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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #108117
Title: ELECTROANTENNOGRAM RESPONSE OF TWO WESTERN CORN ROOTWORM (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE) ADULT POPULATIONS TO CORN AND SOYBEAN VOLATILES

Author
item Hibbard, Bruce
item LEVINE, E - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item DURAN, D - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item GRUENHAGEN, N - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item SPENCER, J - ILLINOIS NAT HIST MUSEUM

Submitted to: Journal of Entomological Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2001
Publication Date: 1/1/2002
Citation: HIBBARD, B.E., LEVINE, E., DURAN, D.P., GRUENHAGEN, N.M., SPENCER, J.L. ELECTROANTENNOGRAM RESPONSE OF TWO WESTERN CORN ROOTWORM (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE) ADULT POPULATIONS TO CORN AND SOYBEAN VOLATILES. JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE. 2002. V. 37. p. 69-76.

Interpretive Summary: The western corn rootworm is one of the most important insect pests in the United States. Crop rotation was a highly successful technique for control of this pest, but the western corn rootworm has adapted by laying eggs in soybean fields (which will be corn when the eggs hatch the following spring in rotated areas). To determine if the rotation-adapted population was more responsive to soybeans than a 'normal' population, we evaluated both populations for their antennal responses to corn and soybean volatiles. The antennal responses of males from the rotation-adapted corn rootworm population were not significantly different than the antennal responses of males from the 'normal' population for any of the individual volatile treatments or in the combined analysis. Antennal responses of females from the rotation-adapted population were not significantly different than the antennal responses of females from the 'normal' population for eight of nine treatments, but when treatments were combined, females from the rotation-adapted population had significantly greater responses overall than females from the 'normal' population. These data indicate that increased sensitivity to soybean volatiles is not the mechanism for the Illinois population's adaptation to crop rotation. Rather, females from the rotation-adapted population were more responsive to all volatiles tested. The impact of this work is a greater understanding of the mechanism of adaptation of the rotation-adapted population of the western corn rootworm. These data will allow future workers to more accurately focus their efforts. Understanding the mechanism of adaptation may help prevent these developments with other pest species and help slow the spread of the current population.

Technical Abstract: The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, has adapted to crop rotation in parts of Illinois and Indiana with females now laying eggs in soybean (Glycine max L.) fields in addition to corn (Zea mays L.)fields. The mechanism for adaptation to crop rotation is unknown. Since behavioral studies can be difficult to interpret, we wanted to determine at an electrophysiological level whether differences existed between the rotation-adapted population collected in Illinois and a 'normal' population collected in Missouri in their response to corn and soybean volatiles using an electroantennogram (EAG) technique. The EAG responses of females from the rotation-adapted population were not significantly different than the EAG responses of females from the 'normal' population for any of the individual volatile treatments evaluated except to (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, but females from the rotation-adapted population had nominally greater EAG responses than females from the 'normal' population for eight of nine treatments, and this difference was significant when volatile treatments were combined to analyze the main effect of corn rootworm populations. Differences between populations were consistent across volatile treatments and the volatile treatments populations interaction was not significant for the analyses of data from female or males. The EAG responses of males from the rotation-adapted corn rootworm population were not significantly different than the EAG responses of males from the 'normal' population for any of the individual volatile treatments evaluated or when volatile treatments were combined to analyze the main effect of population.