The role of selected odonate nymphs in biological control of Culex quinquefasciatus larvae, and effect of glyphosate herbicide on their predatory performance
2022
Khan, Sami Ullah | Mehmood, Sardar Azhar | Ali, Hazrat | Waqas, Waqas | Rahbar, Bakht
Mosquitoes are potent vectors of many diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and filariasis. Mosquitoes are controlled by various traditional methods including the widespread uses of synthetic chemicals. These applications have led to environmental degradation and loss of beneficial species. However, biological control, an ecofriendly control of mosquitoes through potential predators, is the key interest of today’s researchers. During the current research, predatory performance of three selected odonatan nymphs (Pantala flavescens, Trithemis aurora, Libellula fulva) was investigated against mosquitoes’ 3rd instar larvae. Furthermore, the effect of glyphosate herbicide on the predatory performance of these nymphs was also assessed. Results indicated higher larval consumption by P. flavescens, followed by T. aurora while less consumption by L. fulva during 24-h study. The difference among their predatory performance was not significant (p > 0.05). The predatory performance of P. flavescens was significantly reduced compared to the control by 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 ppm glyphosate, that of T. aurora by 2.5 and 5.0 ppm glyphosate while that of L. fulva by 5.0 ppm glyphosate. Thus, the performance of all the nymphs decreased with increasing glyphosate concentration. The study concluded that odonatan species play a vital role in control of mosquito larvae. However, anthropogenic activities such as excessive use of herbicides in agriculture pose a real threat to these natural predators.
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