PERFORMANCE OF TRICHOGRAMMA SPP. (HYMENOPTERA: TRICHOGRAMMATIDAE) IN EGGS OF DIAPHANIA HYALINATA (L.) (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE) TREATED WITH METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE AND BEAUVERIA BASSIANA

ABSTRACT

Diaphania hyalinata (L., 1758) is one

of the most important pests of the Cucurbitacae, and biological control is an alternative method to replace chemicals. Compatibility between biological control agents was evaluated measuring the performance of females of Trichogramma atopovirilia and Trichogramma pretiosum in eggs of Diaphania hyalinata treated with the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizim anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana. Twenty eggs of D. hyalinata were immersed in a suspension of Metarri^®, Boveril^® and distilled water (control) and offered daily for the parasitism for 24 hours until the death of the parasitoids. Evaluation was made of the daily, accumulated and total parasitism, number of parasitized eggs, viability, sex ratio and longevity. The formulations of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana did not affect the reproductive characteristics and survival of the two species of Trichogramma, and T. pretiosumshowed higher parasitism thanT. atopovirilia in eggs of D. hyalinata. The results obtained in this work showed that it is possible to integrate the use ofT. atopoviriliaand theentomopathogenic fungi M. anisopliae and B. bassiana in cucurbit IPM systems.

KEY WORDS Biological control; parasitoid; melonworm; entomopathogenic fungus