Performance and Functional Response of Three Parasitoid Species as Potential Biological Control Agents of Three Important Mealybug Pests

Abstract

Mealybugs (Maconellicoccus hirsutus, Phenacoccus solenopsis, Planococcus citri), are significant agricultural pests worldwide. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of three parasitoid species (Leptomastix dactylopii, Anagyrus kamali, Anagyrus pseudococci) in controlling these pests. It focused on parasitism rates, host preferences, offspring emergence from parasitized mummies, and parasitoid functional responses. Leptomastix dactylopii showed parasitism rates of 51.42% for P. solenopsis, 72.85% for M. hirsutus, and 77.14% for P. citri. In comparison, Anagyrus kamali had rates of 75.71%, 92.85%, and 54.28% for the same hosts, while A. pseudococci recorded 41.41%, 48.57%, and 78.57%. The highest emergence percentages were 72.57% for L. dactylopii from P. citri, 82.85% for A. kamali from M. hirsutus, and 68.57% for A. pseudococci from P. citri.
Leptomastix dactylopii preferred P. solenopsis (39.68%) over M. hirsutus (36.50%) and P. citri (23.81%). Anagyrus kamali preferred M. hirsutus (41.29%) over P. solenopsis (34.09%) and P. citri (24.62%). Anagyrus pseudococci favored P. citri (46.76%) more than P. solenopsis (24.2%) and M. hirsutus (29.04%). Higher host-parasitoid densities and ratios increased parasitism rates across all three species. All three parasitoids exhibited a type III functional response to the three mealybug species. These findings highlight the potential for developing eco-friendly pest control strategies through mass rearing and release of these parasitoids to manage mealybug populations.