Do resistant plants provide an enemy-free space to aphids?

Bruno Fréchette,Philippe Giordanengo,Charles Vincent,Éric Lucas,Yvan Pelletier

doi:10.14411/eje.2012.017

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to compare the predation efficiency of the coccinellids Harmonia axyridis and Coleomegilla maculata on potato plants, Solanum tuberosum, and on a wild aphid-resistant species, Solanum tarijense. Harmonia axyridis females reduced aphid populations more than C. maculata females. Aphid predation by the predators was reduced on S. tarijense compared to S. tuberosum. Coleomegilla maculata spent less time on S. tarijense than on S. tuberosum. Harmonia axyridis spent the same amount of time on both plant species. The plant species did not affect IGP between larvae. Compared to S. tuberosum, the resistant plant offers M. persicae an enemy-free space against both coccinellid predators.

Highlights

The development of resistant plants is a management strategy that has received much attention in recent years (Le Roux et al, 2008a)
We studied the predation and oviposition behavior of adults of two common coccinellids of potato fields, i.e. the multi-spotted Asian ladybeetle Harmonia axyridis Pallas and the twelve-spotted ladybeetle Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), on a susceptible commercial potato plant and on an aphid-resistant wild species, Solanum tarijense Hawkes (Alvarez et al, 2006)
We compared the residence time of H. axyridis and C. maculata larvae on S. tuberosum and S. tarijense plants, as well as the occurrence of intraguild predation (IGP) between larvae as a response to host-plant species

Summary

Introduction

The development of resistant plants is a management strategy that has received much attention in recent years (Le Roux et al, 2008a). Plant resistance may be based on chemical or physical characteristics that alter host-plant colonization behavior of the pest (antixenosis) or its demographic parameters (antibiosis) (Le Roux et al, 2007, 2008b). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an aphid-resistant plant on the behavior of two aphid predators. We studied the predation and oviposition behavior of adults of two common coccinellids of potato fields, i.e. the multi-spotted Asian ladybeetle Harmonia axyridis Pallas and the twelve-spotted ladybeetle Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), on a susceptible commercial potato plant and on an aphid-resistant wild species, Solanum tarijense Hawkes (Alvarez et al, 2006). In a field study S. tarijense PI 414150 has been shown to be more resistant to M. persicae than other wild Solanum and S. tuberosum (Fréchette et al, 2010). IGP can have an impact on predators dynamics and possibly on herbivores populations dynamics

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Conclusion