Effects of pepper (Capsicum chinense) genotypic diversity on insect herbivores

There is growing interest on the effects of plant genotypic diversity on higher trophic levels. The present study investigated whether genotypic diversity in Capsicum chinense peppers influenced attack by leaf‐mining fly larvae (Lyriomyza trifolii) and fruit‐eating weevils (Anthonomus eugenii), as w...

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Published inAgricultural and forest entomology Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 433 - 438
Main Authors Abdala‐Roberts, Luis, Berny‐Mier y Terán, Jorge C, Moreira, Xoaquín, Durán‐Yáñez, Antonio, Tut‐Pech, Felipe
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2015
Subjects
adverse effects
Anthonomus eugenii
Capsicum
Capsicum chinense
Crop diseases
diversity
fruits
Genetic diversity
genetic variation
Genotype & phenotype
Herbivores
herbivory
inbred lines
insect larvae
leafminers
mixtures
parasitism
parasitoid
parasitoids
pepper
peppers
pest management
Spices
surveys
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Summary:There is growing interest on the effects of plant genotypic diversity on higher trophic levels. The present study investigated whether genotypic diversity in Capsicum chinense peppers influenced attack by leaf‐mining fly larvae (Lyriomyza trifolii) and fruit‐eating weevils (Anthonomus eugenii), as well as parasitoid attack associated with weevils. We established genotypic monocultures (n = 10, two plots/each of five inbred lines) and polycultures (n = 5, random mixtures of three out of the five lines) and conducted weekly surveys of fruit number, leafmines and weevil fruit attack over a 5‐month period. In addition, we collected fruits to rear weevils and estimated parasitism associated with this herbivore. There was a tendency for a negative effect of diversity on leafminer attack, with polycultures exhibiting a 24% reduction in leafminer attack relative to monocultures. By contrast, diversity did not influence weevil fruit attack or the level of parasitism associated with the weevil. Our findings show that plant genotypic diversity effects vary among herbivore species, presumably as a result of differences in herbivore traits (e.g. diet breadth, mobility). We also emphasize that manipulating plant genotypic diversity can be an important consideration for pest management in this commercially important crop.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/afe.12125
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INIFAP - No. 060047F
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Table S1. Variation in reproductive traits and resistance to insect herbivores and virus infection among habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) inbred lines used in the present study (from Berny-Mier y Terán et al., ). We present the magnitude of variation (fold variation among the two most extreme lines for each variable) and test of genetic variation among lines for fruit weight, fruit output, attack by Liriomyza trifolii leaf miners (proportion of attacked leaves), attack by Anthonomus eugenii fruit weevils (proportion of attacked fruits) and severity of symptoms of co-infection by viruses transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (scale of 1-9).
ArticleID:AFE12125
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1461-9555
1461-9563
DOI:10.1111/afe.12125