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Responses of tribolium castaneum to olfactory cues from cotton seeds, the fungi associated with cotton seeds, and cereals

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Ahmad, F., Daglish, G. J., Ridley, A. W. and Walter, G. H. (2012) Responses of tribolium castaneum to olfactory cues from cotton seeds, the fungi associated with cotton seeds, and cereals. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 145 (3). pp. 272-281. ISSN 00138703 (ISSN)

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Article Link: http://dx.doi.org/DOI:10.1111/eea.12012

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eea.12012/abstract

Abstract

We tested, in an olfactometer, whether or not Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) responds preferentially to the volatiles that emanate from the fungi associated with cotton [Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae)] seed over those that emanate from cereals, because cereals are usually portrayed as the primary resources of these beetles. Pairwise comparisons were conducted between cotton seed, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] (both Poaceae); volatiles were tested from intact seeds and from both water and ethanol extracts. The results demonstrate that T. castaneum is attracted more strongly to cotton seeds with its lint contaminated with fungi, than to the conventional resources of this species (i.e., wheat and sorghum). Further tests prove that it is the fungus on the lint that produces the active volatiles, because the beetles did not respond to sterilized cotton lint (i.e., without the fungi typically associated with it when cotton seed is stored). Tests with five fungal cultures (each representing an unidentified species that was isolated from the field-collected cotton lint) were variable across the cultures, with only one of them being significantly attractive to the beetles. The others were not attractive and one may even have repulsed the beetles. The results are consistent with the beetles having a strong ecological association with fungi and suggest it would be worth investigating the ecology of T. castaneum from this perspective. © 2012 The Netherlands Entomological Society.

Item Type:Article
Business groups:Crop and Food Science
Keywords:Coleoptera Colonization Cotton lint Fungal association Gossypium hirsutum Olfactometer Rust-red flour beetle Sorghum Stored grain Tenebrionidae Volatile extracts Wheat beetle cotton ethanol fungus olfactory cue seed volatile element Fungi Malvaceae Poaceae Sorghum (genus) Sorghum bicolor Tribolium castaneum Triticum aestivum
Subjects:Plant culture > Field crops > Grain. Cereals
Plant pests and diseases
Plant culture > Field crops > Textile and fibre plants
Live Archive:22 Oct 2013 03:11
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:49

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