Tritrophic effects of organic and conventional fertilisers on a cereal-aphid-parasitoid system

Garratt, M. P.D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0196-6013, Leather, S. R. and Wright, D. J. (2010) Tritrophic effects of organic and conventional fertilisers on a cereal-aphid-parasitoid system. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 134 (3). pp. 211-219. ISSN 1570-7458 doi: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2009.00957.x

Abstract/Summary

The impact of parasitoids on pests varies between conventional and low-intensity agricultural systems. Although the impacts on parasitoid natural enemies of many practices within these agricultural systems are well understood, the role of fertilisers has been less well studied. The effects of organic-based and conventional fertilisers on Hordeum vulgare L. (Poaceae), the aphid Metopolophium dirhodum Walker (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and its parasitoid Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was investigated using cage release experiments and measures of aphid and parasitoid fitness were taken. Barley tiller number and aphid weight were increased by fertilisers, particularly under conventional treatments. Adult parasitoid size correlated positively with that of the host, M. dirhodum, whereas percentage parasitism was not affected by fertiliser treatment or host size. The results suggest that the increased parasitoid impact observed in some low-intensity or organic systems is not a direct result of fertiliser treatment. Our results indicate that fertiliser treatments that improve cereal-aphid fitness will improve parasitoid fitness as measured by parasitoid size but may not influence percentage parasitism.

Additional Information	For corrigendum to this article see Related URLs.
Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/26444
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	No Reading authors. Back catalogue items Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Sustainable Land Management > Centre for Agri-environmental Research (CAER)
Uncontrolled Keywords	Aphididae;Braconidae;barley;natural enemy/host interactions;Hemiptera;Hymenoptera;Hordeum vulgare;Metopolophium dirhodum;Aphidius ervi
Additional Information	For corrigendum to this article see Related URLs.
Publisher	Wiley
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item