Silverleaf Whitefly: Why is the Foreigner Better at Biocontrol than the Australian?
Once upon a time Australian native whiteflies were managed by native parasitoids, the main one being the tiny wasp, Eretmocerus mundus which was responsible for 93.7% of total parasitism. But then the biotype B of Bemisia tabaci (silverleaf whitefly – SLW) arrived in Australia. Biotype B whitefly populations increased dramatically and Er. Mundus was unable to suppress their populations. Biotype B became a significant pest of horticulture, grain and cotton. After considerable testing, a parasitoid from overseas, Er. hayati, was introduced into Australia by CSIRO as a biological control agent. It spread well and in many regions is providing effective control of SLW. Er. hayati is now responsible for 85% of parasitism while Er. mundus only contributes 1.2%. Er. hayati is a close relative of Er. mundus. So why is the foreigner, Er. hayati, so much better than the native, Er. mundus? Answers to this question should hopefully provide a better understanding of why it is sometimes necessary to introduce a foreign agent, and what to look for in a good one.
Keywords: ANTIBIOTIC; BACTERIA; BACTERIUM; BEMISIA TABACI BIOTYPE B; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENT; ERETMOCERUS HAYATI; ERETMOCERUS MUNDUS; OFFSPRING; PARASITISM; PARASITOIDS; PEST; REPRODUCTION; RIFAMPICIN; SILVERLEAF WHITEFLY; WASP; WHITEFLY; WOLBACHIA
Document Type: Short Communication
Publication date: 01 October 2010
- An international journal covering the management of weeds, pests and diseases through chemistry, biology and biotechnology.
- Information for Authors
- International Pest Control
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content