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Effect of learning on the oviposition preference of field-collected and laboratory-reared Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2007

J.J. Glas ,
J. van den Berg  and
R.P.J. Potting
J.J. Glas*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8031, 6700 EH Wageningen, the Netherlands
J. van den Berg
Affiliation:
School of Environmental Sciences and Development, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
R.P.J. Potting
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality, Plant Protection Service – International Phytosanitary Affairs, P.O. Box 9102, 6700 HC, Wageningen, the Netherlands
*
*Fax: +31 317 484821 E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Recent studies show that Vetiver grass, (Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash), may have potential as a dead-end trap crop in an overall habitat management strategy for the spotted stem borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Vetiver grass is highly preferred for oviposition, in spite of the fact that larval survival is extremely low on this grass. The oviposition behaviour of female Chilo partellus moths was investigated by determining the amount and size of egg batches allocated to maize and Vetiver plants and studying the effect of rearing conditions and oviposition experience on host plant selection. Two-choice preference tests were used to examine the effect of experience of maize (a suitable host plant) and Vetiver plants on the oviposition choice of C. partellus. For both field-collected and laboratory-reared moths, no significant differences were found in the preference distributions between the experienced groups. It is concluded that females do not learn, i.e. that they do not change their preference for Vetiver grass after having experienced oviposition on either maize or this grass, which supports the idea that trap cropping could have potential as a control method for C. partellus. Differences observed between field-collected and laboratory-reared moths in the amount and size of egg batches laid on maize and Vetiver grass indicate that data obtained from experiments with laboratory-reared insects should be treated with caution.

Keywords

Chilo partellusovipositionVetiver grasstrap croplearningAfrica
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 97 , Issue 4 , August 2007 , pp. 415 - 420
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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