Biological parameters of three Argentinian populations of Pseudapanteles dignus, a larval endoparasitoid of Tuta absoluta, at various temperatures

Abstract

Understanding important aspects of the adaptation of a biological control agent population to different abiotic conditions (e.g., temperature) is essential to ensure its success once it is released in the field. In this context, we assessed different biological parameters of three Argentinian populations of Pseudapanteles dignus (from Salta, Buenos Aires and Río Negro provinces), a larval endoparasitoid of the South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta, a key pest of tomato crops worldwide, under various regimes of temperature (25, 28 and 30 °C). All local populations of P. dignus showed density-independent parasitism at the temperatures tested, and sex ratios did not deviate from 1:1 except for Salta population at 30 °C. Intra and inter-population comparisons revealed differences in pre-imaginal development times according to the temperature regimes. These results may be exploited to improve mass rearing of P. dignus and to implement biological control programs of T. absoluta in Argentina.