Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Biocontrol Science and Technology, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is one of the most economically significant and widely distributed whitefly species. Encarsia lutea Masi (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is a heteronomous hyperparasitoid and is reported to be one of the key factors in the management of B. tabaci populations in Mediterranean countries. This study aimed to evaluate the interactions among E. lutea, B. tabaci, and the host plant, obtaining comprehensive data to enhance its application in biological control programmes. Therefore, laboratory studies were carried out to determine the host-feeding capacity and parasitism of E. lutea at six B. tabaci nymph densities (10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100) on three host plant species: bean, cotton, and eggplant. The number of nymphs killed by the parasitoid through feeding and parasitism increased with increasing nymph densities for all host plants. The lowest (4.06) and the highest (27.5) mean numbers of parasitised nymphs were observed at host densities of 10 and 100 nymphs, respectively. The feeding behaviour of E. lutea was affected by the host plant, and the mean number of nymphs killed by feeding was found to be statistically significant and higher in cotton (6.7) than in bean (4.6) and eggplant (4.3), when pooled over all nymph densities. In conclusion, although the results showed that E. lutea can act as a density-dependent parasitoid, and its performance varies depending on the host plant, further studies on its hyperparasitism behaviour should be conducted before evaluating it as a potential candidate for the biological control agent of B. tabaci.