Abstract
Simple SummaryDrunken horse grass Achnatherum inebrians is a widely distributed perennial poisonous grass on the grasslands of Northern and Northwestern China. The present study focused on contact toxicity of aqueous extracts of endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) plants of A. inebrians in different growth periods on pea aphids. These results show that extracts from endophyte-containing plants may contain compounds that may be used to control insects and lay a foundation for deeper chemical analysis to identify insecticidal compounds.The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum has a worldwide distribution and causes serious losses for agricultural production. Drunken horse grass Achnatherum inebrians is a widely distributed perennial poisonous grass on the grasslands of Northern and Northwestern China. The present study focused on contact toxicity activity of aqueous extracts of endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) A. inebrians in different growth periods of pea aphids, and the growth and development of two color morphs of F1 generation nymphs. Both of the color morphs had development durations in E+ treatments that tended to be longer at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th instars than E− and control (CK). The E+ treated aphids also showed decreased weights at maturity with over all lower mean relative growth rates (MRGR). Aphid survival of E+ treated aphids was lower than that of E− and CK at all growth periods. Seeding stage E+ extracts showed a greater propensity for negatively affecting aphids than did E+ extract at maturity and the yellowing stage. These results show that extracts from endophyte-containing plants may contain compounds that may be used to control insects.
Highlights
The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae), has a worldwide distribution and causes serious losses for agricultural production
The green and red color morphs were significantly affected by E+ extract treatments at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h (Table 2) when compared to controls
For the green color morphs of F0 pea aphids treated with E+ extract, the mortality rates at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h were 35.83%, 74.32% and 27.47%; for the red color morphs of F0 pea aphids treated with E+ extract the mortality rates at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h were 33.10%, 36.32% and 35.47%
Summary
The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae), has a worldwide distribution and causes serious losses for agricultural production. The pea aphid is mainly parthenogenetic, with short development periods and rapid reproduction. It is known to be a highly destructive pests in agriculture [1], and is the major pest for many different kinds of leguminous plants [2]. It causes damage to host plants either directly by feeding on the phloem sap, and indirectly by transmitting plant viruses [3]. Since physical and biological controls are expensive, slow, inconsistent, and affected by climatic conditions, chemical control is widely used in China. Over the long-term, it is not sustainable to use chemical pesticides because this results in development of resistance [4]
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