Effect of corn silk age on flavone content and development of corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae

• Published in: Journal of economic entomology Vol. 88
• Main Authors: Wiseman B.R, Snook M.E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.1995
• Subjects: antagonism; antagonisme; antagonismo; biological development; crecimiento; croissance; desarrollo biologico; developpement biologique; diet; dieta; etapas de desarrollo de la planta; experimentacion; experimentation; flavonoide; flavonoides; flavonoids; growth; helicoverpa zea; inflorescence; inflorescences; inflorescencias; larvae; larvas; larve; peso; plant developmental stages; poids; pupae; pupas; pupe; regime alimentaire; stade de developpement vegetal; weight; zea mays
• ISSN: 0022-0493; 1938-291X
• DOI: 10.1093/jee/88.6.1795

The effects of silk age from 'Stowell's Evergreen' and 'Zapalote Chico' on maysin (a luteolin-C-glycoside flavone) and isomaysin content, and on weight and developmental time of larvae and weight of pupae of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), were studied. Differences in H. zea biological parameter responses to silk diets of 3 ages (nonpollinated, 2- and 5-d-old pollinated) were found between cultivars. Ten-d-old pollinated silks had no adverse effects on developmental parameters of corn earworm larvae. Flavone content decreased as the age of Zapalote Chico silk increased, but its concentration in 10-d-old pollinated silks of Zapalote Chico and Stowell's Evergreen was similar. A significant negative correlation was found between weight of corn earworm larvae and the amount of (milligram) maysin, isomaysin, or maysin plus isomaysin per gram of oven-dried silk of all silk ages.