Systemic Plant Pathogen Botrytis Cinerea Influences the Feeding and Mating on Myzus Persicae by Parasitoid Aphidius Ervi

Female parasitoids assess host quality and make a decision whether to lay egg or not. Here we investigated the relationship between the green peach potato aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its common parasitoid, Aphidius ervi Vierek (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), to determine whether the relationship is influence by infection of the aphids host by B. cinerea. In hymentopteran parasitoids which are haplo-diploid, the females may selectively lay female or male eggs by controlling fertilization depending on whether the host is infected with B. Cinerea or not. Apart from infection of B. cinerea many other factors may influence the female’s decision to fertilize and create biased offspring sex ratios: host quality, environment and local mate competition.