17 research outputs found
Modeling chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen concentration in tropical floodplain lakes (Paraná River , Brazil)
Comparing methods to identify hip fracture in a nursing home population using Medicare claims
Measurement and Applications of Fluorescence Lifetimes in the Nanosecond Range Using the Time Correlated Single Photon Technique
Nutrients and their effects on phytoplankton populations in lakes on Signy Island, Antarctica
Suspension feeding of anuran larvae at low concentrations of Chlorella algae (Amphibia, Anura)
A new multistage dynamic model for biological control exemplified by the host–parasitoid system Spodoptera exigua–Chelonus oculator
Over the last few decades, important advances have been made in our understanding of host-parasitoid relations and their applications to biological pest control. Not only has the number of agent species increased, but new manipulation techniques for natural enemies have also been empirically introduced, particularly in greenhouse crops. This makes biocontrol more complex, requiring a new mathematical modelling approach appropriate for the optimization of the release of agents. We developed a temperature- and stage-dependent dynamic mathematical model of the host-parasitoid system with an improved functional response. The model is appropriate not only for simulation analysis of the efficiency of biocontrol agents, but also for the application of optimal control methodology for the optimal timing of agent releases, and for the consideration of economic implications. Based on both laboratory and greenhouse trials, the model was validated and fitted to the data of Chelonus oculator (F.) (Hym.: Braconidae), a biological control agent against the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua HĂĽbner (Lep.: Noctuidae). We emphasize that this model can be easily adapted to other interacting species involved in biological or integrated pest control with either parasitoid or predator agents