Project Number: 6217-22000-015-16
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2010
End Date: Aug 31, 2013

Objective:
The objective of the proposed research is to develop new knowledge on the ecology and biology of biological control agents of cereal aphids.

Approach:
We will assess the effectiveness of key biological control agents in traditional and emerging small grain crop production systems and elucidate the intra- and extra-field processes that influence their population dynamics. More specifically, we will: (1) elucidate the effect of landscape factors on the population dynamics of the key greenbug parasitoid, Lysephlebus testaceipes; and (2) elucidate the effect of co-occurring cereal aphids on parasitism of greenbug by Lysephlebus testaceipes.