JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES-TARIM BILIMLERI DERGISI, vol.23, no.1, pp.109-118, 2017 (SCI-Expanded)
Olive leaf moth, Palpita unionalis (Hubn.) (Lepidoptera: Carambidae) is an important species which damages by consuming green organs of olive trees such as leaves and twings and fruits at high population. It has not been completely known the parasitism rate of its native parasitoids in Turkey. For this aim, the study was conducted to determine the interaction between olive leaf moth, Palpita unionalis (Hubn.) (Lepidoptera: Carambidae) and its larval parasitoid, Apanteles brunnistigma Abdinbekova (Hymenoptera: Brachonidae) and egg parasitoid, Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), as well as their parasitism rates. The study was conducted on four olive groves in Erzin (Hatay), Kadirl (Osmaniye), Tarsus(Mersin) and Saricam (Adana) in the eastern Mediterranean region between 2009 and 2010. Both parasitoids were checked weekly from April to November and forthnightly rest of the months during two years. Parasited eggs were detected between the end of April and December during seven and eight months for both years. The parasitism rate caused by T. evanescens was calculated between 13.83 and 100% in Erzin, 11.1 and 100% in Kadirli, 9.1 and 100% in Tarsus, 1.4 and 100% in Saricam for two years. Apanteles brunnistigma which is larva parasitoid of P. unionalis was determined to be actived between at the end of May and November during five and six months for two years. The parasitism rate of A. brunnistigma was calculated between 0.5 and 100% in Erzin, 2.6 and 33.3% in Kadirli, 5.3 and 14.3% in Tarsus, 1.4 and 10.2% in Saricam.