Abstract
Aphids are major crop pests, both in greenhouses and in the field, and are usually controlled using pesticides. Chemical control of aphid outbreaks is not environmentally friendly, nor sustainable because of the evolution of aphid insecticide resistance. Furthermore, key chemicals for aphid control have been banned, further increasing the urgency of implementing alternatives such as biocontrol. Aphid biocontrol is most effective through the use of parasitoids that prevents early-stage aphid population expansion. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of biocontrol is sometimes failing. Endosymbionts associated with aphids can confer resistance against parasitoid attacks thus playing a role in this failure. However, information is scarce for endosymbiont variation and research about its functionality and the specificity of aphid-endosymbiont associations, and the role that the symbiont community plays in resistance is mostly lacking. In this project, we will provide this essential information through, (i) monitoring and establishing the extent of aphid-endoysmbionts associations, aphid resistance, and parasitoid virulence, (ii) unravelling the aphid-symbiont interactions and mechanisms of defence, (iii) determining the aphid-parasitoid interactions and variation in virulence, in order to (iv) deliver advice on biocontrol resource development and biocontrol application strategies. Our project will provide key insights into the role of aphid-associated endosymbionts in the interactions between aphids and parasitoids at greenhouse levels, which, in close-collaboration with world-leading biocontrol experts from Koppert, can be implemented in the production of many important greenhouse crops. Our programme thus contributes to increasing the resilience and sustainability of crop production and contributes to technology development in the field of biocontrol.
Netherlands