Establishment of Cotesia Vestalis (Haliday) and Diadromus Collaris (GRAV.) Parasitoids of the Diamondback Moth, Plutella Xylostella (L.), and Assessment of the Effectiveness of C. Vestalis as a Biological Control Agent in Zambia

Sohati, Philemon Hakainda (2012) Establishment of Cotesia Vestalis (Haliday) and Diadromus Collaris (GRAV.) Parasitoids of the Diamondback Moth, Plutella Xylostella (L.), and Assessment of the Effectiveness of C. Vestalis as a Biological Control Agent in Zambia. PhD thesis, University of Zambia.

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Abstract

The goals of the study were to confirm establishment of two exotic parasitoids, Cotesia vestalis (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Diadromus collaris (Grav.) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), released in Lusaka Province, Zambia, during the 1970s and 1980s, to control the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), a serious pest of vegetables in Zambia, and to assess the effectiveness of one of the released parasitoids, C. vestalis, as a biological control agent of the pest. Confirmation of the establishment of the exotic parasitoids was through field sampling and collection of various developmental stages of the parasitoids, in and around the release sites in Lusaka Province. The assessment of the effectiveness of C. vestalis, as a biological control agent of the crop pest was through laboratory experiments. The specific objectives were to: i) Sample and collect various developmental stages of the parasitoids, C. vestalis and D. collaris, in and around the 1977-1984 parasitoids release sites in Lusaka Province, Zambia; ii) determine the types of pesticides used by local farmers in the Chongwe, Kafue and Lusaka districts on common vegetable pests and their impacts on the exotic parasitoids, C. vestalis and D. collaris; iii) determine the phenology of P. xylostella and identify its parasitoids in the selected study area; and iv) assess the effectiveness of C. vestalis as a biological control agent of P. xylostella under laboratory conditions. Vegetable farms, in and around the original release sites of parasitoids in Lusaka west and in the Makeni area were selected for the study. Parasitoid presence was the criterion used to confirm establishment. The sampled vegetable fields were geo-referenced using a Global Positioning System (GPS) and the information obtained was used to construct a pest/parasitoid field sampling map. The nearest plant after every 2 m in the campus direction on a 33.2 m diagonal line transect was sampled for the diamondback moth larvae and pupae.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	Geoffrey Obatsa
Date Deposited:	27 Aug 2018 13:27
Last Modified:	27 Aug 2018 13:27
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/8549

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