Effect of plant water stress on honeydew production, weight gain and oviposition of brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens on rice cultivars

Abstract

Glasshouse studies were made on honeydew production, adult and nymphal body weight gain, fecundity and size of egg groups of brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) (BPH) on CVS TN1, ASD7, Babawee, Mudgo, Rathu‐Heenati and Ptb33 rice plants with watering regimes of 10 ml, 20 ml, 30 ml and excess water daily. Honeydew production, weight gain, fecundity and size of egg groups were greatest on TN1, followed by ASD7. BPH did less well on Babawee, Mudgo and Rathu‐Heenati and they did worst on Ptb33. Watering regimes greatly affected performance, with significantly less honeydew, less weight gain, lower fecundity and smaller egg groups on plants with 10 ml water daily than on plants with excess water. The 20 ml and 30 ml watering regimes also significantly reduced honeydew production on TN1 and ASD7 and fecundity and weight gain of adults and nymphs on Mudgo. On Babawee adults gained most weight on the 20 ml and 30 ml treatments, and nymphs gained most weight on the 30 ml treatment. BPH laid most eggs on TN1, ASD7, Babawee and Rathu‐Heenati when plants were given 30 ml water daily.

Resistance and tolerance to the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), in rice infested at different growth stages across a gradient of nitrogen applications

“…Young, pre-tillering rice plants tend to be silicon deficient ( Ma et al, 1989 ); therefore, pre-tillering rice should be expected to make a higher investment in anti-herbivore resistance particularly in varieties with major resistance genes. However, several studies suggest that this is generally not the case, but that older rice plants often become increasingly resistant to herbivores, particularly planthoppers and leafhoppers ( Rapusas and Heinrichs, 1982 , Baqui and Kershaw, 1993 , Horgan et al, 2016b , Srinivasan et al, 2015 , Srinivasan et al, 2016 ). The results from the present study confirm that pre-tillering plants are more susceptible than tillering rice plants, even in IR62.…”

“…Since plants face distinct challenges as they grow and develop, they are predicted to shift their defence strategies to counter their most probable biotic stresses ( Price, 1991 , Herms and Mattson, 1992 ). Resistance to planthoppers in rice may increase or decrease during plant development ( Rapusas and Heinrichs, 1982 , Baqui and Kershaw, 1993 , Vu et al, 2014 , Horgan et al, 2016b ) presumably depending on underlying resistance mechanisms or resistance genes ( Srinivasan et al, 2015 , Srinivasan et al, 2016 ). Therefore, the age at which plants are attacked, how resistance changes over plant development and how farmers manage their crop (vis-à-vis fertilizer and pesticide inputs) represent key determinants of planthopper population growth and damage responses in fields of resistant rice.…”

Antifeedant effects of plant lectins and an enzyme on the adult stage of the rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens

“…BPH feeding on susceptible rice varieties generally produce copious amounts of honeydew droplets rich in amino acids which can be detected using the ninhydrin technique whereas on resistant varieties honeydew production is considerably lower (Padgham & Woodhead, 1989). Other workers have shown that the volume of honeydew, as measured by calibrated micropipette, produced on resistant varieties is lower than on susceptible rice (Paguia et al, 1980;Baqui & Kershaw, 1993). These results are in agreement with those reported here although the former were obtained from in planta studies whereas the present work relates to in vitro assays.…”

Plant water stress intensity mediates aphid host choice and feeding behaviour

“…Thus, changes in honeydew production could indicate declining feeding efficiency as a result of reduced ingestion rate, osmotic regulation, or a combination of the two (Nalam et al ., 2020). Some studies have shown that honeydew production by phloem feeding insects declines when feeding on water‐limited plants (Issacs et al ., 1998; Hale et al ., 2003), but the field is lacking in studies and consensus (Baqui & Kershaw, 1993; Tan et al ., 2017).…”