Inbreeding and quality of the parasitoid Cotesia flavipes produced in biofactories in Brasil.

• Grant number: 13/25677-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2014
• End date: August 14, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Sergio Antonio de Bortoli
• Grantee: Alessandra Marieli Vacari
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/10084-5 - Inbreeding and quality of the parasitoid Cotesia flavipes produced in biofactories in Brasil, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The consequences of inbreeding are especially relevant for parasitoids because of their frequent use in biological control programs; inbreeding can cause deterioration and compromise the efficiency of parasitoids reared in the laboratory for long periods. Although quality control is important (especially in relation to inbreeding) for the production and release of Cotesia flavipes, studies of inbreeding in C. flavipes are scarce and little is known about the effects of inbreeding. Therefore, we will check the quality of the parasitoid C. flavipes by evaluating its biology, parasitism, morphology, and activity of flight in the laboratory. First, a biofactory population will be compared with an inbred population for 10 generations. Subsequently, 10 consecutive generations of C. flavipes populations will be compared with those from biofactories in different regions of Brazil. We will check for signs of deterioration and differences among C. flavipes populations reared in the laboratory. Such information will be very useful because, to the best of our knowledge, there are no published studies on the quality control of C. flavipes in Brazil, even though it is released in more than 3 million hectares. Moreover, this study will contribute to extending the use of this parasitoid in biological control programs for sugarcane and will enable the continued success of its use.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TREVISAN, MAIRA; DE BORTOLI, SERGIO A.; VACARI, ALESSANDRA M.; LAURENTIS, VALERIA L.; RAMALHO, DAGMARA G.. Quality of the Exotic Parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Does Not Show Deleterious Effects after Inbreeding for 10 Generations. PLoS One, v. 11, n. 8, AUG 10 2016. (13/25677-3)