ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ENTOMOPHAGOUS BUG MACROLOPHUS CALIGINOSUS FOR CONTROLLING TOMATO PESTS UNDER PROTECTED CULTIVATION CONDITIONS WITH DRIP IRRIGATION
Keywords:
tomatoes, insect complex, entomophagous insect, biological efficiency, biological pest control
Abstract
Objective. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of using the predatory bug Macrolophus caliginosus as an entomophagous agent for controlling the main phytophagous insect complex of tomatoes under greenhouse cultivation. Methods. The research was conducted during 2024–2025 at the facilities of “Vegetable Complex Stanyshivka LLC” (Zhytomyr region, Zhytomyr district, village of Stanyshivka). The experimental design included three stocking densities of the entomophagous bug on tomato plants: up to 2 individuals per m², 2–4 individuals per m², and 4–6 individuals per m². Prepared biological batches of the entomophagous insect provided by “Biozakhyst LLC” were used. The study employed standard methods for pest monitoring and assessment in greenhouse tomato production. Results. On average, the application of the entomophagous bug proved effective across all tested densities. At a density of up to 2 individuals per m², the biological control efficiency against the target phytophagous complex was 30.90%; at 2–4 individuals per m², it reached 50.45%; and at 4–6 individuals per m², it increased to 60.0%. Conclusion. The use of the entomophagous bug Macrolophus caliginosus in greenhouse tomato cultivation under drip irrigation conditions ensures a sufficiently high level of biological control efficiency against pests such as the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch), the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae Sulz.), and the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westw.). The maximum achievable overall biological efficiency reached 60.0% at a predator density of 4–6 individuals per m² when introduced into the agro-phytocenosis at the 6–8 leaf stage of the main tomato shoot (BBCH 38–40).
References
1. Bondarenko, H.L. (2001). Metodyka doslidnoi spravy v ovochivnytstvi i bashtannytstvi [Methodology of experimental business in vegetable and melon growing] /Za redaktsiieiu H.L. Bondarenka, K.I. Yakovenka. Kh.: Osnova, 369 s. [in Ukrainian].
2. Melnychuk, F. S. (2018). Kontrol chyselnosti shkidnykiv tomativ za umov kraplynnoho zroshennia [Control of tomato pests under drip irrigation]. Melioratsiia i vodne hospodarstvo № 2. S. 53–58. [in Ukrainian].
3. Pokozii, I.T., Pysarenko, V.M., Dovhan, S.V. (2010). Monitorynh shkidnykiv silskohospodarskykh kultur: pidruchnyk [Monitoring of crop pests: a textbook] / [ta in.]; za red. Y. T. Pokoziia. K.: Ahrarna osvita, 223 s. [in Ukrainian].
4. Agusti, N. (2018). Forty years of biological control in Mediterranean tomato greenhouses: The story of success. Israel Journal of entomology, 48(2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.1486574
5. Alomar, O., Riudavets, J., Castañe, C. (2006). Macrolophus caliginosus in the biological control of Bemisia tabaci on greenhouse melons. Biological Control, 36, 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol. 2005.08.010
6. Ardanuy, A., Figueras, M., Matas, M., Arnó, J., Agustí, N. (2021). Banker plants and landscape composition influence colonisation precocity of tomato greenhouses by mirid predators. Journal of Pest Science, 95(1), 447–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01387-y
7. Arnó, J., Ariño, J., Español, R., Martí, M., Alomar, Ò., Albajes, R., Sekeroglu, E. (2000). Conservation of Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner (Het. Miridae) in commercial greenhouses during tomato crop-free periods. Agricultural and Food Sciences, Environmental Science, 7, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9579-6
8. Barlow, N. D.(2004). Models in biological control: A field guide. In Hawkins, B. A. and Cornell, H. V. (eds.): Theoretical approaches to biological control. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 43–68. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511542077
9. Basit, A., Ullah, F., Akhtar, M.R., Humza, M., Ghafar, M.A., Hyder, M., Haq, I.U., Hou, Y. (2025). Transforming Tuta absoluta Management: A Synergistic Approach Integrating Sustainability, Biological Control, and Biotechnological Innovations. Insects, 16(11), 1173.https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16111173
10. Calvo, F. J., Bolckmans, K., Belda, J. E. (2012). Biological control of Tuta absoluta in tomato greenhouses by Macrolophus pygmaeus. Crop Protection, 31(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.57065/shilap.437
11. Calvo, F. J., Knapp, M., van Houten, Y. M., Hoogerbrugge, H., Belda, J. E. (2015). Amblyseius swirskii: what made this predatory mite such a successful biocontrol agent?. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 65, 419–433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-014-9873-0
12. Cáceres, R.I., Luna, M.G. (2017). Campyloneuropsis cincticornis as a potential biological control agent of the South American tomato pinworm Phthorimaea absoluta: predation activity, oviposition and relationship with solanaceous host plants. Frontiers in Agronomy, 7, 1635654. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2025.1635654
13. Cherif, A., Mansour, R., Grissa-Lebdi, K. (2023). Biological control of Tuta absoluta through releases of Trichogramma cacoeciae parasitoids and Macrolophus
pygmaeus predators in northeastern Tunisian greenhouses. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 33(11), 999–1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2023.226 9486
14. Figueiredo, E., Prieto, R., Mexia, A., Rodrigues, S., Costa, C.A., Godinho, M.C. (2012). Mirid bugs as biological control agents in protected tomato crops in the Oeste region. Acta Horticultural, 927, 253–259. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.927.28
15. Gigon, V., Camps, C., Camps, C., Le Corff, J. (2016). Biological control of Tetranychus urticae by Phytoseiulus macropilis and Macrolophus pygmaeus in tomato
greenhouses. Centre for Human Genetics, 68, 55–70. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9976-2
16. Hoddle, M. S., van Driesche, R. G., Sanderson, J. P. (1998). Biology and use of Encarsia Formosa. Annual Review of Entomology, 43, 645–669. https://doi.
org/10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.645
17. Ivezić, A., Popović, T., Trudić, B., Krndija, J., Barošević, T., Sarajlić, A., Stojačić, I., Kuzmanović, B. (2025). Biological Control Agents in Greenhouse Tomato Production (Solanum lycopersicum L.): Possibilities, Challenges and Policy Insights for Western Balkan Region. Horticulturae. 11(2), 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11020155
18. Konan, K.A.J., Monticelli, L.S., Ouali-N’goran, S.-W.M., Ramirez-Romero, R., Martin, T., Desneux, N. (2021). Combination of generalist predators, Nesidiocoris tenuis and Macrolophus pygmaeus, with a companion plant, Sesamum indicum: What benefit for biological control of Tuta absoluta? PLoS ONE, 16(9), e0257925. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257925
19. Kenawy, A.H.E., Qaseem, R.M., Soliman, M.M.M., Harairy, A.El., El-Sheikh, W.E.A. (2025). Predation Response of Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) Across Multiple Prey Density Levels of Aphis craccivora Under Fixed Temperature Conditions. Journal of Crop Health, 77. 195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-025-01260-3
20. Lucas, E, Alomar, O. (2002). Impact of Macrolophus caliginosus presence on damage production by Dicyphus tamaninii (Heteroptera: Miridae) on tomato fruits. Journal of Economic Entomology, 95(6), 1123–1129. https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493-95.6.1123
21. Lykouressis, D.P., Perdikis, D.C., Gaspari, M.D. (2007). Prey preference and biomass consumption of Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) fed Myzus persicae and Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Hemiptera: Aphididae). EJE, 104(2), 199-204. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2007.031
22. Matioli, T.F., da Silva, M. R., de Bastos Pazini, J., Barroso, G., Vieira, J.G.A., Yamamoto, P.T. (2021). Risk Assessment of Insecticides Used in Tomato to Control
Whitefly on the Predator Macrolophus basicornis (Hemiptera: Miridae). Insects, 12(12), 1092. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12121092
23. McMurtry, J. A., De Moraes, G. J., Sourassou, N. F. (2013). Revision of the lifestyles of phytoseiid mites, including Phytoseiulus persimilis. Systematic and Applied Acarology, 18(4), 297–320. https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.18.4.1
24. Moerkens, R., Berckmoes, E., Van Damme, V., Wittemans, L., Tirry, L., Casteels, H., De Vis, R. (2017). Inoculative release strategies of Macrolophus pygmaeus
Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae) in tomato crops : population dynamics and dispersal. Journal of plant diseases and protection, 124(3), 295–303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-017-0077-9
25. Nannini, M., Foddi, F., Murgia, G., Pisci, R., Sanna, F. (2007). Natural enemies for tomato pest control in sardinian greenhouses. Acta Horticultural, 747, 415–423. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.747.52
26. Pazyuk, I.M., Dolgovskaya, M.Y., Reznik, S.Y., Musolin, D. L. (2024). Storing up Treasures: Storage Potential of Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) Nymphs for Application in Biological Control. Insects, 15(6), 414. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15060414
27. Sylla, S., Brevault, T., Diarra, K., Bearez, P., Desneux, N. (2016). Life-History Traits of Macrolophus pygmaeus with Different Prey Foods. PLoS ONE, 11(11), hal-01606674. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166610
28. Urbaneja, A., González-Cabrera, J., Arnó, J., Gabarra, R. (2012). Prospects for the biological control of Tuta absoluta in tomatoes. Pest Management Science, 68(9), 1215–1222. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.3344
29. van Lenteren, J. C. (2012). The state of commercial augmentative biological control: plenty of natural enemies, but a frustrating lack of uptake. BioControl, 57, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-011-9395-1
30. Wheeler, A.G., Krimmel, B.A. (2015). Mirid (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) specialists of sticky plants: adaptations, interactions, and ecological implications. Annual Review of Entomology, 60, 393–414. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-010814-020932
2. Melnychuk, F. S. (2018). Kontrol chyselnosti shkidnykiv tomativ za umov kraplynnoho zroshennia [Control of tomato pests under drip irrigation]. Melioratsiia i vodne hospodarstvo № 2. S. 53–58. [in Ukrainian].
3. Pokozii, I.T., Pysarenko, V.M., Dovhan, S.V. (2010). Monitorynh shkidnykiv silskohospodarskykh kultur: pidruchnyk [Monitoring of crop pests: a textbook] / [ta in.]; za red. Y. T. Pokoziia. K.: Ahrarna osvita, 223 s. [in Ukrainian].
4. Agusti, N. (2018). Forty years of biological control in Mediterranean tomato greenhouses: The story of success. Israel Journal of entomology, 48(2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.1486574
5. Alomar, O., Riudavets, J., Castañe, C. (2006). Macrolophus caliginosus in the biological control of Bemisia tabaci on greenhouse melons. Biological Control, 36, 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol. 2005.08.010
6. Ardanuy, A., Figueras, M., Matas, M., Arnó, J., Agustí, N. (2021). Banker plants and landscape composition influence colonisation precocity of tomato greenhouses by mirid predators. Journal of Pest Science, 95(1), 447–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01387-y
7. Arnó, J., Ariño, J., Español, R., Martí, M., Alomar, Ò., Albajes, R., Sekeroglu, E. (2000). Conservation of Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner (Het. Miridae) in commercial greenhouses during tomato crop-free periods. Agricultural and Food Sciences, Environmental Science, 7, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9579-6
8. Barlow, N. D.(2004). Models in biological control: A field guide. In Hawkins, B. A. and Cornell, H. V. (eds.): Theoretical approaches to biological control. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 43–68. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511542077
9. Basit, A., Ullah, F., Akhtar, M.R., Humza, M., Ghafar, M.A., Hyder, M., Haq, I.U., Hou, Y. (2025). Transforming Tuta absoluta Management: A Synergistic Approach Integrating Sustainability, Biological Control, and Biotechnological Innovations. Insects, 16(11), 1173.https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16111173
10. Calvo, F. J., Bolckmans, K., Belda, J. E. (2012). Biological control of Tuta absoluta in tomato greenhouses by Macrolophus pygmaeus. Crop Protection, 31(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.57065/shilap.437
11. Calvo, F. J., Knapp, M., van Houten, Y. M., Hoogerbrugge, H., Belda, J. E. (2015). Amblyseius swirskii: what made this predatory mite such a successful biocontrol agent?. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 65, 419–433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-014-9873-0
12. Cáceres, R.I., Luna, M.G. (2017). Campyloneuropsis cincticornis as a potential biological control agent of the South American tomato pinworm Phthorimaea absoluta: predation activity, oviposition and relationship with solanaceous host plants. Frontiers in Agronomy, 7, 1635654. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2025.1635654
13. Cherif, A., Mansour, R., Grissa-Lebdi, K. (2023). Biological control of Tuta absoluta through releases of Trichogramma cacoeciae parasitoids and Macrolophus
pygmaeus predators in northeastern Tunisian greenhouses. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 33(11), 999–1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2023.226 9486
14. Figueiredo, E., Prieto, R., Mexia, A., Rodrigues, S., Costa, C.A., Godinho, M.C. (2012). Mirid bugs as biological control agents in protected tomato crops in the Oeste region. Acta Horticultural, 927, 253–259. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.927.28
15. Gigon, V., Camps, C., Camps, C., Le Corff, J. (2016). Biological control of Tetranychus urticae by Phytoseiulus macropilis and Macrolophus pygmaeus in tomato
greenhouses. Centre for Human Genetics, 68, 55–70. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9976-2
16. Hoddle, M. S., van Driesche, R. G., Sanderson, J. P. (1998). Biology and use of Encarsia Formosa. Annual Review of Entomology, 43, 645–669. https://doi.
org/10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.645
17. Ivezić, A., Popović, T., Trudić, B., Krndija, J., Barošević, T., Sarajlić, A., Stojačić, I., Kuzmanović, B. (2025). Biological Control Agents in Greenhouse Tomato Production (Solanum lycopersicum L.): Possibilities, Challenges and Policy Insights for Western Balkan Region. Horticulturae. 11(2), 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11020155
18. Konan, K.A.J., Monticelli, L.S., Ouali-N’goran, S.-W.M., Ramirez-Romero, R., Martin, T., Desneux, N. (2021). Combination of generalist predators, Nesidiocoris tenuis and Macrolophus pygmaeus, with a companion plant, Sesamum indicum: What benefit for biological control of Tuta absoluta? PLoS ONE, 16(9), e0257925. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257925
19. Kenawy, A.H.E., Qaseem, R.M., Soliman, M.M.M., Harairy, A.El., El-Sheikh, W.E.A. (2025). Predation Response of Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) Across Multiple Prey Density Levels of Aphis craccivora Under Fixed Temperature Conditions. Journal of Crop Health, 77. 195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-025-01260-3
20. Lucas, E, Alomar, O. (2002). Impact of Macrolophus caliginosus presence on damage production by Dicyphus tamaninii (Heteroptera: Miridae) on tomato fruits. Journal of Economic Entomology, 95(6), 1123–1129. https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493-95.6.1123
21. Lykouressis, D.P., Perdikis, D.C., Gaspari, M.D. (2007). Prey preference and biomass consumption of Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) fed Myzus persicae and Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Hemiptera: Aphididae). EJE, 104(2), 199-204. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2007.031
22. Matioli, T.F., da Silva, M. R., de Bastos Pazini, J., Barroso, G., Vieira, J.G.A., Yamamoto, P.T. (2021). Risk Assessment of Insecticides Used in Tomato to Control
Whitefly on the Predator Macrolophus basicornis (Hemiptera: Miridae). Insects, 12(12), 1092. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12121092
23. McMurtry, J. A., De Moraes, G. J., Sourassou, N. F. (2013). Revision of the lifestyles of phytoseiid mites, including Phytoseiulus persimilis. Systematic and Applied Acarology, 18(4), 297–320. https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.18.4.1
24. Moerkens, R., Berckmoes, E., Van Damme, V., Wittemans, L., Tirry, L., Casteels, H., De Vis, R. (2017). Inoculative release strategies of Macrolophus pygmaeus
Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae) in tomato crops : population dynamics and dispersal. Journal of plant diseases and protection, 124(3), 295–303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-017-0077-9
25. Nannini, M., Foddi, F., Murgia, G., Pisci, R., Sanna, F. (2007). Natural enemies for tomato pest control in sardinian greenhouses. Acta Horticultural, 747, 415–423. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.747.52
26. Pazyuk, I.M., Dolgovskaya, M.Y., Reznik, S.Y., Musolin, D. L. (2024). Storing up Treasures: Storage Potential of Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) Nymphs for Application in Biological Control. Insects, 15(6), 414. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15060414
27. Sylla, S., Brevault, T., Diarra, K., Bearez, P., Desneux, N. (2016). Life-History Traits of Macrolophus pygmaeus with Different Prey Foods. PLoS ONE, 11(11), hal-01606674. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166610
28. Urbaneja, A., González-Cabrera, J., Arnó, J., Gabarra, R. (2012). Prospects for the biological control of Tuta absoluta in tomatoes. Pest Management Science, 68(9), 1215–1222. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.3344
29. van Lenteren, J. C. (2012). The state of commercial augmentative biological control: plenty of natural enemies, but a frustrating lack of uptake. BioControl, 57, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-011-9395-1
30. Wheeler, A.G., Krimmel, B.A. (2015). Mirid (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) specialists of sticky plants: adaptations, interactions, and ecological implications. Annual Review of Entomology, 60, 393–414. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-010814-020932
Published
2026-05-30
Section
MELIORATION, ARABLE FARMING, HORTICULTURE
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
