Sublethal effects of imidacloprid on the whitefly parasitoid Ecarsia formosa Gahan

SUMMARY Acute toxicity of an imidacloprid-based product (Confidor 200 SL) to pupae of the whitefly parasitoid Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), and its effects on life history traits and population growth in F 1 generation of the surviving parasitoid females of a commercial strain (“Dutch” strain, D) and two local populations from Serbia (Bujanovac, B; Negotin, N) were examined in laboratory bioassays. All trials were carried out at 27±1°C temperature and 60±10% relative humidity, and under 16/8 h daylight/darkness photoperiod in four replications. In acute toxicity bioassays, tobacco leaves carrying parasitoid pupae were treated with a series of symmetrical concentrations (800, 400, 200, 100, 50 and 25 mg a.i./l) covering a 10-90% mortality range. The product based on imidacloprid, applied directly onto parasitoid pupae at mean lethal concentrations (LC 50 ) determined in the acute toxicity assays (30 mg/l, 20 mg/l and 25 mg/l, for populations B, N and D, respectively), significantly affected the survival of females developed from the treated pupae, extended the duration of juvenile development (by 1.81, 1.59 and 1.73 days for populations B, N and D, respectively), significantly reduced total parasitism of females D (25.92 %), total female adult emergence in populations B (27.48 %) and D (17.92 %), and significantly reduced the instantaneous rate of increased only of females N (4.23 %). Considering the high acute toxicity of the imidacloprid product to the pupal stage of E. formosa , and significant reductions in life table and population parameters, imidacloprid is not considered compatible for simultaneous use with the parasitoid E. formosa . A more precise assessment of risks involved in the use of that insecticide requires a more detailed testing in the field. The implications of these results for the concept of integrated control of the greenhouse whitefly are discussed.