Performance of certain exotic aphid parasitoid species towards cereal aphids under laboratory, field cage and open wheat field conditions in Egypt [electronic resource].

Includes references.

Aphid parasitoids' importation and colonization have a great potential as a classical and effective biological control method. Through an Egyptian/American collaborative project (1997-2002), four cereal aphid exotic parasitoid species were Imported from different countries to provide additional mortality factors to the indigenous ones, against key cereal aphid species in Egyptian and American wheat fields. The exotic cereal aphid parasitoid species were collected from Syria, Morocco, and Iran, in localities near the reported areas of the origin of cereal species and from habitats of climatic patterns similar to those in Upper and Middle Egypt and Southern California, USA. Aphidius matricariae Haliday (Syria), Diacretiella rapae M'lntosh (Morocco), Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) and Aphelinu albipodu Hayat & Fatima (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) (Iran) were the parasitoid species introduced and evaluated under laboratory, field cage and open wheat field conditions. The exotic parasitoid species showed different performances under several tested conditions. A. matricariae exceeded the other parasitoid species under similar conditions.

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