Research in hibiscus
Koppert carried out a hibiscus trial in France on two tables within a practising enterprise. The trial was carried out during the rooting phase of the cuttings. Immediately after the cuttings were placed on the tables, the first 25 A. swirskii per m² were released on one table. After three weeks and again after seven weeks, a further 25 and 50 A. swirskii per m² were released. As a control measure, no natural enemies were released on the second table. Cotton whitefly was already present on the parent plants and therefore also present to some extent on both trial tables right from the start of the trial.
Throughout the trial, the plants were situated in a plastic micro-tunnel (see photograph), in a climate of 25-30°C and with a relative humidity of almost 100%. During the trial, the plants grew from an average of 5.5 leaves per plant at the start to 8.5 leaves per plant at the end of the trial. Graph 1 shows that A. swirskii can establish itself well on hibiscus and is able to keep cotton whitefly under control. At the end of the trial, when the plants were repotted, the number of cotton whitefly larvae on the untreated table was 13 times greater that on the table where A. swirskii was used.
Results
- A. swirskii can establish itself well in hibiscus crops when cotton whitefly is present.
- A. swirskii is able to combat cotton whitefly effectively in hibiscus crops.
See graph 1> Control of cotton whitefly using A. swirskii compared with non-treatment
