Natural Enemy Activity on Glandular Pubescent Potato Plants in the Greenhouse: An Unreliable Predictor of Effects in the Field

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Abstract
Under greenhouse conditions there is a direct relationship between the density of glandular trichomes on aphid-resistant potato clones (Solanum tuberosum x S. berthaultii, F3 and S. berthaultii) and the adverse effectson 11 aphidophagous species. These negative effects include a reduction in adult coccinellid searching time, a decrease in the distance newly hatched chrysopid and coccinellid larvae move, and a decrease in the number of eggs Chrysopa oculata oviposit on highly pubescent foliage. Survival of the parasitoid Aphidius matricariae decreases when adults are exposed to moderate and high densities of glandular pubescence. However, the severe negative effects observed under greenhouse conditions are attenuated in the field. Field studies show that natural enemies and moderate levels of glandular pubescence are compatible mortality factors in the management of aphids on potatoes. Thus, although these greenhouse and laboratory studies elucidate the behavioral responses of natural enemies to glandular trichomes, they inadequately predict the effects of glandular pubescence on beneficial insects in the field.