| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.88 MB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In sustainable olive groves, the biological control of the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae
(Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) should be achieved by maximizing the action of its natural
enemies. In this work, we are focused on Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera:
Braconidae), a synovigenic koinobiont larval-pupal endoparasitoid of many Tephritidae that
has been released in several Mediterranean and Californian (USA) olive-groves against B.
oleae reaching different levels of success. In this context, the diversification of non-crop
plants within and around olives groves is an effective strategy to support the population of
this parasitoid. Plants provide nutritional supplements (pollen and/or nectar) for
maintenance, survival and egg maturation but also shelter and alternative hosts. In this
study, ten flowering non-crop plants that naturally occur in olive groves, distributed
throughout six different families: Apiaceae (Daucus carota L. and Foeniculum vulgare L.);
Asteraceae (Bellis perennis L.; Calendula arvensis L.; Crepis vesicaria L.; Dittrichia viscosa (L.)
Greuter); Brassicaceae (Brassica barrelieri (L.) Janka); Geraniaceae (Geranium molle L.)
Malvaceae (Malva sylvestris L.) and Plantaginaceae (Veronica persica Poir) were tested in
order to identify flowers with capacity to increase survival of P. concolor. Parasitoids
exposed to flowers increased their survival to, on average, three to five days, except for M.
sylvestris, V. persica and F. vulgare that significantly increased longevity of females and
males of P.concolor. Interestingly, for males, all Asteraceae species tested improved their
longevity, when compared to females. These findings suggest that species such as M.
sylvestris could be a suitable species for establishing in olive groves.
Description
Keywords
Biological control Non-crop plants Parasitoid Bactrocera oleae Olive grove
Citation
Pinheiro, L.A., Pereira, J.A., Medina, P., Santos, S.A.P. 2018. Survival of Psyttalia concolor: Do flowers make the difference? In J.A. Pereira, N. Rodrigues (eds), Livro de Resumos VII Simpósio Nacional de olivicultura, APH, Santarém, 7 - 9 junho.