The Fitness of Mass Rearing Food on the Establishment of <i>Chrysopa pallens</i> in a Banker Plant System under Fluctuating Temperature Conditions

Abstract

Banker plant systems can be used to sustain a reproducing population of biological control agents (BCAs) within a crop, thus providing long-term pest suppression. The founder population of natural enemies in banker plant systems is usually mass-reared on factitious hosts. Thus, a better understanding of the population fitness and pest control performance of mass-reared BCAs in the field is crucial when developing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. In this study, we determined the fitness of the generalist predator, Chrysopa pallens (Hemiptera: Chrysopidae) ever cultured on different food sources (i.e., mass rearing food, Corcyra cephalonica eggs, and aphid food, Megoura japonica) preying on Aphis craccivora in a banker plant system in a greenhouse based on Chi’s age-stage, two-sex life table analysis method. The life tables and predation rate parameters of C. pallens were not significantly different between both treatments under fluctuating temperature conditions. Corcyracephalonica eggs did not significantly weaken the performances of C. pallens in a Vicia faba–A. craccivora banker plant system compared to aphids. In conclusion, C. cephalonica eggs can be used for the mass production of C. pallens as the founder population in a banker plant system. Moreover, linking the life table data with the predation rate is an effective strategy for evaluating mass rearing programs in establishing banker plant systems.

Keywords

• banker plant
• <i>Corcyra cephalonica</i>
• lacewing
• greenhouse
• life table
• predation