Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) en la zona central y sur oeste de misiones, Argentina: polen como fuente alimenticia y su relación con el estado fisiológico en insectos adultos

Abstract

Host feeding plants of adult boll weevils (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) were determined within the period: January 1997-December 1999. This took place through the identification of pollen grains, isolated from the digestive tracts of boll weevils captured in pheromone traps placed in a transect line which passes through the localities of Montecarlo, San Ignacio, Candelaria and the Capital in the province of Misiones. Cotton has not been cultivated for five years in that province, nevertheless important populations of weevils still remain during the whole year. About 1,360 weevils were dissected and 5,325 pollen grains were found; these were assigned to 28 species. Only those that presented percentages above 1%, which were 20 (4,183 pollen grains), were used. They belonged to five botanical families: Malvaceae, Compositae, Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Leguminosae. Pollen of alternative plants provides the necessary energy for the survival of adult weevil in the absence of cotton pollen. The variation in the levels of relative abundance of pollen was analyzed with the study of the time of capture, sex, color, type of corporal fat, and reproductive status, using a log linear model (P<0.01).The following third order significant interactions were observed: time of capture x sex x reproductive status; color x corporal fat x reproductive status; levels of pollinic abundance x corporal fat x reproductive status. The ingesta level varied significantly with the corporal fat and the reproductive status, which are some determinants of the physiologic status of adult weevils. The grouping and ordering analyses showed the period of time, selectivity and use of the availability of pollen, since gender and species varied in the different seasons of the year, but they always belonged to the five mentioned families.

Alternative food sources and overwintering feeding behavior of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis boheman (coleoptera: curculionidae) underthe tropical conditions of central Brazil

“…Additionally, pollen of many other plant families was found, such as Anacardiaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Fagaceae, Malvaceae and Poaceae (former Gramineae). Similar results were reported by Jones & Coppedge (1996, 1999, also in the United States, and by Cuadrado & Garralla (2000) and Cuadrado (2002) in Argentina. In Brazil, where the boll weevil was introduced in the 1980s and it is still colonizing new habitats, studies developed in screen houses showed that this insect cannot complete development when fed on several Malvaceae species other than cotton (Lukefahr et al 1986, Gabriel 2002.…”

Survival and preference of cotton boll weevil adults for alternative food sources

“…Boll weevils have an evolutionary history with cotton that originated with the host shift from its Hampea ancestral host to Gossypium, the genera of the wild and domesticated cotton plants, early in the domestication process (Jones, 2001). Both genera, Hibiscus and Abelmoschus, belong to Malvacea family, and indeed several studies have also shown that boll weevil adults primarily feed on plants from the Malvaceae family (Cuadrado, 2002;Cuadrado and Garralla, 2000;Gabriel, 2002;Jones et al, 1993;Showler and Abrigo, 2007;Ribeiro et al, 2010). Probably, hibiscus and okra plants attracted and feed boll weevils because they are likely chemically and structurally more similar to cotton plants.…”

“…These populations during the winter, when cotton is not available, present only reproductive dormancy (Paula et al, 2013), remains active and feeding on pollen from other plants such as Compositae (Asteraceae), Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Leguminosae and Smilacaceae (Ribeiro et al, 2010;Cuadrado, 2002). These plants apparently serve only for feeding and shelter, not being used for boll weevil reproduction (Cross et al, 1975;Gabriel, 2002).…”

Fontes Alternativas De Pólen Utilizadas Pelo Bicudo-Do-Algodoeiro Em Duas Regiões Produtoras De Algodão Na Bahia

“…Sabe-se que durante a entressafra o inseto pode utilizar algumas estratégias de sobrevivência que possibilitam a manutenção de suas populações na safra seguinte, dentre elas a capacidade de se alimentar de pólen de muitas famílias de plantas, como relatado por diversos autores (CUADRADO e GARRALLA, 2000;CUADRADO, 2002;GABRIEL, 2002;GREENBERG et al, 2007;JONES, GREENBERG, EISCHEN, 2007;RIBEIRO et al, 2010).…”

“…Na América do Sul destacam-se os trabalhos realizados na Argentina (CUADRADO; GARRALLA, 2000;CUADRADO, 2002) e, mais recentemente, no Brasil (RIBEIRO et al, 2010), para as condições do Cerrado do Distrito Federal, demonstrando que o bicudo se utiliza de grande diversidade de pólen de plantas como alternativa ao pólen do algodão.…”