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Chinese Journal of Biological Control ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 276-283.DOI: 10.16409/j.cnki.2095-039x.2024.03.007

• RESEARCH REPORTS • Previous Articles    

Predatory Functional Response of Orius minutus to Acyrthosiphon pisum and Odontothrips loti at Different Temperatures

CUI Xiaoning1, XI Boxin2, PENG Bin1, CHANG Fengmei1, LI Honggang1, SHI Xueqiang1, MENG Xiangshu1   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory for Grassland Ecosystem of Education Ministry/Key Laboratory of Forage Germplasm Innovation and New Variety Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
    2. College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • Received:2024-02-27 Published:2025-04-19

Abstract: Pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and thrip Odontothrips loti are most serious insect pests damaged on alfalfa in China, and Orius minutus is an important natural enemy. To clarify biological control potential of O. minutus, the predations of the 5th instar nymph of O. minutus against the 3rd instar nymph of A. pisum and adult of O. loti were measured at 18 ℃, 22 ℃, 26 ℃, 30 ℃ and 34 ℃, and predation preferences of these two species of prey were evaluated at 26 ℃ . The results showed that the predations of O. minutus to the aphids and thrips increased with the increase of prey densities, and the predation function responses fit to Holling II equation model under different experimental temperatures. Furthermore, the predation capacity (a/Th= 54.85) and daily maximum predation number (1/Th= 41.84) to aphids of O. minutus 3rd instar nymphs was the highest at 22 ℃, while the predation capacity (a/Th= 62.86) and daily maximum predation number (1/Th= 55.25) to thrips was the highest at 30 ℃ . The searching efficiency of O. minutus decreased with the increase of prey densities at the same temperature. Searching efficiency was positively correlated with predation capacity at the same prey density. Additionally, the 5th instar nymph of O. minutus exhibited no significant preference between two species as the predation selectivity index (D) were less than one. So, it is implied that O. minutus had better biological control potential against A. pisum and O. loti on alfalfa.

Key words: Orius minutus, Acyrthosiphon pisum, Odontothrips loti, temperature, predation, functional response

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