0000000001212652
AUTHOR
M. Rostás
Contrasting behavioural responses of two egg parasitoids to buckwheat floral scent is reflected in field parasitism rates
The use of food supplements in conservation biological control (CBC) programmes is considered an essential element for increasing parasitoid fitness and their population density leading to an increase in overall parasitism levels. However, non-crop habitats that substitute the necessary resources for natural enemies have not always achieved the desired effects. It is suggested that the composition of flower strips in agricultural systems around/in agricultural fields plays an important role because not all plant species are equally suitable and the consumption of food resources by parasitoids can shape direct and indirect interactions with other arthropods and the community complex. We deve…
Single sensillum responses in Trissolcus basalis females to companion plant volatiles
In food resources location and selection, parasitoid females spend considerable time examining the substrate with their antennae, where chemosensory, mechanosensory and thermo-hygroreceptive sensilla exist. Olfaction and perception of plant volatiles play a basic role in recognition of nutritional resources. For Trissolcus basalis, an egg parasitoid of the green stink bug Nezara viridula, previous electroantennography and behavioural experiments tested the parasitoid’s response to extracted headspace volatiles and a synthetic blend of buckwheat volatiles indicated that T. basalis females have sensitive and selective olfactory responses some major buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, flower vola…