Response of Coccinella septempunctata and Menochilus sexmaculatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to their aphid prey, Lipaphis erysimi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in rapeseed-mustard
2006
Rana, J.S.(CCS Haryana Agricultural Univ., Hisar (India). Dept. of Entomology) E-mail:[email protected]
During a three year study in a field with rapeseed and mustard crops, the response of Coccinella septempunctata and Menochilus sexmaculatus was dependent upon density and time of appearance of their prey. Lipaphis erysimi appeared during the second (2000 and 2001) and last (2002) week of January. Aphid appearance was highly dependent on the phenological stage of the host plant. It appeared earlier in Brassica campestris var. BSH-1 than in Brassica juncea var. RH-30. The ladybird beetle's eggs were observed in the last week of January, 4-5 weeks before the maximum aphid population. A correlation between aphid number and the abundance of ladybirds' life stages revealed that the egg and larval density was positively correlated with aphid numbers. Adult beetles did not show significant positive correlation with aphid numbers. C. septempunctata was more abundant than M. sexmaculatus. M. sexmaculatus population disappeared earlier than C. septempunctata.
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