The relationship between corn leaf aphid density and parasitism of European corn borer (ECB) eggs by Trichogramma ostriniae was assessed in a series of field studies in Ithaca and Aurora, NY. Our previous laboratory research demonstrated significantly higher longevity and fecundity for T. ostriniae provided corn leaf aphid (CLA) honeydew as a food source versus a no food control, which yielded higher parasitism of sentinel ECB egg masses. In our current field studies, a significant relationship between T. ostriniae parasitism of natural ECB egg masses on corn and corn leaf aphid density on the T. ostriniae release date estimated by quadratic sampling was determined using logistic regression. The data suggest that T. ostriniae released in fields with higher CLA densities may be able to suppress ECB populations at reduced release rates as compared to fields with lower CLA densities.
Species 1: Homoptera Aphididae Rhopalosiphum maidis (corn leaf aphid)
Species 2: Lepidoptera Pyralidae Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer)
Species 3: Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae Trichogramma ostriniae
Keywords: Indirect effects
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA