Biochemical Resistance Traits of Bitter Gourd against Fruit Fly Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) Infestation

Abstract

Host plant resistance is a key factor for management of the melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), due to difficulties associated with its chemical and biological control. Various biochemical traits including total sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, silica, protein content, ash content, other elements and phenols, and moisture content of fruit were studied on 74 varieties/genotypes of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), in relation to resistance against B. cucurbitae under field conditions. Seventy-four genotypes of bitter gourd were screened against fruit fly infestation. The correlation coefficients revealed that the larval density and bitter gourd fruit damage (%) had significant positive relationship (r = 0.99). The moisture content had significant positive effect on the fruit damage (r = 0.75) and number of larvae per fruit (0.80). Significant differences were found in tested varieties/genotypes for fruit infestation and larval density per fruit. The nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and protein content (r = -0.87, -0.90) showed significant negative correlation with fruit fly infestation. The non-reducing, reducing, total sugars, total phenols, silica and ash content had significant impact on the fruit damage and showed significant negative correlation with fruit fly infestation. The ascorbic acid also had significant impact on the fruit damage and showed significant negative correlation with fruit fly infestation (r = -0.79), the chlorophyll 'a', 'b' and total chlorophyll content had non-significant negative effect on the fruit damage and number of larvae per fruit.

Biochemical basis ofplant-insect interaction in arid horticulture crops: a scientific review

“…Biochemical characters such as total sugar and crude protein were positively correlated whereas total phenols were negatively correlated with fruit borer infestation (Sharma & Singh 2010;War et al 2012;Haldhar et al 2013a). Similar to our findings, it has been demonstrated that phenols, tannins, and flavonoids enhanced plant defenses against insects (Nath et al 2017;Haldhar et al 2018).…”

“…Phenols act as a defensive mechanism not only against herbivores but also against microorganisms and competing plants. Tannins, flavonoids and isoflavonoids protect the plant against insect pests by influencing the behavior, growth, and development of insects (Simmonds 2003;Barbehenn & Peter 2011;Nath et al 2017). Two principal components (PCs) were extracted explaining the cumulative variation of 84.7% in ber fruit fly infestation.…”

Feeding Preferences of Red Pumpkin Beetle, Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera) on Different Cucurbit Cultivars

“…For instance, the bitter gourd had the lowest RPB infestation showing that both antixenosis and antibiosis mechanisms were prevailing in the host species (Virendra et al, 2010). Genetic variation within bitter gourd varieties was also observed for antixenosis and resistant genotypes were selected on the basis of the fruit toughness and number of ribs (Nath et al, 2017). A progressive increase in the population density of beetles occurred from first up to fifth week of cropping period (April 25th to May 23rd) (Singh et al, 2000;Khan et al, 2015).…”

Endogenous effect of Syzygium cumini genotypes on incidence of fruit borers, Meridarchis scyrodes and Dudua aprobola

“…The chemical concentration of glucosinolates in wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is high and which is secondary metabolites that act as chemical protection against insects and its concentration increases from summer to winter season (Gols et al, 2018). isoflavonoids may protect the plant from pests by affecting the behavior, growth and development of insect herbivores (Nath et al, 2017). It has been reported that phenols, tannins, and flavonoids increase plant immunity against fruit fly and provide important negative correlations with fruit infestations (War et al, Phenolic compounds also play an important role in reducing the cyclic of active oxygen species such as superoxide anion and hydroxide radicals, H O and singlet oxygen, which turn 2 into a reaction cascade leading to the activation of immune enzymes (Maffei et al, 2007).…”