Effect of GCSC-BtA biocide on population dynamics of cabbage pests and their natural enemies from fields in southeastern China

The present paper deals with the effect of the biocide GCSC-BtA on population dynamics of cabbage pests, i.e., Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep., Plutellidae), Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hom., Aphididae), Liriomyza sativae Blanch. (Dip., Agromyzidae), Phyllotreta vittata Fabric. (Col., Chrysomelidae) and their natural enemies, i.e., Apanteles plutellae Kurdj. (Hym., Braconidae), Erigonidium graminicola (Sundv.) (Araneida, Linyphiidae), Coccinella septempunctata L. (Col., Coccinellidae), in common head cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) fields in the southeastern China. The experiments were conducted at the experimental farm of Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, PR China in April–June, 2001.The results showed that, at the end of sampling, the pest populations of P. xylostella, B. brassicae and P. vittata reached averages of 39.7, 68.3 and 6.2 ind. / 30 plants in the plot treated with GCSC-BtA, which were about 1.5, 11 and 0.7 times lower than those treated with methomyl, respectively. In contrast, the natural enemy populations were, on average, 23.5 ind./30 plants for A. plutellae, 24.6 ind./30 plants for E. graminicol and 12.2 ind./30 plants for C. septempunctata in the plot treated with GCSC-BtA, about 6, 5 and 3 times higher than for those treated with methomyl, respectively. The GCSC-BtA biocide demonstrated greater effectiveness in controlling the cabbage pests, e.g., P. xylostella, B. brassicae and P. vittata, having final decreasing ratios of 83.60, 97.05 and 53.67% compared to 57.63, 64.89 and 30.88% with the methomyl insecticide. However, it was less toxic to natural enemies, e.g., A. plutellae, E. graminicola and C. septempunctata, final decreasing ratios being 47.68, 17.84, 27.81%, than methomyl, with 90.94, 80.80, 74.55%, in comparison to the populations in the control plots, respectively. So, because of the low toxicity of GCSC-BtA to the natural enemies, it is recommended that, on one hand, its application should be carried out after mass migration of the pests to the fields, on the other hand, the alternative agent GCSC-BtA should be used with the aim of minimizing the harmfulness to the natural enemies in the whole program of integrated pest management in cabbage fields.