Effects of endophyte colonization of Vicia faba (Fabaceae) plants on the life-history of leafminer parasitoids Phaedrotoma scabriventris (hymenoptera: braconidae) and Diglyphus isaea (hymenoptera: eulophidae)

PLoS One. 2014 Oct 22;9(10):e109965. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109965. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Effects of the fungal endophytes Beauveria bassiana (isolates ICIPE 279, G1LU3, S4SU1) and Hypocrea lixii (isolate F3ST1) on the life-history of Phaedrotoma scabriventris and Diglyphus isaea, parasitoids of the pea leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis, were studied in the laboratory. Parasitoids were allowed to parasitize 2(nd) and 3(rd) instar L. huidobrensis larvae reared on endophytically-inoculated faba bean, Vicia faba. In the control, parasitoids were reared on non-inoculated host plants. Parasitism, pupation, adult emergence and survival were recorded. No significant difference was observed between the control and the endophyte-inoculated plants in terms of parasitism rates of P. scabriventris (p = 0.68) and D. isaea (p = 0.45) and adult' survival times (p = 0.06). The survival period of the F1 progeny of P. scabriventris was reduced (p<0.0001) in B. bassiana S4SU1 to 28 days as compared to more than 40 days for B. bassiana G1LU3, ICIPE 279 and H. lixii F3ST1. However, no significant difference (p = 0.54) was observed in the survival times of the F1 progeny of D. isaea. This study has demonstrated that together, endophytes and parasitoids have beneficial effects in L. huidobrensis population suppression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Beauveria / metabolism
  • Beauveria / pathogenicity*
  • Endophytes / metabolism
  • Hymenoptera / microbiology
  • Hymenoptera / pathogenicity*
  • Hypocrea / genetics
  • Hypocrea / pathogenicity
  • Life Cycle Stages
  • Pest Control, Biological*
  • Vicia faba / growth & development
  • Vicia faba / parasitology*

Grants and funding

This research work was supported by the icipe's research project on IPM of vegetable leafminers funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The first author was financed through a PhD fellowship provided by the German Academic Exchange Service/Deutcher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), through the African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Science (ARPPIS) of icipe. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.