Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing (Acari, Trombidiidae), an important early-season natural enemy of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hom., Aphididae) in cotton
1994
Chen, P.-R. (Research Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Sheyang, Jiangsu (China)) | Zhang, Z.-Q. | Wang, K. | Wang, X.-Y. | Xu, W.-L. | Gao, Z.-L.
Early-season populations of the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii, its ectoparasite Allothrombium pulvinum, and other natural enemies (such as spiders, coccinellids, aphidiids and syrphids) were surveyed in 7 cotton fields with different insecticide uses and cultural practices in Sheyang County, Jiangsu, China in 1991. A. pulvinum was the most abundant natural enemy of A. gossypii and accounted for an average of 80% of natural enemies in cotton fields. The abundance of A. pulvinum was low in flooded fields and increased with the number of years since the field has been rotated from flooded to dried conditions. A pulvinum was also more abundant in monoculture cotton fields than in cotton-wheat intercropping fields. A. pulvinum was a major limiting factor of A. gossypii population growth early in the season when other natural enemies of A. gossypii were rare. Other natural enemies such as spiders and coccinellids increased in abundance later in the season and complemented A. pulvinum in providing successful control of early-season A. gossypii in unsprayed cotton fields. The role of A. pulvinum in integrated cotton pest control is also discussed
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