Fitness and mating compatibility of Chrysodeixis includens (W.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations collected in different provinces and crops in Argentina.

Luciana C Dami,Augusto S Casmuz,Gerardo A Gastaminza,María Inés Herrero,Raúl A Alzogaray

doi:10.1590/0001-3765202120190523

Abstract

Chrysodeixis includens, is an important Plusiinae pest that feeds on soybean, beans, and cotton. This species has a genetic structure determined by molecular markers in populations collected in soybean crops in Brazil and has developed resistance to insecticides. This had led to an increased interest in the genetic diversity of its populations in Argentina. This study aimed to characterize the fitness parameters and mating compatibility of geographically distant C. includens populations and on different host plants in Argentina. Intra- and inter-population crosses revealed that C. includens populations from Tucumán and Santiago del Estero provinces did not present any evidence of prezygotic and postzygotic incompatibilities, suggesting that both populations collected from soybean plants belonged to a single wide-ranging species. Prezygotic and postzygotic incompatibilities were detected between populations collected from different crops (soybean and bean). These incompatibilities may be caused by the different nutrients that each plant species renders, or the specific pest control strategies which may affect C. includens behavior. Studies of the genetic structure of C. includens populations based on mating isolation on other crops, as well as of the impact of management strategies on the specie, will increase understanding of the reproductive compatibility revealed by the present study.

Highlights

The soybean looper Chrysodeixis includens Walker 1857 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a Plusiine pest that feeds of numerous crops plants of great economic value (Specht et al 2015)
The duration of L1, L2 and L6 instars larval from Salta population collected in bean crop (4.04, 3.05 and 5.55 days, respectively) were significantly longer than those from Tucumán (2.86, 2.37 and 4.06 days, respectively) and Santiago del Estero (2.19, 2.35 and 4.31 days, respectively) populations collected in soybean crop (L1: H= 251.61, P=
The duration of overall larval stage from Salta population collected in bean crop (18.38 days), was significantly longer than others population collected from soybean crop (14.7 days for both populations) (H= 208.22, P=

Summary

Introduction

The soybean looper Chrysodeixis includens Walker 1857 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a Plusiine pest that feeds of numerous crops plants of great economic value (Specht et al 2015). But it is recognized as a migratory species restricted to the Western hemisphere, from The United States of America (USA) in the north to southern South America (Navarro et al 2009, Barrionuevo et al 2012). Chrysodeixis includens is a polyphagous species that attacks beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and horticultural crops, among others (Navarro et al 2009, Barrionuevo et al 2012, Specht et al 2015), but it shows preference for legumes, such as soybean (Glycine max L.). In The USA, C. includens is the most destructive defoliation pest that attacks the soybean crop. In Brazil, it has become an important phytosanitary problem in soybean and cotton production since early 2000’s (Moscardi et al 2012, De Lima Viana et al 2014, Yano et al 2015), and their populations have been considered to be of growing importance for bean , due to the damage caused in this crop (Baldin et al 2014)

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