Sublethal effect of the insecticides Flonicamid and Imidacloprid on the functional response of the parasitoid wasp, Diaeretiella rapae to the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Plant Protection Research Department, West Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Urmia, Iran.

2 Assistant professor, Plant Protection Research Department, East Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre, AREEO, Tabriz, Iran.

3 Professor, Plant Protection Research Department, East Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre, AREEO, Tabriz, Iran.

4 Researcher, Plant Protection Research Department, West Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Urmia, Iran.

10.22092/bcpp.2026.372146.414

Abstract

The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae, is one of the major pests of the Brassicaceae family for which chemical control is one of the most common management methods. However, the use of these compounds requires careful evaluation within integrated pest management (IPM) programs because of its adverse effects on natural enemies. The parasitoid wasp, Diaeretiella rapae is recognized as an important biological control agent of the cabbage aphid in many regions of the world. In this study, the sublethal effect of the insecticides flonicamid and imidacloprid were evaluated on the functional response of the parasitoid wasp, D. rapae to different densities of third-instar cabbage aphid nymphs to assess pesticide compatibility. A colony of D. rapae was established using mummified aphids collected from cabbage fields in Urmia County and maintained in small ventilated containers (20 mL) under controlled laboratory conditions. All rearing and experiments were conducted at 25 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 5% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 16:8 h (L:D). Sublethal concentrations of the insecticides were determined using a direct spray method in bioassays (LC₂₅: flonicamid = 0.997 ppm and imidacloprid = 5.612 ppm). In the functional response experiment, different densities of aphid nymphs were exposed to a single female (≤24 h) wasp for 24 hours, and the nymphs were then maintained until mummification to determine the parasitism rate. The results showed that the functional response of D. rapae was type II in the control and flonicamid treatment, and type III in the imidacloprid treatment. The parameters of searching efficiency (a) and handling time (Th) were affected by insecticide treatments; flonicamid (0.456 h-1) had no significant effect on searching efficiency, whereas imidacloprid (0.00375 h-1) significantly reduced it. In addition, handling time increased significantly in both treatments. The maximum attack rate in the flonicamid and imidacloprid treatments for D. rapae was 16.24 and 9.44 aphid nymphs, respectively. Therefore, flonicamid showed greater compatibility with D. rapae compared with imidacloprid and can be used in integrated management programs for the cabbage aphid. However, further studies are necessary on the effects of these insecticides on life table parameters and other behavioral characteristics of the parasitoid under laboratory and field conditions.

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Main Subjects

References

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BioControl in Plant Protection
Volume 12, Issue 2
December 2025
Pages 65-79

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