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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Despite their importance as biological control agents, zoophytophagous dicyphine mirids
can produce economically important damage. We evaluated the phytophagy and potential impact
on tomato plants of Dicyphus cerastii and Nesidiocoris tenuis. We developed a study in three parts:
(i) a semi-field trial to characterize the type of plant damage produced by these species on caged
tomato plants; (ii) a laboratory experiment to assess the effect of fruit ripeness, mirid age, and prey
availability on feeding injuries on fruit; and (iii) a laboratory assay to compare the position of both
species on either fruit or plants, over time. Both species produced plant damage, however, although
both species produced scar punctures on leaves and necrotic patches on petioles, only N. tenuis
produced necrotic rings. Both species caused flower abortion at a similar level. Overall, N. tenuis
females produced more damage to tomato fruit than D. cerastii. There was an increased frequency of
D. cerastii females found on the plants over time, which did not happen with N. tenuis. Our results
suggested that, although D. cerastii caused less damage to fruit than N. tenuis, it still fed on them
and could cause floral abortion, which requires field evaluation and caution in its use in biological
control strategies
Description
Keywords
omnivorous predator Nesidiocoris tenuis Dicyphus cerastii plant damage zoophytophagy fruit injury protected crops biological control tomato
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Souto, P.; Abraços-Duarte, G.; da Silva, E.B.; Figueiredo, E. Half Friend, Half Enemy? Comparative Phytophagy between Two Dicyphini Species (Hemiptera: Miridae). Insects 2022, 13, 175
Publisher
MDPI