Coccinellidae, Syrphidae and Aphidoletes are key mortality factors for Myzus persicae in tropical regions: A case study on cabbage crops

Abstract

Natural factors regulate Myzus persicae populations in Brassicaceae crops. Ecological life table analysis is a robust tool that allows the estimation of the mortality caused by these factors. Here, we report the natural mortality of M. persicae caused by abiotic and biotic factors assessed by cohort life tables in cabbage crops. Together, these factors accounted for 94.6% mortality in M. persicae populations. The key mortality factor was predation by Coccinellidae larvae (Coccinella septempunctata, Cycloneda sanguinea, Eriopis connexa and Harmonia axyridis), Syrphidae (Allograpta exotica, Pseudodorus clavatus and Ocyptamus gastrostactus), and Aphidoletes sp. Other mortality factors included parasitism, rainfall, entomopathogens and physiological disturbance (e.g., incomplete molting). This information is essential to implement conservation measures of the main predators (key mortality factor) of M. persicae in cabbage crops.