Distribution, biology and integrated management of the pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with an analysis of research needs.

Abstract

The pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus L. (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), is a significant pest of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and broad bean (Vicia faba L.) crops throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and North America and it has recently become an established pest in the Canadian prairies. The geographical expansion and current distribution of S. lineatus, its life history, economic impact and control strategies are reviewed. Primary hosts of the pea leaf weevil, on which pre-imaginal development can occur, are identified, in addition to its secondary hosts, which provide nourishment for adults when not in their reproductive phase. The importance of pheromones and host plant volatile compounds for mate finding and host plant location is reviewed. Research on control strategies for S. lineatus is summarized, but to date surprisingly little effort has been expended to develop and implement integrated pest management (IPM) programmes, even though combining insecticide use with host plant resistance, cultural and biological control strategies promises to enhance its management. The development of an effective population monitoring system for pea leaf weevil, scientifically derived economic threshold values, and designing an IPM programme for S. lineatus comprise the most critical research needs for improving the sustainable management of this insect.

Insect invasions of agroecosystems in the western Canadian prairies: case histories, patterns, and implications for ecosystem function

“…Sitona lineatus was discovered in southern Alberta in 1997 (Vankosky et al 2009), but its distribution and damage in western Canada have not been reported previously. Populations of S. lineatus increased dramatically in southern Alberta from 2005 to 2007 as indicated by the frequency of feeding notches in P. sativum seedlings; however, the outbreak of 2007 was followed in 2008 by a drastic decline in damage (Fig.…”

“…This group of species includes P. cruciferae (Westdal and Romanow 1972), P. striolata (Bain and LeSage 1998), D. radicum (Gibson and Treherne 1917), C. nasturtii (Canadian Food Inspection Agency 2009), and S. mosellana (Felt 1912). A second invasion pathway, apparently taken by C. obstrictus (Baker 1936;Cárcamo et al 2001) and S. lineatus (Vankosky et al 2009), involved their introduction to western North America with subsequent dispersal south to the Pacific Northwest followed by eastward movement to the Northern Great Plains. A third group of species, comprising P. xylostella Hopkinson andSoroka 2010), A. pisum (McVicar et al 2009), and probably S. avenae, do not generally overwinter well in western Canada but are carried northward in spring on strong air flow from southern regions of the USA or from Mexico.…”

“…Although crops of P. sativum do not occupy extensive production areas in Montana, the weevil has occurred there for several years (Miller et al 2005). Field pea, P. sativum, and broad bean, Vicia faba L., are the host plants associated with reproduction of this oligophagous insect, but adults of S. lineatus can feed on a variety of secondary leguminous hosts when in a non-reproductive state (Vankosky et al 2009). Northward dispersal of S. lineatus from northwestern USA to the western Canadian prairies could therefore have been caused anthropogenically, or was facilitated by native legume species that served as bridge hosts in the vast areas of Montana dominated by grasses and cereal crops.…”

“…Nearctic Schwartz and Foottit (1998) Insect invasions of agroecosystems in the western Canadian prairies 1139 Invasive (western N. America) Soroka and Cárcamo (2006), Vankosky et al (2009) 13 and 20 larval specimens per 250 sweeps. In Alberta, the distribution of O. melanopus extended south nearly to the USA border, west to Nanton (50°21 0 00 00 N; 113°46 0 00 00 W), north to near Lomond, and east to Bow Island (Fig.…”

“…For instance in recent years, the cabbage seedpod weevil, Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and the pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), have invaded this region and have been responsible for substantial crop damage (Dosdall et al 2002;Vankosky et al 2009). An important distinction of these more recent invasions has been that they were accompanied by the opportunity to document species distribution patterns, rates of dispersal, factors affecting dispersal, and ecological impacts (e.g., Dosdall et al 2002Dosdall et al , 2007Dosdall et al , 2009Tansey et al 2010).…”