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Physiological host range of Trissolcus mitsukurii, a candidate biological control agent of Halyomorpha halys in Europe

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Abstract

The invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys, native to East Asia, is a severe agricultural pest of worldwide importance, and chemical insecticides are largely sprayed for its control. Negative impact and failures of chemical pest management led to consider classical biological control as one of the most promising methods in a long-term perspective. The Asian egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus is the main candidate biocontrol agent of H. halys, but more recently a second species, Trissolcus mitsukurii, which shares the area of origin with H. halys, has drawn special attention after adventive populations were found in Europe. Despite its recent detection, intentional release or redistribution are bound to approval of national petitions, which requires detailed risk analyses. With the aim of providing a contribution for the future development of a risk assessment for release purposes, here we present the first study on the physiological (fundamental) host range of T. mitsukurii in Europe. Tests conducted on different hemipterans common to Southern Europe, using three different experimental designs, revealed a oligophagous host range, limited to Pentatomoidea and comparable with the host range displayed by T. japonicus under similar laboratory conditions. In addition to its coevolved host H. halys, T. mitsukurii successfully parasitized the majority of tested pentatomid species and one scutellerid, although with highly variable emergence rates. Notably high parasitization rates were detected on H. halys, Acrosternum heegeri and Dolycoris baccarum. Host egg sizes positively affected parasitoid size and female egg load. Although T. mitsukurii might be a promising biological control agent of H. halys in Europe, further studies (e.g., chemical ecology, field parasitism) are needed for assessment of non-target risks.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Iris Bernardinelli, Giorgio Malossini and Luca Benvenuto of ERSA Friuli Venezia Giulia, and to Giacomo Vaccari and Stefano Caruso of the Consorzio Fitosanitario Modena for the help in the field collection of H. halys in infested sites in northern Italy. We thank Riccardo Frosinini, Andrea Rocchini, Paolo Toccafondi, Tiziano Fabbricatore and Luca Madonni for assistance in H. halys and non-target species rearing in the laboratory. This work was supported by the Ministero per le Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali (MiPAAF), projects “Salvaolivi” (DM 0033437 21/12/2017) and “Proteggo 1.3” (MIPAAF DISRV 0155972 6/04/2021).

Funding

This research was founded by the Ministero delle Politiche Agrarie Alimentari e Forestali.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CREA – Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Florence, Italy

    Lucrezia Giovannini, Giuseppino Sabbatini-Peverieri, Leonardo Marianelli & Pio Federico Roversi

  2. Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    Gabriele Rondoni & Eric Conti

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  1. Lucrezia Giovannini
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  2. Giuseppino Sabbatini-Peverieri
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  3. Leonardo Marianelli
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  4. Gabriele Rondoni
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  5. Eric Conti
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  6. Pio Federico Roversi
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Correspondence to Giuseppino Sabbatini-Peverieri.

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Giovannini, L., Sabbatini-Peverieri, G., Marianelli, L. et al. Physiological host range of Trissolcus mitsukurii, a candidate biological control agent of Halyomorpha halys in Europe. J Pest Sci 95, 605–618 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01415-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01415-x

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