Assessing the effects of low temparature on the establishment potential in Britain of the non-native biological control agent Eretmocerus eremicus

AGT Tullett, AJ Hart, MR Worland, Jeffrey Bale

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Eretmocerus eremicus is a parasitoid wasp that is not native to Britain. It is a biological control agent of glasshouse whitefly and has recently been released under licence in Britain for the first time. This study assessed the effect of low temperature on the outdoor establishment potential of E. eremicus in Britain. The developmental threshold calculated by three linear methods was between 6.1degrees and 11.6 degreesC, with a degree-day requirement per generation between 256.3 and 366.8degrees day(-1). The supercooling points of non-acclimated and acclimated larvae were similar (approximately -25 degreesC). Non-acclimated and acclimated larvae were subject to considerable pre-freeze mortality, with lethal temperature (LTemp(50)) values of -16.3 and -21.3 degreesC, respectively. Lethal time experiments indicated a similar lack of cold tolerance with 50% mortality of both non-acclimated and acclimated larvae after 7 days at -5 degreesC, 10 days at 0 degreesC and 13 days at 5 degreesC. Field trials showed that neither non-acclimated nor acclimated larvae survived longer than 1 month when exposed to naturally fluctuating winter temperatures. These results suggest that releasing E. eremicus into British greenhouses would pose minimal risk because typical British winter temperatures would be an effective barrier against establishment in the wild.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)363-371
Number of pages9
JournalPhysiological Entomology
Volume29
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2004

Keywords

  • cold tolerance
  • biological control
  • development
  • overwintering
  • Eretmocerus eremicus
  • establishment
  • non-native
  • Trialeurodes vaporariorum
  • temperature

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