APHIDIDAE SPECIES, THEIR PARASITOIDS, PREDATORS, AND PARASITISM RATES ON PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.)

This study was conducted to determine aphid species, their parasitoids and predators and parasitism rates on pepper plants grown outdoors in Erzincan province, Turkey. Studies were conducted on cultivated pepper fields in the center of Erzincan province and Uzumlu district in 2012-2013. Samples were collected weekly during the growing season. Four aphid species, Aphis craccivora Koch, A. fabae Scopoli, A. gossypii Glover and Myzus (Nectarosiphon) persicae (Sulzer) were determined; eight predator species, Orius minutus (L.) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Adalia bipunctata (L.), A. decempunctata (L.), A. fasciatopunctata revelierei Mulsant, Coccinella septempunctata (L.), Oenopia (Synharmonia) conglobata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Episyrphus balteatus De Geer (Diptera: Syrphidae) were determined; five parasitoid species, Adialytus ambiguus (Haliday), Aphidius abjectus Haliday, A. ambiguus Haliday, Lipolexis gracilis (Foerster), and Praon volucre (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Bra conidae) were determined. The average rate of parasitism was as 21.98% in 2012 and 22.75% in 2013. To determine the relationship between total aphid number, total parasitized (mummy) aphid number and parasitism rate, statistical analysis was performed on the data. According to the analysis, it was determined that a high positive correlation (r = 0.937-0.816) existed between total aphid number and total mummified aphid number and a very weak correlation (r = 0.163-0.064) existed between total aphid number and parasitism rate as for years.