Journal of Economic Entomology (2017) 110, 2068-2075

Felix A. Cervantes, Elaine A. Backus, Larry Godfrey, Christopher Wallis, Waseem Akbar, Thomas L. Clark and Maria G. Rojas (2017)
Correlation of electropenetrography waveforms from Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) feeding on cotton squares with chemical evidence of inducible tannins
Journal of Economic Entomology 110 (5), 2068-2075
Abstract: Probing behavior of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) has previously been characterized with electropenetrography (EPG). Cell rupturing (CR) and ingestion (I) EPG waveforms were identified as the two main stylet-probing behaviors by adult L. lineolaris. However, characterization and identification of EPG waveforms are not complete until specific events of a particular waveform are correlated to insect probing. With the use of EPG, histology, microscopy, and chemical analysis, probing behavior of L. lineolaris on pin-head cotton squares was studied. Occurrences of waveforms CR and I were artificially terminated during the EPG recording. Histological samples of probed cotton squares were prepared and analyzed to correlate specific types and occurrences of feeding damage location and plant responses to insect feeding. Both CR and I occurred in the staminal column of the cotton square. Cell rupturing events elicited the production of dark-red deposits seen in histological staining that were demonstrated via chemical analysis to contain condensed tannins. We hypothesize that wounding and saliva secreted during CR triggered release of tannins, because tannin production was positively correlated with the number of probes with single CR events performed by L. lineolaris. Degraded plant tissue and tannins were removed from the staminal column during occurrence of waveform I. These results conclude the process of defining CR and I as probing waveforms performed by L. lineolaris on pin-head cotton squares. These biological definitions will now allow EPG to be used to quantitatively compare L. lineolaris feeding among different plant treatments, with the goal of improving pest management tactics against this pest.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Thomas L. Clark, Elaine A. Backus

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lygus lineolaris