Rosa chinensisCultivars Affect Fitness-Related Characteristics and Digestive Physiology of the Western Flower Thrips,Frankliniella occidentalisPergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Abstract

Host plant species will influence the population and physiological performance of insects. Frankliniella occidentalis is a well-known invasive pest commonly found on flowering plants. Herein, the population development of F. occidentalis was investigated on the flowers of different Rosa chinensis cultivars (Ruby, Love, Parade, Pink Peace, and Mohana), and the digestive enzyme activities in thrips were measured after feeding on these flowers. The developmental times of F. occidentalis from egg to adult were 10.07, 10.37, 11.64, 10.66, and 10.90 d on Ruby, Love, Parade, Pink Peace, and Mohana, respectively. Significant differences in fecundity were also observed, with the greatest fecundity levels of F. occidentalis on Ruby (82.96) and the lowest on Mohana (63.40). F. occidentalis showed the greatest R0 on Ruby (43.57), followed by Love (36.46), Parade (33.00), Pink Peace (27.97), and Mohana (23.21). The rm showed a similar trend, with values of 0.156, 0.145, 0.141, 0.134, and 0.130, respectively. There were significant differences in digestive enzyme activities in F. occidentalis on different flowers, and different digestive enzymes showed different performance among these plants. The highest amylase and lipase activities in F. occidentalis were on Ruby, on which F. occidentalis had the fastest development rate and the highest R0, whereas the highest trypsin activity was on Pink Peace. All three digestive enzymes in thrips showed the lowest activities on Mohana. The varied population development of F. occidentalis associated with R. chinensis cultivars may be related to their digestive enzyme performance, which plays important roles in nutrient metabolism and insect growth.

Effects of Different Parts of the Rose Flower on the Development, Fecundity, and Life Parameters of Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

“…Shen et al [ 27 ] found that pollen of rose, camellia, rape, and 10% sucrose solution could promote oviposition in WFT. Recently, Qi et al [ 28 ] found that rose species could influence the population and physiological performance of WFT, and that digestive enzymes might play an important role in nutrient metabolism and growth of thrips. Earlier studies have tested the flower promotional effect on WFT.…”

Multigenerational variation in the nutrients and digestion of western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) depends on the nutritive quality of different foods

“…The type of host plants, different parts of host plants, and presence or absence of flowers affect the ecological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of thrips ( Agrawal et al 1999 , Gerin et al 1999 , Mouden et al 2017 ). Some studies have reported the responses of digestive enzymes of WFTs to feeding on different vegetables and flowers ( Zhi et al 2021 , Qi et al 2022 ), and their population burst has closely been associated with the blooming of flowers ( Sun et al 2011 ). Therefore, we hypothesized that the nutrient contents of rose flowers, pollen, and nectar affect the nutrient contents of WFTs and their digestive enzyme activities, which could contribute to their feeding choice, physiological metabolic mechanism, and population dynamics.…”