SIDE EFFECTS OF FUNGICIDES USED IN CUCURBITACEOUS CROP ON Trichogramma atopovirilia OATMAN & PLATNER (HYMENOPTERA: TRICHOGRAMATIDAE)

Trichogramma spp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) can control Diaphania hyalinata Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). On the other hand, pesticides may reduce the efficiency of natural enemies. The objective was to evaluate the side-effects of fungicides used in the production of cucurbitaceous crops on Trichogramma atopovirilia Oatman & Platner parasitizing D. hyalinata eggs. The fungicides used in bioassays were: azoxystrobin (0.08 g active ingredient [ai] L-1), chlorothalonil (2.00 g ai L-1), mancozeb (1.60 g ai L-1), tebuconazole (0.25 g ai L-1) and thiophanate-methyl (0.49 g ai L-1). Cardboards with 30 D. hyalinata eggs previously immersed in fungicide solutions and distilled water (control) were offered separately to 20 newly emerged T. atopovirilia females in glass tubes. Parasitism, parasitism reduction, emergence, sex ratio, and number of individuals per egg were evaluated. The fungicides chlorothalonil, thiophanate-methyl and tebuconazole reduced parasitism of T. atopovirilia by 43.37, 27.64 and 18.51%, respectively. However, parasitism with azoxystrobin (79.21%) was higher than the control (67.37%) (P < 0.05). Chlorothalonil, thiophanate-methyl and tebuconazole reduced emergence by 73.77, 75.62 and 79.35% (P < 0.05), respectively. Azoxystrobin and thiophanate-methyl reduced the sex ratio by 0.77 and 0.76 (P < 0.05), respectively. Fungicides did not reduce the number of individuals per egg. The fungicides azoxystrobin and mancozeb were selective for T. atopovirilia for most studied parameters suggesting that these products must have the priority in crop disease management to allow efficient biological control of T. atopovirilia against D. hyalinata.