ARS | Publication request: Development, consumption rates and reproductive biology of Orius albidipennis reared on various prey

Submitted to: Biocontrol
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 12, 2010
Publication Date: November 20, 2010
Citation: Sobhy, I.S., Sarhan, A.A., Shoukry, A.A., El-Kady, G.A., Mandour, N.S., Reitz, S.R. 2010. Development, consumption rates and reproductive biology of Orius albidipennis reared on various prey. Biocontrol. 55:753-765.

Interpretive Summary: The predator Orius albidipennis is a promising biological control agent for augmentative releases against greenhouse pests in Mediterranean countries, such as Egypt. However, one of the main obstacles for mass production of biological control agents for augmentative releases is determining the best diet for rearing the agents. Therefore, scientists from the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Suez Canal University, Egypt, and the USDA/ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida, examined the effects of different types of prey on the development, reproduction, longevity and the feeding consumption of Orius albidipennis. Eggs of the moth Anagasta (Ephestia) kuehniella were found to be the most suitable prey. Predators reared on this diet had the best overall fitness based on rapid development, high survivorship, and high female fecundity. Predators were able to survive and reproduce on other diets of greenhouse whitefly and two-spotted spider mite eggs and Cuban laurel thrips larvae, suggesting that these prey could be used to sustain colonies when moth eggs may not be available. More importantly, Orius albipennis consumed high numbers of these three common greenhouse pests, indicating that this predator could be an effective biological control agent against a suite of greenhouse pests.

Technical Abstract: The reproductive biology and feeding consumption of Orius albidipennis fed on eggs of Anagasta (Ephestia) kuehniella, Tetranychus urticae, and Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and larvae of Gynaikothrips ficorum were investigated under 26±1°C, 60±10 % RH and 16:8 L/D photoperiod in laboratory. Results indicated that type of prey had profound effect on all investigated biological parameters. The highest survival rate of 87.14 % was recorded when nymphs fed on A. kuehniella eggs, meanwhile the lowest one (51.93 %) was observed for those fed on T. vaporariorum eggs. The shortest nymphal period (10.60 days) was recorded for nymphs fed on A. kuehniella eggs, while the longest one (15.99 days) was for those fed on T. urticae eggs. For feeding capacity during the nymphal period, the greatest number of consumed prey was 209.46 eggs of T. urticae. O. albidipennis females showed the highest fecundity (148.00 eggs/female) when fed on A. kuehniella eggs, and the lowest (54.42 eggs/female) when fed on T. vaporariorum. Feeding on G. ficorum larvae significantly extended the life span of O. albidipennis females and males compared with other prey. For adult feeding consumption, females consumed more prey than males. The greatest means of consumed prey for adult females and males were 127.50 and 42.57 T. urticae eggs, respectively. Overall, A. kuehniella eggs were the most suitable prey among those tested for mass rearing of O. albidipennis. Although less suitable for long term production, the other tested prey could be used to sustain colonies of O. albidipennis should A. kuehniella eggs not be available. Furthermore, prey consumption results indicate that O. albidipennis could be an effective biological control agent against G. ficorum, T. urticae, or T. vaporarium in augmentative control programs.