Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T05:37:46.113Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Preliminary investigations of host selection mechanisms by the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

I. Fagoonee
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius
V. Toory
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius
Get access

Abstract

The leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii Burgess, a polyphagous agricultural pest, can attack crops at different stages of development; some are attacked at the beginning of the crop cycle and others at the end of the cycle. Experiments on the differential susceptibility of the bean Phaseolus vulgaris and the potato Solanum tuberosum plants were done to get some information about factors which influence host selection by the leafminer. The distribution and density of leaf trichomes, as well as the nutritional status of the host plants, were found to be important in host selection. High trichome density acts as a physical deterrent to Liriomyza flies, just as senescing primary bean leaves induce non-acceptability. When given a choice, flies prefer bean to potato leaf discs, though the latter possess less trichomes. Other factors (chemical attractants and some nutrient components) might therefore also be involved in the complex host selection behaviour of L. trifolii.

Résumé

La mineuse des feuilles Liriomyza trifolii Burgess est un nuisible agricole polyphage. Certaines plantes hôtes sont attaquées de préférence vers la fin de leur cycle alors que d'autres le sont presqu'au début même. De ce fait, les mécanismes de sélection des plantes hôtes devaient être étudiés. Dans cette perspective, des expérimentations ont été conduites sur la susceptibilité différentielle de l'haricot vert Phaseolus vulgaris et de la pomme de terre Solanum tuberosum vis-à-vis de L. trifolii. La répartition et la densité des trichomes sur les feuilles aussi bien que leur état physiologique sont importants dans le choix des plantes hôtes. Des trichomes denses constituent une barrière physique aux mouches de L. trifolii, tout comme des feuilles primaires en état de sénescence ne sont pas acceptées. En présence simultanée des rondelles de feuilles d'haricot et de pomme de terre, les mouches préfèrent celles-là malgré le fait que celles-ci sont beaucoup moins pourvues de trichomes. D'autres facteurs (substances chimiques attractives, composés nutritifs quelconques) doivent certainement jouer un rôle dans le comportement complexe de sélection des plantes hôtes chez L. trifolii.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1983

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

REFERENCES

Bernays, E. A. and Chapman, R. F. (1976) Antifeedant properties of seedling grasses. In The Host-Plant in Relation to Insect Behaviour and Reproduction (Ed. by Jermy, T.), Symp. Biol. Hung. 16, 4146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chandler, L. D. (1981) Evaluation of different shapes and color intensities of yellow traps for use in population monitoring of dipterous leaf miners. The Southwestern Entomologist 6, 2327.Google Scholar
Das, T. M. (1968) Physiological changes with leaf senescence: kinins on cell ageing and organ senescence. In Proceedings, Int. Symp. Plant Growth Substances. (Ed. by Sircar, S. M.), pp. 91102. Calcutta University.Google Scholar
Dodd, G. D. and Van Emden, H. F. (1979) Shifts in host plant resistance to the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) exhibited by Brussels sprout plants. Ann. appl. Biol. 91, 251262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fagoonee, I. and Toory, V. (1983) Contribution to the study of the biology and ecology of the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii and its control by Neem. Insect Sci. Application (in press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, R. W. (1971) The resistance of three Solanum species to Myzus persicae, Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Aulacorthum solani (Aphididae: Homoptera). Ann. appl. Biol. 68, 245251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, J. S. and Booth, C. O. (1951) Host alternation in Aphis favae Scop. I. Feeding preferences and fecundity in relation to the age and kind of leaves. Ann. appl. Biol. 38, 2564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewington, R. J., Tabolt, M. and Simon, E. W. (1967) The yellowing of attached and detached cucumber cotyledons. J. exp. Bot. 18, 526534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mann, J. D., Steinhart, C. E. and Mund, J. H. (1963) Alkaloids and plant metabolism. V. The distribution and formation of tyramine methyl-transferase during germination of barley. J. biol. Chem. 238, 676681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vercambre, B. (1980) Etudes réalisées à la Réunion sur la mouche maraîchère: Liriomyza trifolii Burgess. Revue agric. sucr. Ile Maurice 59, 147157.Google Scholar