Performance of Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizing Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on different pomegranate cultivars

Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an important ectoparasitoid for biological control of several lepidopteran insect pests. The present research evaluated plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions with H. hebetor and Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) on five commercial cultivars of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), including Esfahani-Daneghermez and Malase-Danesyah (relatively resistant), Gabri and Tafti (moderately susceptible) and Shahvare-Danesefid (relatively susceptible) under controlled conditions as follows: 30 +/- 1 degrees C, 60 +/- 5% RH with a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. Significant differences were observed in the demographical parameters of H. hebetor on different pomegranate cultivars. The shortest immature development time of parasitoid wasp was detected on Shahvare-Danesefid cultivar, and the longest period was on Malase-Danesyah and Esfahani-Daneghermez cultivars. Fecundity rate was the highest on Tafti and Shahvare-Danesefid cultivars and the lowest on Malase-Danesyah. Furthermore, there were no significant differences among pomegranate cultivars in the gross reproductive rate (GRR) and net reproductive rate (R-0) parameters of H. hebetor. The highest value of intrinsic rate of increase (r) was observed on Shahvare-Danesefid (0.249 d(-1)), and the lowest was on Malase-Danesyah (0.196 d(-1)). Significant positive or negative relationships were observed between the life history parameters of H. hebetor and the biochemical traits of pomegranate cultivars. Shahvare-Danesefid cultivar was found to be a more appropriate host than other cultivars to develop H. hebetor. These results may provide fundamental data to further understand pomegranate-carob moth-parasitoid wasp relationships. Most importantly, our findings indicated that dynamic variations in the quality of host plant affected the performance and multitrophic communications behavior of H. hebetor.