Interaction Between Bt-Transgenic Cotton and the Whitefly’s Parasitoid, Encarsia Formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

Abstract

Transgenic Bt cotton developed against lepidopteran pests may not be compatible with parasitoid of secondary pests such as Bemisia tabaci which attack many plants such as cotton. In this study, the effects of Bt cotton on the demographic parameters of Encarsia formosa, parasitoid of B. tabaci were assessed. The data were analysed using the age specific, two-sex life table parameters. The results indicated that pre-adult developmental time, the total preoviposition period (TPOP) and the adult preoviposition period (APOP) in the Bt cotton were significantly longer than in the non-Bt cotton. Also, fecundity and body size in both lines were significantly different. The fecundity was 23.64±0.73 and 43.75±0.89 eggs/females in the Bt and non-Bt cotton, respectively. All the population parameters were affected by the Bt cotton. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) was 0.15 day-1 in the non-Bt cotton but it was 0.10 day-1 in the Bt cotton. The finite rate of increase (λ) was 1.11 day-1 in the non-Bt cotton whilst it was 1.08 in the Bt cotton. The net reproductive rate (R0) in the non-Bt cotton was 36.75 but in the Bt cotton these parameters showed 19.62 offspring/individual. Also, the mean generation time (T ) in the non-Bt and Bt cotton was 22.69 and 27.79 days, respectively. The results illustrated, that although transgenic crops are effective tools for management of the target pests, they can adversely affect, either directly or indirectly, the natural enemies dependent on these plants.

Keywords

• Aphelinid parasitoid
• biological control
• demographic parameters
• non-target organism
• transgenic crop