Abstract
Ultrasensitive acoustical equipment was used to detect larvae of the sweetpotato weevil, Cylas formicarius elegantulus (Summers) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in the sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.). Methods of expressing results were evaluated with per cent audible as the best indicator of larval presence. Sound from moderately infested sweet potatoes (8 to 20 weevils/sweet potato) varied considerably even though infestation rates above 60 weevils/sweet potato resulted in sound throughout most of the observation period. Infested sweet potatoes were detectable after two weeks of weevil development; maximum values were observed a month after infestation. However, the substantial variation of the observation data precluded descriptive mathematical models based on infestation rate or weevil development. Disease processes also caused signals that were indistinguishable from those made by sweetpotato larvae. Other factors that influence detectability are also discussed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
