Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T04:52:45.977Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The role of nectar plants in severe outbreaks of armyworm Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Gao-Ping Wang ,
Qing-Wen Zhang ,
Zhi-Hua Ye  and
Li-Zhi Luo
Gao-Ping Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Qing-Wen Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China
Zhi-Hua Ye
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Li-Zhi Luo*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
*
*Fax: +86 10 62896114 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The period from March to mid April, when oriental armyworm Mythimna separata (Walker) moths migrate from South China to Central China over several nights, is an important window of time in annual armyworm population increase. The presence of nectar sources along the pathway of the migratory population is a prerequisite for moths to reach target habitats and lay eggs. Using flowering periods and geographic distributions, the major spring nectar plants suitable for M. separata moths were identified from among 102 species/varieties of apicultural nectar plants. The nectar plants proposed as important to M. separata include milk vetch Astragalus sinicus L., rape Brassica napa L. and six other species. Spearman's rank correlation analyses were conducted between the annual population size of M. separata and the acreages of milk vetch and rape in the daily stopover areas for migrating populations of M. separata during 1950–1979. The Spearman's coefficient between milk vetch and M. separata was 0.6259 and the correlation was highly significant (P<0.001). Further regression analysis with data from 1950–1979 and from 1980–1992 also revealed a close relationship between annual acreage of damaged crops/wheat and acreage of milk vetch. These results strongly suggest that the unprecedented enlargement in the geographic distribution of milk vetch from Central China into South China was the key factor in the frequent severe oriental armyworm outbreaks that occurred during 1966–1977. This is thought to be the first report in the world that reveals the key role of nectar sources in long distance, regional scale, migration of moths. The argument for the key role of milk vetch is supported by the simultaneous decline in the level of damage inflicted by M. separata and the acreage of milk vetch after 1980.

Keywords

nectar plantmilk vetchAstragalus sinicusMythimna separataarmyworm outbreaks
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 96 , Issue 5 , October 2006 , pp. 445 - 455
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anon. (1976) On the occurrence of the armyworm in the Chaoyang Distict of Liaoning Province. Acta Entomologia Sinica 19, 142–148.Google Scholar
Anon. (1990) China Encyclopedia, volume Agriculture BeijingChina Encyclopedia Press.Google Scholar
Anon. (1993) China Agriculture Encyclopedia, volume Apiculture. BeijingAgriculture Press.Google Scholar
Cao, Y.Z., Cheng, D.F., Ni, H.X. & Li, G.B. (1991) Effects of compensatory carbohydrate sources on the flight ability of oriental armyworm. pp. 422–427 in Anon. (Ed.) Compilation of theses in First Science Conference of Youth Workers in Plant Protection in China. Beijing, China Science and Technology Press.Google Scholar
Chen, R.L., Bao, X.Z., Drake, V.A., Farrow, R.A., Wang, S.Y., Sun, Y.J. & Zhai, B.P. (1989) Radar observations of the spring migration into northeastern China of the oriental armyworm moth, Mythimna separata and other insects Ecological Entomology 14, 149–162.Google Scholar
Chen, R.L., Sun, Y.J., Wang, S.Y., Zhai, B.P. & Bao, X.Z. (1995) Migration of the oriental armyworm Mythimna separata in East Asia in relation to weather and climate. I. Northeastern China.pp. 93–104in Drake, V.A. & Gatehouse, A.G.(Eds) Insect migration: tracking resources in space and time Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, S.D. & Hu, B.H.(Eds) (2000) Plant protection in China in fifty years. BeijingAgriculture Press.Google Scholar
Chin, T.H. (1979) The relations of population dynamics of the armyworm Leucania separata Walker to relative humidity and rainfall. Acta Entomologia Sinica 22, 404–412.Google Scholar
Drake, V.A., Gatehouse, A.G. & Farrow, R.A. (1995) Insect migration: a holistic conceptual model. pp.427–457in Drake, V.A., Gatehouse, A.G.(Eds) Insect migration: tracking resources in space and time. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunn, A., Gatehouse, A.G. & Woodrow, K.P. (1989) Trade-off between flight and reproduction in the African armyworm moth Physiological Entomology 14, 419–427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Han, E.N. & Gatehouse, A.G. (1991) The effect of adult feeding on female pre-calling period and ovarian development in a migratory moth, the oriental armyworm Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 81, 395–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, M.G. & Atkins, A.W. (1983) Incidence of the armyworm, Mythimna separata Walker (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera), and its introduced parasite, Apanteles ruficrus Halliday (Braconidae: Hymenoptera), in maize. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 26, 135–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hsia, T.S., Tsai, S.M. & Ten, H.S. (1963) Studies of the regularity of outbreaks of the oriental armyworm, Leucania separata Walker. II. Observations on migratory activity of the moths across the Chili Gulf and Yellow Sea of China. Acta Entomologia Sinica 12, 552–564.Google Scholar
Jiao, B., Gu, R.S. & Zhang, X.S.(Eds)(1986) Green manure crop in china. BeijingAgriculture Press.Google Scholar
Jin, Z.S., Zhu, C.P. & Qu, H.Z. (1991) Forecast on infestation extent of armyworm in Northern Jiangsu Province Entomological Knowledge 28, 267–269.Google Scholar
Li, G.B. (Li, K.P.) (1993) Overviews and advances in research on the oriental armyworm. Plant Protection 19 (4), 2–4.Google Scholar
Li, G.B. (Li, K.P.)(1995) Oriental armyworm. pp. 697–720in IPP, CAAS (Eds) Diseases and insect pests of crops in China. 2nd edn (part I) Beijing, China Agriculture Press.Google Scholar
Li, K.P., Wong, H.H. & Woo, W.S. (1964) Route of the seasonal migration of the oriental armyworm moth in the eastern part of China as indicated by a three-year result of releasing and recapturing of marked moths. Acta Phytophylacica Sinica 3, 101–110.Google Scholar
Lin, D.H. & Gu, R.S.(Eds)(2000) Milk vetch in Fuzhou China.Fuzhou, China, Fujian Science and Technology Press.Google Scholar
Lin, S.Q. (1989) Nectar source plants. 678 pp. Beijing, China Forestry Press.Google Scholar
Mason, L.J., Johnson, S.J. & Woodring, J.P. (1989) Influence of carbohydrate deprivation and tethered flight on stored lipid, fecundity, and survivorship of the soybean looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Environmental Entomology 18, 1090–1094.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MAPRC (Ministry of Agriculture of People's Republic of China) (1989–1993) Agricultural almanac of China (series). Beijing, China Agriculture Press.Google Scholar
NSBPRC (National Statistical Bureau of People's Republic of China) (1995) Report on disasters in China: 1949–1995 Beijing, China Statistics Press.Google Scholar
Pei, T.F., Liang, W.J. & Yu, X.M. (1999) Nonparametric statistics in natural disasters. 500 pp. Beijing, Science Press.Google Scholar
Quo, F. & Liu, C.L. (1964) Studies on the reproduction of the armyworm, Leucania separata Walker (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). II. Effect of supplementary nutrition on fecundity. Acta Entomologia Sinica 13, 785–794.Google Scholar
Quo, F., Wu, T.G., Tsai, H.L. & Liu, C.L. (1963) Studies on the reproduction of the armyworm, Leucania separata Walker (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). I. The biological characteristics of adults. Acta Entomologia Sinica 12, 565–577.Google Scholar
Rose, D.J.W., Page, W.W., Dewhurst, C.F., Riley, J.R., Reynolds, D.R., Pedgley, D.E. & Tucker, M.R. (1985) Downwind migration of the African armyworm moth, Spodoptera exempta, studied by mark-and-capture and by radar. Ecological Entomology 10, 299–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, H.C. & Davies, J.C. (1983) The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Wal.) distribution, biology and control: a literature review. Center for Oversea Pest Research, ODA Miscellaneous Report 59. London, Center for Oversea Pest Research.Google Scholar
Sharma, H.C., Sullivan, D.J. & Bhatnagar, V.S. (2002) Population dynamics and natural mortality factors of the Oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in South Central India. Crop Protection 21, 721–732.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steel, R.G.D. & Torrie, J.H. (1980) Principles and procedures of statistics: a biometrical approach 2nd edn. New yorkMcGraw-Hill Book Company.Google Scholar
Wang, M.F. & Wang, J.H. (1991) Correlation analysis between population density of armyworm in field and immigrant moth number, temperature and humidity. Entomological Knowledge 28, 10–12.Google Scholar
Wu, X.G. (1964) Viewpoints on the periodicity of outbreak of insect pests. Entomological Knowledge 8, 41–46. 37.Google Scholar
Yao, W. & Sun, W.B. (1993) Effects of cultivation methods on the armyworm Leucania separata Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Northwest University 23, 217–223.Google Scholar
Ye, Z.H., Wang, Z.Y. & Zhang, K.C. (1993) Important biologic disasters in agriculture and management strategy in China. pp. 549–602in National Research Group on Natural Disasters (Ed.) Important natural disasters and management strategy in China (part II). Beijing, Science Press.Google Scholar
Zhai, B.P. (1999) Insect migration in regional scale and the intermittent outbreak of pests. Chinese Journal of Ecology 18, 42–45.Google Scholar
Zhang, F.C., Wang, D.H. & Qiu, B.J. (1987) Agro-phenological atlas of China. Beijing, Science Press.Google Scholar
Zhang, Z.T. (1992) Migration and migration zone of insects Plant Protection 18, 48–50.Google Scholar
Zhang, Z.T. & Li, G.B. (1985) A study on the biological characteristics of the flight of the Oriental armyworm Mythimna separata (Walker) moth. Acta Phytophylacica Sinica 12, 93–100.Google Scholar
Zou, S.W. (1956) Review of the armyworm damage and control in the historical record in China. Entomological Knowledge 2, 241–246.Google Scholar