Abstract
IntroductionThe brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a notorious insect pest of rice. Nutrient supplementation can alter plant biochemical compositions which may indirectly affect on ecological fitness parameters of its insect pest. However, few findings are available on nutrient-induced ecological fitness of BPH and relationship of BPH fitness parameters with its host rice plant biochemical contents.MethodsWe studied the main and interaction effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) inputs on BPH fitness, as measured by the following variables: nymph survival, nymphal duration, adult body weight, and its survival. Brown planthopper fitness parameters were regressed as function of rice plant (Oryza sativa) biochemical composition. A completely randomized design with four replications in a factorial scheme was used considering N, P, and K levels as factors.ResultsNitrogen application to the host rice plants provided greater survival and enhanced body weight of BPH. The nymphal duration was found to decrease with N subsidy that caused shorter generation time of BPH. Nitrogenous compounds N and soluble protein (SP), total free sugar (TFS), and silicon (Si) content in rice plant tissue correlated strongly with all fitness traits of BPH. Nitrogen, SP, and TFS associated positively with BPH survival and body weight, while negatively with nymphal duration. In contrast, Si had negative correlation with BPH survival and body weight, but positive with nymphal duration. Phosphorus supplementation to host plant contributed to increase BPH body weight. Relationships of P with all parameters of BPH were weak except body weight which was highly significant and positive. Interaction between N and P inputs demonstrated significant effect on BPH body weight. Application of K had no significant effect on BPH survival and development. Regression analysis did not detect significant relationship of BPH fitness parameters with plant tissue content of K.ConclusionsThe results suggest that BPH ecological fitness characters were improved after N and P fertilization to rice plants which are associated with biochemical content of rice plant. Therefore, N and P inputs should be used judiciously in rice cultivation to keep BPH ecological fitness potential at minimum level.
Highlights
The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a notorious insect pest of rice
We focused on how the biochemical contents (N, P, K, Si, total free sugar (TFS), and soluble protein (SP)) in rice plant tissues changed after application of N, P, and K inputs to reflect more accurately what the nutrient levels were in the plants after uptake
Brown planthopper nymph feeding on N-enriched rice plant reduced its developmental time by about 2–3 days compared to those reared on N0 plants (Fig. 1b)
Summary
The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a notorious insect pest of rice. The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), was a relatively minor pest of rice (Oryza sativa) prior to the advent of high-input rice farming. It dramatically came out as a major insect pest of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice (Bottrell and Schoenly 2012). Host plant quality plays a major role in the population development of planthopper by influencing performance and fitness (Cook and Denno 1994) Factors such as habitats, morphological, and chemical components (sugar, nitrogen, amino acids, and semiochemicals) in host plants can alter fitness parameters of insects (Sogawa 1982; Fischer and Fiedler 2000). Nutrient supplementation to rice plants enhanced BPH fitness and increased starvation tolerance through the improvement of its biological and ecological parameters (Lu and Heong 2009)
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