Diwas Khatri

Citation

Thesis Title
Biological control ecology of Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) on Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Biological control of plant pests using natural enemies is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective crop protection tactic. Green peach aphid is a serious pest of many crops around the world and has developed resistance to most insecticides. Mr Khatri investigated the biological control ecology of a parasitoid (Aphidius colemani) of the pest. The parasitoid was active mainly during the daytime, and produced more offspring and reproduced faster than the aphid. Parasitised aphids contributed little to their population growth. Its preference for larger hosts was counterbalanced by greater defensive ability of these hosts, resulting in similar parasitism rate on hosts of all sizes. The parasitoid could successfully control the pest regardless of pest density. Mr Khatri's research provided basic knowledge on A. colemani for development of effective measures for laboratory handling, rearing, and field release, and brought insights into the success of aphid biological control programmes using the parasitoid augmentation approach.

Supervisors
Professor Qiao Wang
Dr Xiong Zhao He