Abstract
The sugarcane spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) is a pest of mechanically-harvested sugarcane in Brazil, when trash burning is not performed. To better understand the differences in feeding behavior of adults and nymphs of this pest and the subsequent disorders that arise, stylet penetration through fixation, staining and sectioning was investigated. Nymphs cause a "physiological disorder" damaging the tracheary system of the roots, slowing or preventing water and nutrient flow, with phloem and xylem dehydration. Nymphs insert their stylets through the epidermis, crossing the cortex, endodermis and pericycle before reaching the vascular cylinder, where they feed in the sieve-tube elements of the primary phloem. In contrast, adults feed on leaves, causing "sugarcane burn", and reducing plant photosynthesis. Adults introduce the stylets into the leaf blade through the stomata, passing the chlorophyll-bearing parenchyma cells before reaching the metaxylem in the vascular bundles.
Highlights
IntroductionDue to changes in the sugarcane harvesting practice, with trash no longer burned, a significant increase in populations of Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål) has been observed in the São Paulo State, Brazil
In recent years, due to changes in the sugarcane harvesting practice, with trash no longer burned, a significant increase in populations of Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål) has been observed in the São Paulo State, Brazil.There is little information about the feeding site of cercopids on this host plant
Adults of the cercopid Aeneolamia varia saccharina (Distant) introduce their stylets through the stomata of leaves and not directly through the epidermis, passing through several leaf tissues to reach the cells on the edge of the leaf parenchyma
Summary
Due to changes in the sugarcane harvesting practice, with trash no longer burned, a significant increase in populations of Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål) has been observed in the São Paulo State, Brazil. There is little information about the feeding site of cercopids on this host plant. Adults of the cercopid Aeneolamia varia saccharina (Distant) introduce their stylets through the stomata of leaves and not directly through the epidermis, passing through several leaf tissues to reach the cells on the edge of the leaf parenchyma. Nymphs feed directly on proto- and metaxylem elements in the roots. Nymphs feed on parenchyma cortex cells of young roots. When this occurs, the stylets generally reach the endodermis or the pericycle.
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