Feasibility of suitable regions for release of Oenopia conglobata contaminata (Menteries) against pomegranate green aphid Aphis punicae Passerini by using GIS in Yazd province

The ladybird, Oenopia conglobata contaminata is one of the important predators of some aphids in Iranian orchards. Pomegranate green aphid, Aphis punicae Passerini (Hem.: Aphididae) is the most common pests of pomegranate trees, existing in all pomegranate orchards in Iran. In order to determin the suitable areas for release of O. conglobata, the factors of temperature, humidity, rainfall, height, and prey frequency were selected as the most important criteria. Analysis of the data was carried out based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the spatial geostatistical database of GIS. The results indicated that, nearly 32% of the province's regions, including some parts of Taft, Abarkuh and Mehriz, were perfectly suitable for release. The possible reasons are the position of the orchatds between the highlands and the plains, causing intensify in pressure difference and createing air currents from the mountain to the plains and vice versa. Furthermore, nearly 59% of the province's areas, such as the major part of Ardakan, Bahabad and Bafgh, were determined as completely unsuitable for release. The reasons might be the high average temperature and the lack of adequate prey.