Whitefly, aphids and thrips attack on cabbage. Pesquisa Agropecuaria Brasileira 41(10), 14691475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, S.-J., Xue, X., Ahmed, M.Z., Ren, S.-X., Du, Y.-Z., Wu, J.-H., Cuthbertson, A.G.S. & Bao-Li Qiu, B.-L. (2011) Host plants and natural enemies of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in China. Insect Science 18(1), 101120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nyffeler, M., Sterling, W.L. & Dean, D.A. (1994) Insectivorous activities of spiders in United States field crops. Journal of Applied Entomology 118, 113128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Payne, R.W., Murray, D.A., Harding, S.A., Baird, D.B. & Soutar, D.M. (2008) GenStat for Windows 11th edn Introduction. Hemel Hempstead, VSN International.Google Scholar
Prabhaker, N., Toscano, N.C., Castle, S.J. & Henneberry, T.J. (1997 ) Selection for imidacloprid resistance in silverleaf whiteflies from the Imperial Valley and development of a hydroponic bioassay for resistance monitoring. Pesticide Science 51, 419428.3.0.CO;2-L>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qureshi, M.S., Midmore, D.J., Syeda, S.S. & Reid, D.J. (2010) A comparison of alternative plant mixes for conservation bio-control by native beneficial arthropods in vegetable cropping systems in Queensland Australia. Bulletin of Entomological Research 100, 6773.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rabb, R.L., Stinner, R.E. & Van den Bosch, R. (1976) Conservation and augmentation of natural enemies. pp. 233254 in Huffaker, C.B. & Messenger, P.S. (Eds) Theory and Practice of Biological Control. New York, New York Academic.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Risch, S.J. (1980) ‘The population dynamics of several herbivorous beetles in a tropical agroecosystem: the effect of intercropping corn, beans, and squash in Costa Rica. Journal of Applied Ecology 17, 593612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossing, W.A.H., Poehling, H.M. & Burgio, G. (2003) Landscape management for functional biodiversity. p. 220 in Proceedings of the 1st Meeting at Bologna. IOBC/WPRS Bulletin, 11–15 May 2003, Italy.Google Scholar
Simmons, A.M. & McCutcheon, G.S. (2001) Daily foraging incidence of Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on cowpea. Journal of Entomological Science 36(2), 218221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sotherton, N.W. (1984) The distribution and abundance of predatory arthropods overwintering on farmland. Annals of Applied Biology 105, 423429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sotherton, N.W. (1985) The distribution and abundance of predatory Coleoptera overwintering in field boundaries. Annals of Applied Biology 106, 1721.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srinivas, P.R. & Jayaraj, S. (1989) Record of natural enemies of Heliothis armigera from Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. Journal of Biological Control 3, 7172.Google Scholar
Thomas, M.B., Sotherton, N.W., Coombes, D.S. & Wratten, S.D. (1992) Habitat factors influencing the distribution of polyphagous predatory insects between field boundaries. Annals of Applied Biology 120, 197202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tonhasca, A., Palumbo, J.C. & Byrne, D.N. (1994) Binomial sampling plans for Bemisia tabaci populations in cantaloupes. Researches on Population Ecology 36(2), 181186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van den Bosch, R. & Telford, A.D. (1964) Environmental modification and biological control. pp. 459488 in Debac, P. (Ed.) Biological Control of Pests and Weeds. New York, Reinhold.Google Scholar
Vasquez Moreno, L.L. (1997) Progress in whitefly biological control in Cuba. CARAPHIN News 15, 9.Google Scholar
Wratten, S.D., Lavandero, B., Scarratt, S. & Vattala, D. (2003) Conservation biological control of insect pests at the landscape scale. IOBS/WPRS Bulletin 26, 215220.Google Scholar
Yeargan, K.V. (1975) Prey and periodicity of Pardosa ramulosa (McCook) in alfalfa. Environmental Entomology 4, 137141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar