Arthropod-Plant Interactions (2018) 12, 685-690

Andja Radonjic, Olle Terenius and Velemir Ninkovic (2018)
The phytopathogen powdery mildew affects food-searching behavior and survival of Coccinella septempunctata
Arthropod-Plant Interactions 12 (5), 685-690
Abstract: The diet of entomophagous coccinellids is mainly based on aphids and other food sources such as pollen, nectar, or fungal spores. Knowledge of their foraging behavior on plants infected by powdery mildew and their survival on fungal spores is currently limited. In this study, we investigated the olfactory response of Coccinella septempunctata to odor emission of barley plants infected by powdery mildew and their survival on fungal spores in the presence or absence of aphids. Odors released by powdery-mildew infected plants were more attractive for ladybirds compared to those of uninfected controls. After 3 days, the survival rate of ladybirds feeding only on powdery-mildew spores was less than 50%, while for ladybirds feeding exclusively on Rhopalosiphum padi aphids, the survival rate was close to 90%. After 15 days, the highest survival rate (almost 80%) was observed for ladybirds feeding on plants with both aphids and powdery mildew. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of fungal spores in ladybird guts when feeding either on powdery mildew or on a mixed diet. Our results provide new insights into foraging behavior of entomophagous coccinellids revealing the potential of powdery mildew to be utilized as important non-essential food in a mixed diet, but also its lethal effect if consumed alone.
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Database assignments for author(s): Velemir Ninkovic

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Blumeria graminis	Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
	Rhopalosiphum padi	Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
Coccinella septempunctata (predator)	Rhopalosiphum padi		Sweden