Earwig Releases Provide Accumulative Biological Control of the Woolly Apple Aphid over the Years
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Publication date
2023-11-18ISSN
2075-4450
Abstract
Nature-based solutions, such as biological control, can strongly contribute to reducing the
use of plant protection products. In our study, we assessed the effect of augmentative releases of
the European earwig (Forficula auricularia) to control the woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum), a
worldwide pest that causes serious damage to apple trees. The trials were carried out in two organic
apple orchards located in Catalonia (NE Spain) from 2017 to 2020. Two treatments were compared:
with vs. without earwig release. For the treatment, 30 earwigs per tree were released by means of a
corrugated cardboard shelter. These releases were performed once per season and were repeated
every year. We periodically assessed the length of the woolly apple aphid colonies, the number of
colonies per tree, the percentage of aphids parasitized by Aphelinus mali, and the number of earwigs
per shelter. Our results showed that earwig releases reduced the length of the colonies, but this
effect was noticeable only for the second year onwards. Moreover, we found that those releases
were compatible with A. mali. Overall, we demonstrated the positive impact of earwig releases on
the woolly apple aphid control and the importance of considering time on augmentative biological
control strategies.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
632 - Plant damage, injuries. Plant diseases. Pests, organisms injurious to plants. Plant protection
Pages
11
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Insects
Citation
Alins, Georgina, Jaume Lordan, Neus Rodríguez-Gasol, Judit Arnó, and Ainara Peñalver-Cruz. 2023. “Earwig Releases Provide Accumulative Biological Control of the Woolly Apple Aphid over the Years.” MDPI. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. November 18. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/11/890.
Grant agreement number
INIA/Programa Estatal de promoción del talento y su empleabilidad en I+D+I/RTA2013-00039-C03-00/ES/Servicios ecosistémicos de polinización y control de plagas en cultivos leñosos: efectos del paisaje y del manejo/
MICIU/Programa Estatal de generación del conocimiento y fortalecimiento científico y tecnológico del sistema I+D+I/PID2019-107030RB-C21/ES/PRACTICAS SOSTENIBLES PARA EL CONTROL DE TRIPS Y PULGONES EN FRUTALES DE HUESO Y DE PEPITA/
Program
Fructicultura
Protecció Vegetal Sostenible
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2555]
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/