TY  - EJOU
AU  - Dragan, Diana 
AU  - Florian, Vasile 
AU  - Bunescu, Horia 
AU  - Sima, Rodica 
AU  - Apahidean, Alexandru 
AU  - Rau, Ximena 
AU  - Mara, Arnilva 
AU  - Chertes, Mihaela 
AU  - Hulujan, Ionut-Bogdan 
AU  - Florian, Teodora 

TI  - Tritrophic Interactions Underpinning Cucumber Protection: Evaluating the Impact of <i>Encarsia formosa</i>, <i>Orius laevigatus</i>, and <i>Amblyseius swirskii</i> on Pest Suppression
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 2026
VL  - 95
IS  - 7
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - The research examined the effects of predators and parasitoids on <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i> (TV) and <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i> (FO) through their introduction into the cucumber pest management. Parasitoids and predators from the genus <i>Encarsia</i>, <i>Orius</i>, and <i>Amblyseius</i> were used to manage TV and FO. The study was performed at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania, from August to October 2023. The research investigates the influence of zoophagous species on TV and FO, utilizing data collected on six distinct dates throughout the cucumber growing season. The findings indicate that biocontrol agents positively influence flight and negatively affect the pest. Chemically treated variants exhibited an average of 4.09 adults per plant, whereas biologically treated variants (zoophagous use) displayed an average of 0.24 adults per plant. The research demonstrated that chemical treatment exhibited a significantly reduced leaf count per plant than zoophagus species plots. This reduction is plausibly associated with elevated pest populations and the phytotoxic stress induced by chemical applications, which may adversely affect plant growth and development. The study concludes that predators and parasitoids demonstrate greater efficacy than chemical treatments and entail lower costs, rendering them an effective and economical method for pest control in greenhouses. Over the long term, employing biocontrol agents constitutes an effective and economical strategy for pest management in greenhouses.
KW  - <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>;  greenhouses; insects; parasitoids; predators; pest management; <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i>

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2026.075836