The right banker plant for the right application: Comparison of three candidates for aphid biocontrol, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn).

Background: In temperate regions, aphid biological control in greenhouses is mostly achieved by the regular release of biocontrol agents. Due to the rapid growth rate of the aphid population, biocontrol agents must be released frequently in order to be present before pest outbreaks and to act rapidly to prevent exceeding the economic threshold. Banker plants reduce these numerous releases by providing natural enemies with a high-quality environment to develop and reproduce.

Larval development and voracity of Eupeodes americanus (Diptera: Syrphidae): comparison of the focal prey Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the banker prey Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae).

Unlike European species, the potential of Nearctic syrphids as biological control agents is still poorly studied. However, the American hoverfly, Eupeodes americanus (Wiedemann), has recently demonstrated promising traits as a biocontrol agent, notably against the foxglove aphid, Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach, on pepper. The present study aims to extend our knowledge of the American hoverfly by evaluating its potential as a biocontrol agent in a banker plant system against the melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, in a greenhouse cucumber crop.

Oviposition Preference of the American Hoverfly, , between Banker Plants and Target Crops.

Assessing the oviposition preferences of predatory hoverflies is a key factor in the prediction of the success of these biological control agents against aphids in greenhouses, especially when using banker plant systems or in mixed-crop contexts. In this study, two aspects of the oviposition preferences of the American hoverfly, (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Syrphidae), were evaluated. Firstly, the preference between the banker plant and the target crop was evaluated for three banker plant species (barley, finger millet, or corn) and two target crops (cucumber or pepper).