Two heteropteran predators in relation to weed management in herbicide-tolerant corn

Deployment of genetically modified (GM), herbicide-tolerant corn may alter weed flora abundance and composition and may affect pests and their natural enemies. Among on-plant predators, Orius spp. are the prevalent group in Spain and were selected to study the impact of glyphosate use on predators. We also studied Nabis sp. which is commonly recorded on corn in the study area. For this, a 4-year study was conducted in NE Spain. Three different herbicide regimes were compared: two glyphosate (a broad-spectrum herbicide) treatments per season, no herbicide treatment, and one pre-emergence conventional treatment with selective herbicides against broadleaf and grassy weeds. Density of main arthropod herbivores and the above two predatory groups was recorded on plants. Differences between herbicide regimes were observed in the two functional groups studied, herbivores and heteropteran predators. The comparison of glyphosate-treated and untreated plots showed significant differences for both functional groups, but the differences between glyphosate-treated and conventionally treated plots for the two functional groups were lower. For Orius spp., annual density per plot was significantly correlated with annual density of leafhoppers and to a lesser extent, with aphids. Nabis sp. densities were never different between glyphosate-treated and conventionally treated plots, and Nabis sp. density showed no relation to any of the herbivores tested. We concluded that no significant changes in heteropteran predator densities may be expected from moderate alterations in weeds arising from the deployment of herbicide-tolerant corn varieties and that leafhoppers are probably the herbivore prey that most influences Orius spp. densities in corn in our study area.

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► GMHT corn with an intensive glyphosate or with conventional herbicide treatments.
► Heteropteran predators on crop plants on each kind of weed management.
► Herbivore insects and predators are not very sensitive to weed abundance changes.
► Predator Orius abundance is a function of numbers of leafhoppers and aphids on plants.
► Cultivation of GMHT corn will not lead to big changes heteropteran predator numbers.