Ferenc TÓTH1, Lajos HORVÁTH1,
József KISS1, C.Richard EDWARDS2
1 Szent István University,
Department of Plant Protection, Gödöllõ
2 Department of Entomology,
Purdue University, IN. USA
Enoplognatha latimana is a common and abundant spider species in Hungarian agricultural habitats. According to our earlier studies, adult females of this species are able to prey on WCR adults. The present study designed to determine the WCR control potential of this spider species by measuring the adult feeding damage on isolated corn plants. Corn plants were isolated with white muslin bags before flowering in a cornfield in Szeged, Hungary in July 2000. The treatments in 3 replications were: 0b+0s; 5b+0s; 5b+1s; 5b+2s; 10b+0s; 10b+1s; 10b+2s (b: beetle; s: spider). Ear length and weight were measured after ripening. Average ear length and weight were the highest in the 0b+0s plants, followed by the 5b+2s plants. The lowest average values were found in the 10b+1s plants, followed by the 10b+0s plants. Although the tendency was clearly visible in the average values, no significant differences were found between treatments. The experiment was impacted by a heavy Helicoverpa armigera infestation that affected 20 of the 21 plants.