Abstract
The striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum (F.)) is a destructive pest of cucurbit crops, and management could be improved by host plant resistance, especially in organic farming systems. However, despite the variation in striped cucumber beetle preference observed within the economically important species, Cucurbita pepo L., plant breeders and entomologists lacked a simple framework to classify and exploit these differences. This study used recent phylogenetic evidence and bioassays to organize striped cucumber beetle preference within C. pepo. Our results indicate preference contrasts between the two agriculturally relevant subspecies: C. pepo subsp. texana and C. pepo subsp. pepo. Plants of C. pepo subsp. pepo were more strongly preferred than C. pepo subsp. texana plants. This structure of beetle preference in C. pepo will allow plant breeders and entomologists to better focus research efforts on host plant non-preference to control striped cucumber beetles.
Highlights
The damage inflicted upon plants of the Cucurbitaceae family by the striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a well-studied and economically important phenomenon.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Striped cucumber beetles cause significant damage to cucurbit crops via herbivory of foliage, flowers, fruit and roots,[4] and by vectoring pathogens of major diseases like bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila)[9] and Squash mosaic virus.[10]
Early-harvest and mixed-harvest panels were evaluated at the Organic Research Farm to test A. vittatum preference in a real-field setting, and it was found that transplanted seedlings of C. pepo subsp. texana suffered less herbivory damage by natural populations of striped cucumber beetles than plants of the other subspecies, C. pepo subsp. pepo (Figure 1)
In the early-harvest panel, the damage observed within the C. pepo subsp. texana cultivars ranged from 5% defoliation of several straightneck and crookneck cultivars, including Success PM, to 10% defoliation of the straightneck cultivar Lioness (Table 1)
Summary
The damage inflicted upon plants of the Cucurbitaceae family by the striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a well-studied and economically important phenomenon.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Striped cucumber beetles cause significant damage to cucurbit crops (squash, pumpkin, watermelon, cucumber and melon) via herbivory of foliage, flowers, fruit and roots,[4] and by vectoring pathogens of major diseases like bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila)[9] and Squash mosaic virus.[10] All cucurbit crops are affected by these beetles. The relative preference of striped cucumber beetles—and degree of economic damage—varies within the Cucurbitaceae family.[5,6,11] Because striped cucumber beetles can devastate a newly planted crop,[4] some control strategies have been developed. Use of these pesticides has come under scrutiny because of their potential impact on pollinator health.[13,14,15]
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