Augmentative releases of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) for Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) control in a fruit-growing region of Argentina

GUILLERMO SANCHEZ; FERNANDO MURUA; LORENA SUAREZ; GUIDO VAN NIEUWENHOVE; GUSTAVO TARET; VALERIA PANTANO; MARIANA BILBAO; PABLO SCHLISERMAN; SERGIO OVRUSKI

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 103 p. 101 - 107

1049-9644

Field-open augmentative releases were conducted to assess the efficacy ofDiachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) for the regulation of Ceratitis capitata(Weidemann) infesting Ficus carica (L.) in a commercial area located in a fruit producing irrigated-valley of San Juan, central-western Argentina. Parasitoids were reared on Sensitive Lethal TemperatureVienna-8 strain of C. capitata at the BioPlanta 33 San Juan facilities, and were weekly released throughout 9 weeks over two experimental plots of ca. 2.3 hectares each with a density of 5,200 wasps/plot. Host mortality and medfly emergence at the release plots were significantly 1.9-times higher and 1.5-times lower, respectively, than those recorded in the control plots. D. longicaudata females increase their effectiveness on medfly at both higher temperature (22-23ºC) and relative humidity (54-62%) values. Parasitoid females used in the study showed a good ability to spread once released in open-field. Between 16 and 75% of host mortality during the parasitoid release period was due to D. longicaudata, whichappears to be promising for the control of medfly in San Juan as well as in other similar Argentinean fruit-growing semi-arid regions.