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Effect of factitious diets on development and reproduction of the ladybird beetle Stethorus gilvifrons, a predator of tetranychid mites

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Abstract

The ladybird beetle Stethorus gilvifrons is a predator of tetranychid mites. The hypothesis that factitious diets had no negative effect on S. gilvifrons development and reproduction was tested. Experimental diets included natural prey Tetranychus turkestani eggs, Ephestia kuehniella eggs plus date palm pollen, E. kuehniella eggs plus maize pollen, and E. kuehniella eggs plus bee pollen. The results indicated that S. gilvifrons development time was longer and fecundity was lower on all factitious diets tested compared to natural prey, T. turkestani eggs. S. gilvifrons fed E. kuehniella eggs plus date palm pollen had a higher net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), and lower generation time (T) than those fed other factitious diets. Although T. turkestani eggs are more nutritious than the factitious diets, the combination of E. kuehniella eggs plus date palm pollen holds promise as an alternative food for the mass production of S. gilvifrons.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank the research deputy of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz for supporting this research. This article reports the results of research only. Mention of a commercial product does not constitute an endorsement of the product by Shahid Chamran University or the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

    Jafar Ebrahimifar, Parviz Shishehbor & Arash Rasekh

  2. Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Stoneville, MS, USA

    Eric W. Riddick

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  1. Jafar Ebrahimifar
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  2. Parviz Shishehbor
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  3. Arash Rasekh
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  4. Eric W. Riddick
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Correspondence to Jafar Ebrahimifar.

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The authors declare that this work was not subject to any conflicts of interest. The research project did not involve any human participants and/or animals (with the exception of insects).

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Handling Editor: Marta Montserrat.

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Ebrahimifar, J., Shishehbor, P., Rasekh, A. et al. Effect of factitious diets on development and reproduction of the ladybird beetle Stethorus gilvifrons, a predator of tetranychid mites. BioControl 65, 703–711 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-020-10033-y

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