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Influence of plant silicon in Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae – Poaceae interactions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2015

G. Juma ,
P.O. Ahuya ,
G. Ong'amo ,
B. Le Ru ,
G. Magoma ,
J.-F. Silvain  and
P.-A. Calatayud
G. Juma
Affiliation:
IRD, UR 072, c/o ICIPE, NSBB Project, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, PO Box 62000, Nairobi, Kenya University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 35062, Nairobi, Kenya
P.O. Ahuya
Affiliation:
IRD, UR 072, c/o ICIPE, NSBB Project, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
G. Ong'amo
Affiliation:
IRD, UR 072, c/o ICIPE, NSBB Project, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 35062, Nairobi, Kenya
B. Le Ru
Affiliation:
IRD, UR 072, c/o ICIPE, NSBB Project, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Université Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France IRD, UR 072, c/o CNRS, Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
G. Magoma
Affiliation:
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, PO Box 62000, Nairobi, Kenya
J.-F. Silvain
Affiliation:
Université Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France IRD, UR 072, c/o CNRS, Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
P.-A. Calatayud*
Affiliation:
IRD, UR 072, c/o ICIPE, NSBB Project, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Université Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France IRD, UR 072, c/o CNRS, Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
*
* Author for correspondence Phone: +254 (20) 8632161 Fax: +254 (20) 8632001/8632002 E-mail: paul-andre.calatayud@legs.cnrs-gif.fr
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Abstract

The noctuid stem borer Busseola fusca is an important pest of maize and sorghum in Sub-Saharan Africa. The presence of this species occurred mostly on cultivated than on wild habitats. Busseola fusca is oligophagous having a narrow range of a wild grass species. This might be due, in part, to differences in silicon (Si) content in plant tissues between cultivated and wild grasses. In the present study, we have tested this hypothesis by studying the survival and the relative growth rate (RGR) expressed as daily weight gains of B. fusca larvae on maize and six wild host plants, mostly present in the natural habitat where B. fusca occurred, and correlated with their Si contents. Survival and RGR of B. fusca larvae were considerably higher on maize and wild sorghum than on the other grass species, and they were negatively related to plant Si content. This was corroborated with results on RGR from artificial diets amended with increasing levels of Si. In addition, if Si was added to maize growing substrate B. fusca larval growth was significantly reduced confirming the involvement of Si in B. fusca larvae – Poaceae interactions. The results provide insight into the possible mechanisms of oligophagy of B. fusca and provide a correlative support for a physical role of plant endogenous Si in impeding feeding of B. fusca larvae.

Keywords

AfricastemborerPoaceaewild grasses

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Type
Research Papers
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Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 105 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 253 - 258
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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