Evaluation of selective toxicity of five pesticides against Plutella xylostella (Lep: Plutellidae) and their side-effects against Cotesia plutellae (Hym: Braconidae) and Oomyzus sokolowskii (Hym: Eulophidae)

The toxicities of five pesticides commonly used in vegetable fields to the larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L) and its two major parasitoids, Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov) and Oomyzus sokolowskii (Kurdjumov), were evaluated in the laboratory using several bioassays. When tested at the rates recommended for field application by the manufacturer, fipronil, avermectin and chlorfluazuron produced over 95% mortality on third-instar larvae of P xylostella, but fenvalerate and methomyl did not produce any substantial mortality to such larvae, and over 70% of P xylostella larvae could still pupate normally after feeding on cabbage leaf treated with the two pesticides. In a residual contact assay with adult parasitoids, fipronil and methomyl caused over 93% mortality within 24 h; fenvalerate killed approximately 55% of the adults within 24 h; avermectin and chlorfluazuron showed differential toxicity to the two parasitoids. Avermectin was extremely harmful to O sokolowskii but slightly toxic to C plutellae, while chlorfluazuron was more toxic to C plutellae than to O sokolowskii. In the residue assay with cocoons of C plutellae and pupae of O sokolowskii developed within P xylostella pupae, treatments with pesticides did not reduce adult emergence. However, the mortality of C plutellae adults emerged from the fipronil-treated cocoons increased greatly within 24 h post-emergence; adults from the fenvalerate-treated cocoons parasitized less host larvae. Treatments with fenvalerate and methomyl significantly increased the mortality of O sokolowskii adults within 24 h post-emergence. Recommendations of choosing pesticides for the control of P xylostella are given.