Effect of the insect growth regulator diflubenzuron on the predator Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

• Published in: Ecotoxicology (London) Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 96 - 103
• Main Authors: Castro, Ancidériton A., Lacerda, Mabio C., Zanuncio, Teresinha V., de S. Ramalho, Francisco, Polanczyk, Ricardo A., Serrão, José E., Zanuncio, José C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-01-2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Agrochemicals; Animals; Anticarsia gemmatalis; Caterpillars; Chitin; Diflubenzuron - toxicity; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Female; Fertility; Fertility - drug effects; Growth; Growth regulators; Hemiptera; Heteroptera - drug effects; Heteroptera - growth & development; Ingestion; Inhibitors; Insecticides; Insecticides - toxicity; Insects; Integrated pest management; Juvenile Hormones - toxicity; Leaves; Lepidoptera; Lepidoptera - drug effects; Male; Noctuidae; Pentatomidae; Pest control; Pests; Podisus nigrispinus; Population biology; Population Dynamics; Population number; Predators; Reproduction; Reproduction - drug effects; Soybean; Soybeans; Stink bugs; Growth regulator insecticides; Asopinae; Predatory stinkbug
• ISSN: 0963-9292; 1573-3017
• DOI: 10.1007/s10646-011-0769-z

Podisus nigrispinus
(Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) is a common natural predator of defoliating caterpillars in agricultural and forest systems. Insecticides acting as growth regulators of insect pests can indirectly affect their predators through consumption of contaminated prey. We examined the reproductive performance of
P. nigrispinus
fed on caterpillars of
Anticarsia gemmatalis
Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) reared on soybean leaves exposed to the chitin synthesis inhibitor, diflubenzuron. Caterpillars of
A. gemmatalis
were fed for 12 h with treated soybean leaves and offered to adults of the predator
P. nigrispinus
over five consecutive days. The fertility of
P. nigrispinus
was reduced when feeding on diflubenzuron treated caterpillars, especially at the beginning of the reproductive period, but recovered 3 weeks later. The effects of diflubenzuron ingestion on the life table parameters of
P. nigrispinus
included an increase in the period taken to double the population size, and reductions in the intrinsic rate of population increase, generation duration, and net reproductive rate. Diflubenzuron therefore had an indirect negative effect on the reproduction and the population dynamics of the non-target predator
P. nigrispinus
. Clearly, its use in integrated pest management requires further evaluation.