Testing the Attractive Appeal of Desmodium Infochemicals to Key Parasitoids of the Vegetable Integrated Push-Pull Cropping System.

ABSTRACT: Biological control agents heavily rely on volatile cues for host location and can be an important component of managing pests through habitat management-based strategies that enhance trophic interactions. This study aimed at evaluating the influence of greenleaf desmodium (Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb. (Fabaceae) infochemicals on the behaviour of three select parasitoids of kale pests (aphids and Diamondback moth), to determine the potential of enhancing the protection of vegetables in integrated push-pull cropping systems. To achieve this, the volatile-mediated behavioural responses of the parasitoids towards D. intortum volatiles were evaluated using a dual-choice Y-tube olfactometer. Our results showed that Cotesia vestalis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitic wasp for Diamondback m

SUBMITTER: Chidawanyika F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12226689 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature