The poplar petiole gall aphid, Pemphiguspopulitransversus Riley, has been one of the major pests on cruciferous vegetable in the Rio Grande Valley （LRGV） of Texas since the late 1940s. It normally migrates from popl...The poplar petiole gall aphid, Pemphiguspopulitransversus Riley, has been one of the major pests on cruciferous vegetable in the Rio Grande Valley （LRGV） of Texas since the late 1940s. It normally migrates from poplar trees to cruciferous vegetables in the fall, and migrates back to the trees in early spring of the coming year. Some root-feeding aphids were found on cruciferous vegetables in late spring and early summer in 1998 and the following years. Those aphids have been identified as Pemphigus obesinymphae Moran. This discovery completely changed the current knowledge about the root-feeding aphids on cruciferous vegetables in the LRGV. Due to their small size, morphological and feeding similarities between P. populitransversus and P. obesinymphae, their identification and distinction are difficult. In this study, random amplification of polymorphic DNA （RAPD） and amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） were used to distinguish these two species over a period of time when the two species occurred together, or separately, in cabbage fields. The two species occurred on cabbage at different times of the year, and overlapped from October to June. From May to October, both species migrated to their primary hosts. The apterous aphids found on cabbage in winter contained mainly P. obesinymphae, whereas in early spring more apterous P. populitransversus were recovered. The root-feeding aphids would feed on cabbage plants as long as this host was available even during the hot, dry summer in the LRGV, although their populations were generally low. Both RAPD and AFLP techniques were efficient in discriminating the two species that showed obviously genetic variability. These molecular techniques confirmed the existence of the two aphid species in apterous samples collected from the soil in cabbage fields in the LRGV, and the results performed by RAPD were confirmed by AFLP. Furthermore, the results suggest that RAPD technique was a better choice despite its reproducibility problem, as it was less time-consuming and required less technology, labor and expense than AFLP.展开更多
The survival of overwintering boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis （Boheman）, adults on non-cotton hosts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley （LRGV） of Texas was examined from 2001 to 2006. The success of the Boll We...The survival of overwintering boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis （Boheman）, adults on non-cotton hosts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley （LRGV） of Texas was examined from 2001 to 2006. The success of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, which was reintroduced into the LRGV in 2005, depends on controlling overwintering boll weevil populations. Laboratory studies were conducted using boll weevil adults that were captured in pheromone traps from September through March. The number of adults captured per trap declined significantly in the field from fall to the beginning of spring （3.5-7.0-fold）. The proportion of trapped males and females did not differ significantly. The mean weight of boll weevil adults captured in September was 13.3 mg, while those of captured adults from November to February were significantly lower and ranged from 6.7 to 7.8 mg. Our results show that boll weevil adults can feed on different plant pollens. The highest longevity occurred when adults were fed almond pollen or mixed pollens （72.6 days and 69.2 days, respectively） and the lowest when they fed on citrus pollen or a non-food source （9.7 days or 7.4 days, respectively）. The highest adult survival occurred on almond and mixed pollens [88.0%-97. 6% after 1st feeding period （10 days）, 78.0%-90.8% after 3rd feeding period （10 days）, 55. 0%-83.6% after 5th feeding period （10 days）, and 15.2%-32.4% after lOth feeding period （10 days）]. The lowest adult survival occurred on citrus pollen [52.0%-56.0% after 1st feeding period （10 days）, 13.3% after 3rd and 5th feeding periods （10 days）, and 0 after 6th feeding period （10 days）]. Pollen feeding is not a behavior restricted to adult boll weevils of a specific sex or physiological state. Understanding how boll weevil adults survive in the absence of cotton is important to ensure ultimate success of eradicating this pest in the subtropics.展开更多
Mated 3-day-old female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, reared from field-infested cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） squares were topically treated with an estimated LD50 of malathion （2μg） to asses...Mated 3-day-old female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, reared from field-infested cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） squares were topically treated with an estimated LD50 of malathion （2μg） to assess its effects on fecundity, oviposition, and body fat condition. Two different food sources, cotton squares and artificial diet, were assessed in malathion-treated and nontreated （control） weevils. The LD50 caused ≈ 50% mortality in the square-fed malathion treatment, but the artificial diet-fed malathion-treated weevils were less susceptible. LD50 survivors fed on the squares produced ≥ 9 times more chorionated eggs in the ovaries and oviposited ≥ 19-fold more than survivors fed artificial diet, regardless of the malathion treatment. Boll weevils that survived a 2μg LD50 malathion and also fed squares were ≈4.5-fold leaner than diet-fed weevils. Our findings demonstrate that non-resistant boll weevils surviving a sublethal dose of malathion will reproduce without any delay or significant loss in fecundity, and the food source for which boll weevils are maintained when conducting these assays will directly affect the results. The significance of these findings and how they are related to the final stages of eradicating the boll weevil from the US are discussed.展开更多
文摘The poplar petiole gall aphid, Pemphiguspopulitransversus Riley, has been one of the major pests on cruciferous vegetable in the Rio Grande Valley （LRGV） of Texas since the late 1940s. It normally migrates from poplar trees to cruciferous vegetables in the fall, and migrates back to the trees in early spring of the coming year. Some root-feeding aphids were found on cruciferous vegetables in late spring and early summer in 1998 and the following years. Those aphids have been identified as Pemphigus obesinymphae Moran. This discovery completely changed the current knowledge about the root-feeding aphids on cruciferous vegetables in the LRGV. Due to their small size, morphological and feeding similarities between P. populitransversus and P. obesinymphae, their identification and distinction are difficult. In this study, random amplification of polymorphic DNA （RAPD） and amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） were used to distinguish these two species over a period of time when the two species occurred together, or separately, in cabbage fields. The two species occurred on cabbage at different times of the year, and overlapped from October to June. From May to October, both species migrated to their primary hosts. The apterous aphids found on cabbage in winter contained mainly P. obesinymphae, whereas in early spring more apterous P. populitransversus were recovered. The root-feeding aphids would feed on cabbage plants as long as this host was available even during the hot, dry summer in the LRGV, although their populations were generally low. Both RAPD and AFLP techniques were efficient in discriminating the two species that showed obviously genetic variability. These molecular techniques confirmed the existence of the two aphid species in apterous samples collected from the soil in cabbage fields in the LRGV, and the results performed by RAPD were confirmed by AFLP. Furthermore, the results suggest that RAPD technique was a better choice despite its reproducibility problem, as it was less time-consuming and required less technology, labor and expense than AFLP.
文摘The survival of overwintering boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis （Boheman）, adults on non-cotton hosts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley （LRGV） of Texas was examined from 2001 to 2006. The success of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, which was reintroduced into the LRGV in 2005, depends on controlling overwintering boll weevil populations. Laboratory studies were conducted using boll weevil adults that were captured in pheromone traps from September through March. The number of adults captured per trap declined significantly in the field from fall to the beginning of spring （3.5-7.0-fold）. The proportion of trapped males and females did not differ significantly. The mean weight of boll weevil adults captured in September was 13.3 mg, while those of captured adults from November to February were significantly lower and ranged from 6.7 to 7.8 mg. Our results show that boll weevil adults can feed on different plant pollens. The highest longevity occurred when adults were fed almond pollen or mixed pollens （72.6 days and 69.2 days, respectively） and the lowest when they fed on citrus pollen or a non-food source （9.7 days or 7.4 days, respectively）. The highest adult survival occurred on almond and mixed pollens [88.0%-97. 6% after 1st feeding period （10 days）, 78.0%-90.8% after 3rd feeding period （10 days）, 55. 0%-83.6% after 5th feeding period （10 days）, and 15.2%-32.4% after lOth feeding period （10 days）]. The lowest adult survival occurred on citrus pollen [52.0%-56.0% after 1st feeding period （10 days）, 13.3% after 3rd and 5th feeding periods （10 days）, and 0 after 6th feeding period （10 days）]. Pollen feeding is not a behavior restricted to adult boll weevils of a specific sex or physiological state. Understanding how boll weevil adults survive in the absence of cotton is important to ensure ultimate success of eradicating this pest in the subtropics.
文摘Mated 3-day-old female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, reared from field-infested cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） squares were topically treated with an estimated LD50 of malathion （2μg） to assess its effects on fecundity, oviposition, and body fat condition. Two different food sources, cotton squares and artificial diet, were assessed in malathion-treated and nontreated （control） weevils. The LD50 caused ≈ 50% mortality in the square-fed malathion treatment, but the artificial diet-fed malathion-treated weevils were less susceptible. LD50 survivors fed on the squares produced ≥ 9 times more chorionated eggs in the ovaries and oviposited ≥ 19-fold more than survivors fed artificial diet, regardless of the malathion treatment. Boll weevils that survived a 2μg LD50 malathion and also fed squares were ≈4.5-fold leaner than diet-fed weevils. Our findings demonstrate that non-resistant boll weevils surviving a sublethal dose of malathion will reproduce without any delay or significant loss in fecundity, and the food source for which boll weevils are maintained when conducting these assays will directly affect the results. The significance of these findings and how they are related to the final stages of eradicating the boll weevil from the US are discussed.
