mostafa khanamani

Integrated application of compatible methods is the most reliable strategy for sustainable management of phytophagous pests in different agro-ecosystems. In the current study, parasitism parameters of Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko were determined on eggs of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) reared on a susceptible “Infinity” or a resistant “Goldy” tomato cultivar. All experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions, at 25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. Our results showed that the maximum number of parasitized hosts per parasitoid was 25.94 and 23 eggs in “Goldy” and “Infinity” cultivars, respectively. The cultivars tested had no significant effects on the net parasitism rate (C0) and the values of this parameter was 7.87 and 6.67 hosts on the mentioned cultivars, respectively. Similarly, the cultivar impact on the finite (ω) and stable parasitism rates (ψ) of T. brassicae was not significant. The parasitoid needed approximately one egg host to produce an egg on both cultivars for the simple reason that this parasitoid nearly always lays one egg in each host. In other words, the transformation rate (Qp) of the parasitoid on the “Goldy” did not differ from those estimated on the “Infinity”. The current study revealed that the resistant tomato cultivar, “Goldy”, did not compromise T. brassicae-based biocontrol of T. absoluta, and therefore, these two control procedures could be combined for integrated management of this pest.