Development of a new banker plant system to control aphids in protected culture

Abstract: To establish a new banker plant system of an indigenous strain of Aphidoletesaphidimyza as a control agent of pest aphids on solanaceous fruit vegetables under hightemperature conditions, we conducted life history studies of A. aphidimyza reared on Melanaphissacchari on sorghum banker plants. We examined the effect of temperature on development andlifetime fecundity and calculated the intrinsic rate of natural increase. The survival rate from eggto adult eclosion was 0.8-0.87 at 20-30°C. The lifetime fecundity and intrinsic rate of naturalincrease of A. aphidimyza reared on M. sacchari were higher than values for A. aphidimyzareared on Rhopalosiphum padi. The efficiency of the banker plant system of A. aphidimyza andM. sacchari was evaluated on sweet pepper plants in greenhouses. The density and frequency ofoccurrence of pest aphids on sweet pepper plants were more effectively suppressed ingreenhouses using the system of A. aphidimyza and M. sacchari on sorghum plants than in thoseusing the system of Aphidius colemani and R. padi on barley plants.