Abstract
Interest in sustainable farming methods that rely on alternatives to conventional synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is increasing. Sustainable farming methods often utilize natural populations of predatory and parasitic species to control populations of herbivores, which may be potential pest species. We investigated the effects of several types of fertilizer, including those typical of sustainable and conventional farming systems, on the interaction between a herbivore and parasitoid. The effects of fertilizer type on percentage parasitism, parasitoid performance, parasitoid attack behaviour and responses to plant volatiles were examined using a model Brassica system, consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid). Percentage parasitism was greatest for P. xylostella larvae feeding on plants that had received either a synthetic ammonium nitrate fertilizer or were unfertilized, in comparison to those receiving a composite fertilizer containing hoof and horn. Parasitism was intermediate on plants fertilized with an organically produced animal manure. Male parasitoid tibia length showed the same pattern as percentage parasitism, an indication that offspring performance was maximized on the treatments preferred by female parasitoids for oviposition. Percentage parasitism and parasitoid size were not correlated with foliar nitrogen concentration. The parasitoids did not discriminate between hosts feeding on plants in the four fertilizer treatments in parasitoid behaviour assays, but showed a preference for unfertilized plants in olfactometer experiments. The percentage parasitism and tibia length results provide support for the preference–performance hypothesis.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Percentage parasitism of P. xylostella larvae was greatest on plants given synthetic ammonium nitrate fertilizer or left unfertilized, compared with composite hoof and horn fertilizer.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitata
Brassica oleraceae2 - Treatment
- synthetic ammonium nitrate fertilizere1
- Interactor
- P. xylostellae1pest
- Second interactor
- Cotesia vestalisCotesia vestalise2biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- Percentage parasitisme1
- Direction
- greateste1
- Comparator
- composite fertilizer containing hoof and horne1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Percentage parasitism was greatest for P. xylostella larvae feeding on plants that had received either a synthetic ammonium nitrate fertilizer or were unfertilized, in comparison to those receiving a composite fertilizer containing hoof and horn”
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
Claim · model-written summary
Male parasitoid tibia length followed the same pattern as percentage parasitism across fertilizer treatments.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitataBrassica oleraceae2
- Outcome
- Male parasitoid tibia lengthe4
- Comparator
- Percentage parasitisme4
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
e4“Male parasitoid tibia length showed the same pattern as percentage parasitism, an indication that offspring performance was maximized on the treatments preferred by female parasitoids for oviposition”
Claim · model-written summary
Offspring performance was maximized on the fertilizer treatments preferred by female parasitoids for oviposition.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitataBrassica oleraceae2
- Treatment
- treatments preferred by female parasitoids for ovipositione4
- Outcome
- offspring performancee4
- Direction
- maximizede4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
e4“Male parasitoid tibia length showed the same pattern as percentage parasitism, an indication that offspring performance was maximized on the treatments preferred by female parasitoids for oviposition”
Claim · model-written summary
Percentage parasitism and parasitoid size were not correlated with foliar nitrogen concentration.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitataBrassica oleraceae2
- Outcome
- Percentage parasitism and parasitoid sizee5
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede5
- Comparator
- foliar nitrogen concentratione5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
e5“Percentage parasitism and parasitoid size were not correlated with foliar nitrogen concentration”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitoids did not discriminate between hosts feeding on plants in the four fertilizer treatments in behaviour assays.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitataBrassica oleraceae2
- Outcome
- discriminate between hostse6
- Qualifier
- in parasitoid behaviour assayse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
e6“The parasitoids did not discriminate between hosts feeding on plants in the four fertilizer treatments in parasitoid behaviour assays”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitoids preferred unfertilized plants in olfactometer experiments.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitataBrassica oleraceae2
- Outcome
- preference for unfertilized plantse7
- Qualifier
- in olfactometer experimentse7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
e7“showed a preference for unfertilized plants in olfactometer experiments”
Claim · model-written summary
The percentage parasitism and tibia length results support the preference–performance hypothesis.
- Taxon
- Brassica oleracea var capitataBrassica oleraceae2
- Outcome
- support for the preference–performance hypothesise3
- Qualifier
- percentage parasitism and tibia length resultse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“consisting of Brassica oleracea var capitata, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera) larvae and Cotesia vestalis (parasitoid)”
e3“The percentage parasitism and tibia length results provide support for the preference–performance hypothesis”