Late Season Beet Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Infestations on Cotton: Defoliation, Fruit Damage, and Yield Loss

Mascarenhas, V. J.; Cook, D. R.; Leonard, B. R.; Burris, E.; Graves, J. B.

doi:10.2307/3496573

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The cotton aphid and caterpillar density treatments were applied for 9 weeks (late June to late August). This period of time coincided with the reproductive period of the plants, when cotton yield is most threatened by cotton aphid and caterpillar herbivory (Rosenheim et al , 1997; Mascarenhas et al , 1999). We sampled all five individual plants weekly for 7 weeks (early July to late August).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cotton plants are tolerant of cotton aphid herbivory, however, at low to moderate aphid densities (Rosenheim et al , 1997) and could indirectly benefit from aphid‐tending fire ants if fire ants significantly reduce the abundance of more damaging, non‐aphid herbivores including caterpillars and plant bugs (Diaz et al , 2004; Kaplan & Eubanks, 2005). The non‐aphid herbivore used in this study, the beet armyworm caterpillar, is considered a secondary pest of cotton, but can decrease plant reproduction by defoliating plants and feeding on developing cotton squares (flower buds), flowers, and bolls (Mascarenhas et al , 1999). Cotton aphids and beet armyworm caterpillars are found together on cotton plants throughout the growing season.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A facultative mutualism between aphids and an invasive ant increases plant reproduction

Styrsky

Eubanks

2010

Ecological Entomology

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Abstract. 1. The consequences to plants of ant-aphid mutualisms, particularly those involving invasive ants, are poorly studied. Ant-aphid mutualisms may increase or decrease plant fitness depending on the relative cost of herbivory by ant-tended aphids versus the relative benefit of increased ant suppression of other (non-aphid) herbivores.2. We conducted field and greenhouse experiments in which we manipulated the presence and absence of cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii ) on cotton plants to test the hypothesis that a mutualism between cotton aphids and an invasive ant, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), benefits cotton plants by increasing fire ant suppression of caterpillars. We also manipulated caterpillar abundance to test whether the benefit of the mutualism varied with caterpillar density.3. We found that more fire ants foraged on plants with cotton aphids than on plants without cotton aphids, which resulted in a significant reduction in caterpillar survival and caterpillar herbivory of leaves, flower buds, and bolls on plants with aphids. Consequently, cotton aphids indirectly increased cotton reproduction: plants with cotton aphids produced 16% more bolls, 25% more seeds, and 10% greater seedcotton mass than plants without aphids. The indirect benefit of cotton aphids, however, varied with caterpillar density: the number of bolls per plant at harvest was 32% greater on plants with aphids than on plants without aphids at high caterpillar density, versus just 3% greater at low caterpillar density.4. Our results highlight the potential benefit to plants that host ant-hemipteran mutualisms and provide the first experimental evidence that the consequences to plants of an ant-aphid mutualism vary at different densities of non-aphid herbivores.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A facultative mutualism between aphids and an invasive ant increases plant reproduction

Styrsky

Eubanks

2010

Ecological Entomology

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“…In our first experiment, seven third-instar beet armyworm larvae, Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), were placed on the foliage of caged plants in all three treatments. Spodoptera exigua is a common, foliage-feeding herbivore that is often regarded as a serious pest by cotton growers (Mascarenhas et al 1999). Caterpillar eggs were obtained from a colony located at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA) and reared to the third instar in a growth chamber at Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama, USA).…”

Section: Effect Of Ant-aphid Mutualism On Herbivores/ Predators: Greementioning

confidence: 99%

Aphids Alter the Community-Wide Impact of Fire Ants

Kaplan

Eubanks

2005

Ecology

135

147

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Positive species interactions have the potential to strongly influence the structure and dynamics of ecological communities, yet surprisingly few studies have documented their general importance. We tested the hypothesis that the mutualistic association between fire ants and aphids enhances the impact of fire ants on the herbivorous and predaceous arthropod community of cotton. We found that the presence of aphids attracted foraging fire ants onto cotton plants. This shift from ground to foliar foraging resulted in more frequent interactions between fire ants and arthropods associated with cotton. The survival of herbivores (caterpillars) and predators (ladybird beetles and lacewings) was lower in the presence of fire ants and aphids compared with fire ants alone in greenhouse experiments. Similarly, fire ants and aphids deterred plant bugs from spending time on cotton foliage. Using large-scale field manipulations of fire ants along with naturally occurring aphid populations, we found that the ant-aphid mutualism accounted for much of the variation underlying ant impact on cotton herbivores and predators. For example, in 2001, ϳ27% of herbivore taxa and 54% of predator taxa were adversely affected by the mutualism. The overall community response, however, was highly conditional with strong temporal variation in the effects of the ant-aphid association. Our results indicate that the relationship between fire ants and aphids serves as a key interaction that alters the structure of cotton arthropod communities. This conclusion has far-reaching significance for understanding food web dynamics in natural systems and the efficacy of biological control in ant-infested areas.

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“…Most research exploring the role of wounding on fruit abscission has focused on the effect of insect damage on immature fruit drop. Increased insect damage is associated with increased immature fruit loss in some cases (Childers and Bullock 1999) but not in others (Mascarenhas et al 1999, Follett and Gabbard 2000). Damage inflicted by insects is often a combination of mechanical injury and subsequent injury promoted by injection of chemical elicitors into afflicted tissue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical wounding and abscission in citrus

Kostenyuk

Burns

2004

Physiologia Plantarum

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Fruit detachment force (FDF), ethylene evolution, fruit and leaf drop were determined in Citrus sinensis for periods up to 96 h after mechanical wounding. Injury by removing a thin section of mature fruit flavedo reduced FDF, increased ethylene evolution and promoted abscission. Injuring flavedo 1 cm below the calyx was more effective at reducing FDF than injuring flavedo at the equator or the blossom‐end of mature fruit. Injuring the calyx or peduncle of mature fruit, or injuring three leaves closest to the mature fruit did not reduce FDF. Immature fruitlets either did not abscise or underwent low rates of abscission in response to mechanical wounding, depending on age. Inhibiting ethylene binding in wounded mature fruit with 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP) increased ethylene evolution compared with wounded fruit alone, but the reduction in FDF was similar. When an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor (aminoethoxyvinylglycine, AVG) was used, reduction in FDF of wounded mature fruit exposed to AVG was similar to that of wounded fruit alone but ethylene production was markedly reduced. Wounding mature leaf blades in the presence or absence of 1‐MCP resulted in elevated but equal ethylene evolution up to 48 h after wounding, however, no leaf drop occurred. Thereafter, ethylene evolution was higher in 1‐MCP‐treated wounded leaves. Removing up to 77% of the total mature leaf area did not cause leaf drop, nor did wounding tissue across the laminar or petiolar abscission zones. Leaflets of 5 mm length reached nearly 100% abscission after mechanical wounding, whereas wounding leaves 20 mm length resulted in 15% abscission. The data suggest that mechanical wounding of flavedo results in mature fruit abscission, and ethylene binding may not be mandatory to initiate abscission in citrus fruit. The differential response of fruit and leaves at different ages to wounding may be related to potential contribution to carbohydrate accumulation, and production and sensitivity of tissues to an abscission signal(s).

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Late Season Beet Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Infestations on Cotton: Defoliation, Fruit Damage, and Yield Loss

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

A facultative mutualism between aphids and an invasive ant increases plant reproduction

A facultative mutualism between aphids and an invasive ant increases plant reproduction

Aphids Alter the Community-Wide Impact of Fire Ants

Mechanical wounding and abscission in citrus

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