Effectiveness of native parasitoids of Myzus persicae in greenhouse environments in India

Myzus persicae (Sulzer) is an economically important agricultural pest with over 500 known host plants in the world. The present study recorded the major parasitoids found parasitizing M. persicae on sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.]) crops in greenhouses in Himachal Pradesh, India. Three species of hymenopteran parasitoids were reared from M. persicae from this source: Aphelinus asychis Walker (Aphelinidae), Aphidius matricariae Haliday (Braconidae), and Aphidius ervi (Haliday) (Braconidae), with parasitism rates per sample date ranging from 2.3–38.6%, 4.8–58.2%, and 2.9–28.4%, respectively, during 2011–2012. This is the first report of parasitoids associated with M. persicae in greenhouse environments in India. The present findings suggest that the management of M. persicae could be possible with the addition of augmentative releases of these parasitoids, which should help reduce pesticide use in Indian vegetable production greenhouses.