Poorjavad, N., S. H. Goldansaz, J. Khajehali and H. Dadpour.2014. Effect of Ferula assafoetida essential oil on some biological and behavioral traits of Trichogramma embryophagum and T. evanescens. BioControl

Nafiseh Poorjavad • Seyed H. Goldansaz •Hemmat Dadpour • Jahangir khajehali

BioControl (2014) 59:403–413

Abstract 

Fumigant toxicity of the essential oil of Ferula assafoetida L. (Umbelliferae), a potent botanical insecticide against carob moth, was investigated under laboratory conditions on the fitness of two carob moth egg parasitoids, Trichogramma embryophagum (Hartig) and T. evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). The fertility life table parameters were assessed for both species at two different treatments, essential oil and ethanol as control. Although these two species were not affected similarly by the essential oil, exposure to 877 ppm (LC01) in both species significantly reduced the longevity and fecundity of females, as well as the survival, developmental time, wing normality and sex ratio of their progeny. Effects of the essential oil on reproductive behavior of Trichogramma species were also investigated. Under oil treatment, despite that mate searching time increased, the percentage of mating occurrence, the duration of copulation, and sex ratio of F1 progeny declined. Given the negative effects of F. assafoetida essential oil on the two tested wasps, complementary studies are needed to develop the best management strategy for using the oil as environmentally friendly compound in combination with Trichogramma wasps against herbivorous insects.