AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST OF THE IMPACTS OF CEREAL LEAF BEETLE (OULEMA MELANOPUS) AND ITS NATURAL ENEMIES ON WHEAT YIELD IN THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES Abstract uri icon

abstract

  • Cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus, Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is an invasive crop pest from Eurasia, new in Alberta, Canada since 2005. Larval feeding causes yield loss in the USA, where economic thresholds for insecticide application in wheat (Triticum aestivum) are estimated to be 0.4-1.0 larvae per flag leaf. Since 2009, the larval parasitoid Tetrastichusfulis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) has been widely relocated across the Canadian prairies, and is thought to have kept cereal leaf beetle populations from reaching damaging levels. Generalist predators (e.g., spiders, lady beetles, carabids, nabid bugs) also consume cereal leaf beetle larvae. We present final results from an outdoor cage experiment, repeated over 3 years in spring wheat, aiming to assess the impact of cereal leaf beetle, T. fulis, and generalist predators on wheat yield and quality in a Canadian prairie agroecosystem. The study was conducted near Lethbridge, Alberta, as a randomized complete block. We manipulated the presence of cereal leaf beetles, T. fulis, and generalist predators in the cages to assess their effects on insect communities at harvest, plant biomass, and grain yield and quality. Results will be used to assess impact of cereal leaf beetle on wheat production, and the impact of beneficial insects in suppressing this new pest.

publication date

  • July 2019