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КартаВръзкиТемиБългарияНощта (K-TRIO)Мария Склодовска-КюриЗа ученициЗа учителиМетодологияИзненадай ме
HEИндивидуална стипендия2022–2025

MolassAnt · Molasses provisioning to disrupt the mutualistic association of the biocontrol agent Oecophylla smaragdina weaver ants with honeydew-producing pest insects in mango in Thailand

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период
2022-10-01 → 2025-09-30
Финансиране от ЕС
238 033 €
Участници
3
Схема
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Ткаческите мравуни в Тайланд се хранят с вредители, но понякога защитават някои от тях заради захарта, която те произвеждат. Подхранването им с тростникова меласа може да прекъсне тази връзка, което да подобри контрола върху вредителите и добива на манго.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Molasses provisioning to disrupt the mutualistic association of the biocontrol agent Oecophylla smaragdina weaver ants with honeydew-producing pest insects in mango in Thailand

Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) can protect a large variety of tree crops, including pomelo, mango, and cashew, in Thailand, by preying upon or deterring pest insects in the tree crown such as fruit flies and leaf miners to the economic benefit of farmers. Furthermore, weaver ant queen brood is a profitable, organic, and culturally valued food and seasonal by-product of crop trees in Thailand. The market value of queen brood is 3.5 times higher than that of beef, 10 times higher than that of chicken, and 13 times higher than that of rice in Thailand. A major disadvantage of weaver ant biocontrol is the mutualistic association of ants with honeydew-producing Hemipteran pests, including aphids, scale insects, mealybugs, and leafhoppers that can result in an ineffectual protection of tree crops. In a 22-month experiment, I will disrupt the mutualistic association of weaver ants and honeydew-producing Hemipteran pests in mango in Thailand by provisioning sugarcane molasses, a high quality carbohydrate source, as a honeydew alternative which will eventually result in improved pest control, mango yield, and queen brood yield in accordance with the calls of the European Union and the Thai government for ecologically sustainable production of high quality and safe food for import and export. I tested the overarching hypothesis that sugarcane molasses provisioning will disrupt the mutualistic association of O. smaragdina with honeydew-producing insect pests, and will eventually result in improved pest control, mango yield, and queen brood yield in comparison to sugar provisioning, weaver ants only (control group), and chemical control (deviation, see Section 5). Specifically, I have evaluated the impact of molasses and sugar provisioning in mango in Thailand on 1) weaver ant presence in the trees, 2) abundance of honeydew-producing insect pests, 3) weaver ant tending of honeydew-producing insect pests, and 4) quantity, nutritional quality, and microbiological quality of mangoes and queen brood.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Oecophylla smaragdina weaver ants are important biocontrol agents of fruit crops in Thailand but their mutualistic association with honeydew-producing insect pests can result in an ineffectual crop protection and cause economic harm to farmers. I will take an innovative, application-oriented, and interdisciplinary approach by disrupting the weaver ant-Hemiptera mutualism in Thailand with sugarcane molasses as honeydew and sugar alternative in mango (Mangifera indica) and eventually improve the yield of mangoes and of queen brood, a socioeconomically valued edible by-product of which its harvesting is compatible with weaver ant biocontrol. Specifically, I will evaluate the impact of molasses and sugar provisioning on 1) weaver ant presence in the trees; 2) abundance of honeydew-producing insect pests; 3) weaver ant tending of honeydew-producing insect pests; 4) abundance of the natural enemies of honeydew-producing insect pests; 5) plant damage by honeydew-producing insect pests; and 6) quantity, nutritional composition, and microbial load of mangoes and queen brood. I will apply the experimental treatments (i) molasses provisioning of weaver ants, (ii) 50% sugar solution provisioning of weaver ants, and (iii) no molasses/sugar provisioning of weaver ants (control), with appropriate replication and sample size during 23 months. KU Leuven and Kasetsart University experts will coach and advise me in relevant insect identification, plant damage symptoms, interpreting analytical results, project management, and will analyse nutrient composition and microbial load of mangoes and queen brood. I will be exposed to a corporate research environment through a secondment at the biocontrol company Biobest. I will promote the project on Twitter and YouTube and organize a field workshop targeted at agricultural researchers.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

Връзки

Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз