Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-tn8tq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T21:41:01.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Water stress augments silicon-mediated resistance of susceptible sugarcane cultivars to the stalk borer Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2007

O.L. Kvedaras ,
M.G. Keeping ,
F.-R. Goebel  and
M.J. Byrne
O.L. Kvedaras*
Affiliation:
South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe 4300, South Africa School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
M.G. Keeping
Affiliation:
South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe 4300, South Africa School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
F.-R. Goebel
Affiliation:
Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement, Unité de recherche systèmes canniers, Avenue Agropolis, 34398 Montpellier cedex 5, France
M.J. Byrne
Affiliation:
School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
*
*Fax: +61 (0) 2 6938 1809 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Silicon (Si) can improve resistance of plants to insect attack and may also enhance tolerance of water stress. This study tested if Si-mediated host plant resistance to insect attack was augmented by water stress. Four sugarcane cultivars, two resistant (N21, N33) and two susceptible (N26, N11) to Eldana saccharina Walker were grown in a pot trial in Si-deficient river sand, with (Si+) and without (Si−) calcium silicate. To induce water stress, irrigation to half the trial was reduced after 8.5 months. The trial was artificially infested with E. saccharina eggs after water reduction and harvested 66 days later. Silicon treated, stressed and non-stressed plants of the same cultivar did not differ appreciably in Si content. Decreases in numbers of borers recovered and stalk damage were not associated with comparable increases in rind hardness in Si+ cane, particularly in water-stressed susceptible cultivars. Overall, Si+ plants displayed increased resistance to E. saccharina attack compared with Si− plants. Borer recoveries were significantly lower in stressed Si+ cane compared with either stressed Si− or non-stressed Si− and Si+ cane. Generally, fewer borers were recovered from resistant cultivars than susceptible cultivars. Stalk damage was significantly lower in Si+ cane than in Si− cane, for N21, N11 and N26. Stalk damage was significantly less in Si+ combined susceptible cultivars than in Si− combined susceptible cultivars under non-stressed and especially stressed conditions. In general, the reduction in borer numbers and stalk damage in Si+ plants was greater for water-stressed cane than non-stressed cane, particularly for susceptible sugarcane cultivars. The hypothesis that Si affords greater protection against E. saccharina borer attack in water-stressed sugarcane than in non-stressed cane and that this benefit is greatly enhanced in susceptible cultivars is supported. A possible active role for soluble Si in defence against E. saccharina is proposed.

Keywords

calcium silicateintegrated pest managementinduced resistanceSaccharumsilicon
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 97 , Issue 2 , April 2007 , pp. 175 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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

Anderson, D.L. & Sosa, O. Jr. (2001) Effect of silicon on expression of resistance to sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis). Journal of the American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 21, 43–50.Google Scholar
Anon. (2005a) Guidelines and recommendations for Eldana control in the South African sugarcane industry. South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Mt Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Google Scholar
Anon. (2005b) Information Sheet 13, Varieties, 13.13 Variety N26. South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal. http://www.sasa.org.za/sasri/variety/index.htm.Google Scholar
Atkinson, P.R. & Nuss, K.J. (1989) Associations between host-plant nitrogen and infestations of the sugarcane borer, Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 79, 489–506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, P.R., Carnegie, A.J.M. & Smaill, R.J. (1981) A history of the outbreaks of Eldana saccharina Walker, in Natal. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 55, 111–115.Google Scholar
Bélanger, R.R., Benhamou, N. & Menzies, J.G. (2003) Cytological evidence of an active role of silicon in wheat resistance to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp tritici). Phytopathology 93, 402–412.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Correa, R.S.B., Moraes, J.C., Auad, A.M. & Carvalho, G.A. (2005) Silicon and acibenzolar-s-methyl as resistance inducers in cucumber, against the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Biotype B. Neotropical Entomology 34, 429–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dannon, E.A. & Wydra, K. (2004) Interaction between silicon amendment, bacterial wilt development and phenotype of Ralstonia solanacearum in tomato genotypes. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 64, 233–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deren, C.W., Glaz, B. & Snyder, G.H. (1993) Leaf-tissue silicon content of sugarcane genotypes grown on Everglades Histosols. Journal of Plant Nutrition 16, 2273–2280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djamin, A. & Pathak, M.D. (1967) Role of silica in resistance to Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis Walker, in rice varieties. Journal of Economic Entomology 60, 347–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Epstein, E. (1994) The anomaly of silicon in plant biology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 91, 11–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Epstein, E. (1999) Silicon. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology 50, 641–664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Falco, M.C., Marbach, P.A.S., Pompermayer, P., Lopes, F.C.C. & Silva Filho, M.C. (2001) Mechanisms of sugarcane response to herbivory. Genetics and Molecular Biology 24, 113–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fauteux, F., Rémus-Borel, W., Menzies, J.G. & Bélanger, R. (2005) Silicon and plant disease resistance against pathogenic fungi. FEMS Microbiology Letters 249, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fox, R.L., Silva Younge, O.R., Plucknet, D.L. & Sherman, G.D. (1967) Soil and plant silicate response by sugarcane. Proceedings of the Soil Society of America 6, 775–779.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gao, X., Zou, C., Wang, L. & Zhang, F. (2004) Silicon improves water use efficiency in maize plants. Journal of Plant Nutrition 27, 1457–1470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Genstat (2005) Genstat, 8th edition, VSN International Ltd.Google Scholar
Ghanmi, D., McNally, D.J., Benhamou, N., Menzies, J.G. & Bélanger, R.R. (2004) Powdery mildew of Arabidopsis thaliana: a pathosystem for exploring the role of silicon in plant-microbe interactions. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 64, 189–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gomes, F.B., Moraes, J.C. de, Santos, C.D. dos & Goussain, M.M. (2005) Resistance induction in wheat plants by silicon and aphids. Scientia Agricola 62, 547–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gong, H., Zhu, X., Chen, K., Wang, S. & Zhang, C. (2005) Silicon alleviates oxidative damage of wheat plants in pots under drought. Plant Science 169, 313–321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goussain, M.M., Moraes, J.C., Carvalho, J.G., Nogueira, N.L. & Rossi, M.L. (2002) Efeito da aplicacao de silicio em plantas de milho no desenvolvimento biologico da lagarta-do-cartucho Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Neotropical Entomology 31, 305–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, S.C., Yazdani, S.S., Hameed, S.F. & Agarwal, M.L. (1992) Effect of potash application on incidence of Scirpophaga excerptalis Walker in sugarcane. Journal of Insect Science 5, 97–98.Google Scholar
Hammerschmidt, R. (2005) Silicon and plant defense: the evidence continues to mount. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 66, 117–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanifa, A.M., Subramaniam, T.R. & Ponnaiya, B.W.X. (1974) Role of silica in resistance to the leafroller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guenee, in rice. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 12, 463–465.Google Scholar
Hattori, T., Inanaga, S., Araki, H., An, P., Morita, S., Luxová, M. & Lux, A. (2005) Application of silicon enhanced drought tolerance in Sorghum bicolor. Physiologia Plantarum 123, 459–466.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heinze, B.S., Thokoane, L.N., Williams, N.J., Barnes, J.M. & Rutherford, R.S. (2001) The smut-sugarcane interaction as a model system for the integration of marker discovery and gene isolation programmes. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 75, 88–93.Google Scholar
Huberty, A.F. & Denno, R.F. (2004) Plant water stress and its consequences for herbivorous insects: a new synthesis. Ecology 85, 1383–1398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inbar, M., Doostdar, H. & Mayer, R.T. (2001) Suitability of stressed and vigorous plants to various insect herbivores. Oikos 94, 228–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inman-Bamber, N.G. (2004) Sugarcane water stress criteria for irrigation and drying off. Field Crops Research 89, 107–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inman-Bamber, N.G. & De Jager, J.M. (1986) The reaction of two varieties of sugarcane to water stress. Field Crops Research 14, 15–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ishiguro, K. (2001) Review of research in Japan on the roles of silicon in conferring resistance against rice blast. pp. 277–29in Datnoff, L.E., Snyder, G.H. & Korndörfer, G.H. (Eds) Silicon in agriculture. Amsterdam, Elsevier.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Isman, M.B. & Duffey, S.S. (1982) Toxicity of tomato phenolic compounds to the fruitworm, Heliothis zea. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 31, 370–376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, L.H.P. & Handreck, K.A. (1967) Silica in soils, plants and animals. Advances in Agronomy 19, 107–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeping, M.G. (2006) Screening of South African sugarcane cultivars for resistance to the stalk borer Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). African Entomology 14, 277–288.Google Scholar
Keeping, M.G. & Meyer, J.H. (2002) Calcium silicate enhances resistance of sugarcane to the African stalk borer Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Agricultural and Forest Entomology 4, 265–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeping, M.G. & Meyer, J.H. (2006) Silicon-mediated resistance of sugarcane to Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): effects of silicon source and cultivar. Journal of Applied Entomology 130, 410–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeping, M.G. & Rutherford, R.S. (2004) Resistance mechanisms of South African sugarcane to the African stalk borer Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): a review. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 78, 307–311.Google Scholar
Kvedaras, O.L., Keeping, M.G., Goebel, R. & Byrne, M. (2005) Effects of silicon on the African stalk borer, Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in sugarcane. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 79, 359–362.Google Scholar
Ma, C., Li, Q., Gao, Y. & Xin, T. (2004) Effects of silicon application on drought resistance of cucumber plants. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 50, 623–632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ma, J.F. (2004) Role of silicon in enhancing the resistance of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 50, 11–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ma, J.F., Miyake, Y. & Takahashi, E. (2001) Silicon as a beneficial element for crop plants. pp. 17–39in Datnoff, L.E., Snyder, G.H. & Korndorfer, G.H. (Eds) Silicon in agriculture. Amsterdam, Elsevier.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marschner, H. (1986) Mineral nutrition in higher plants. pp. 447–450 and 483–484. London, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Meyer, J.H. & Keeping, M.G. (2005) Impact of silicon in alleviating biotic stress in sugarcane in South Africa. Sugar Cane International 23, 14–18.Google Scholar
Meyer, J.H., Wood, R.A. & Harding, R.L. (1998) Monitoring longterm soil fertility trends in the South African sugar industry using the FAS analytical database. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 72, 136–139.Google Scholar
Miller, B.S., Robinson, R.J., Johnson, J.A., Jones, E.T. & Ponnaiya, B.W.X. (1960) Studies on the relation between silica in wheat plants and resistance to hessian-fly. Journal of Economic Entomology 53, 995–999.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, D. (1984) The role of silica in protecting Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) from attack by dipterous stem-boring larvae (Oscinella frit and other related species). Annals of Applied Biology 104, 161–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moraes, J.C., Goussain, M.M., Basagli, M.A.B., Carvalho, G.A., Ecole, C.C. & Sampaio, M.V. (2004) Silicon influence on the tritrophic interaction: wheat plants, the greenbug Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and its natural enemies, Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae). Neotropical Entomology 33, 619–624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moyal, P. (1995) Borer infestation and damage in relation to maize stand density and water stress in the Ivory Coast. International Journal of Pest Management 41, 114–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, J.H. & Bazely, D.R. (1991) Thorns, spines, prickles and hairs: are they stimulated by herbivory and do they deter herbivores? pp. 325–34in Tallamy, D.W. & Raup, M.J (Eds) Phytochemical induction by herbivores. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Google Scholar
Nicholson, R.L. & Hammerschmidt, R. (1992) Phenolic compounds and their role in disease resistance. Annual Review of Phytopathology 30, 369–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nuss, K.J., Bond, R.S. & Atkinson, P.R. (1986) Susceptibility of sugarcane to the borer Eldana saccharina Walker and selection for resistance. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 60, 153–155.Google Scholar
Pan, Y.C., Eow, K.L. & Ling, S.H. (1979) The effect of bagasse furnace ash on the growth of plant cane. Sugar Journal 42, 14–16.Google Scholar
Rao, S.D.V. (1967) Hardness of sugarcane varieties in relation to shoot borer infestation. Andhra Agricultural Journal 14, 99–105.Google Scholar
Rémus-Borel, W., Menzies, J.G. & Bélanger, R.R. (2005) Silicon induces antifungal compounds in powdery mildew-infected wheat. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 66, 108–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodrigues, F.A., Datnoff, L.E., Korndorfer, G.H., Seebold, K.W. & Rush, M.C. (2001) Effect of silicon and host resistance on sheath blight development in rice. Plant Disease 85, 827–832.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodrigues, F.A., Jurick, W.M., Datnoff, L.E., Jones, J.B. & Rollins, J.A. (2005) Silicon influences cytological and molecular events in compatible and incompatible rice-Magnaporthe grisea interactions. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 66, 144–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutherford, R.S. (1998) Prediction of resistance in sugarcane to stalk borer Eldana saccharina by near-infrared spectroscopy on crude budscale extracts: involvement of chlorogenates and flavonoids. Journal of Chemical Ecology 24, 1447–1463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutherford, R.S. & Van Staden, J. (1996) Towards a rapid near-infrared technique for prediction of resistance to sugarcane borer Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) using stalk surface wax. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 22, 681–694.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutherford, R.S., Meyer, J.H., Smith, G.S. & Van Staden, J. (1993) Resistance to Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in sugarcane and some phytochemical correlations. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 67, 82–87.Google Scholar
Savant, N.K., Snyder, G.H. & Datnoff, L.E. (1997) Silicon management and sustainable rice production. Advances in Agronomy 58, 151–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Savant, N.K., Korndorfer, G.H., Datnoff, L.E. & Snyder, G.H. (1999) Silicon nutrition and sugarcane production: a review. Journal of Plant Nutrition 22, 1853–1903.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steel, R.G.D., Torrie, J.H. & Dickey, D. (1997) Principles and procedures of statistics: a biometrical approach. 3rd edn. New York, McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
White, T.C.R. (1984) The abundance of invertebrate herbivores in relation to the availability of nitrogen in stressed food plants. Oecologia 63, 90–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiese, J., Kranz, T. & Schubert, S. (2004) Induction of pathogen resistance in barley by abiotic stress. Plant Biology 6, 529–536.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiese, J., Wiese, H., Schwartz, J. & Schubert, S. (2005) Osmotic stress and silicon act additively in enhancing pathogen resistance in barley against barley powdery mildew. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 168, 269–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar