ISSN 2090-424X J. Basic. Appl. Sci. Res., 1(2)88-94, 2011 Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research © 2010, TextRoad Publication www.textroad.com

Some Ecological Behaviors of the , decipiens (Paoli) on Some Winter Plantations in Egypt

* Mahmoud, Y.A., Amr, E.M. and Ebadah, I.M.A.

National Research Centre, Department of Pests and Plant Protection

ABSTRACT Some ecological behaviors of the leafhopper, Emposca decipiens (Paoli) such as population fluctuation, host preference, diurnal activity and number of generations were studied on some plantations during winter season 2008-2009. The data indicated that E. decipiens had two peaks during its winter activity, the first peak occurred at January 9 while the second occurred at February 20. A negative relationship between the weekly counts of E. decipiens and temperature was observed. Coccinillid predator behaves the same trend, indicating to the predator activity is largely associated with the activity of the leafhopper. Broad bean plants are considered the most preferred host to E. decipiens while lupin plants are the less preferred host. Emposca decipiens started its activity at 8a.m and the population increased gradually to reach its maximum activity at noon (12 noon to 2p.m). It is found that, E. decipiens passed through three generations during winter season, the first generation from December 26 to January 16, the second from January 23 to February 13 and the third generation occupied the period from February 20 to March 6.

KEY WORDS: Population hosts, generations, Emposca decipiens.

INTRODUCTION

The leafhopper, (Paoli) (Homoptera- Cicadellidae) is considered to be one of the most destructive pests on many and field crops (Nault and Ammar, 1989). The main problem of this is transmission of many plant pathogens among different hosts causing enormous losses in both quantity and quality of the attacked crops (Nilson, 1968 and Nault and Ammar, 1989). The behavioral study of this pest may give a right criterion about control measures; hence, the aim of this research is to give a clue on the diurnal and seasonal fluctuation of this important pest and its relationship with some climatic conditions in winter season.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Nearby fields cultivated with some winter crops, i.e. broad bean (), green bean (), (Pisum sativum), lupine (Lupinus termis), (Solanum tubersum) and squash (Cucurbita pepo) were chosen for sampling purposes at El-Kanater El-Khairia farm, Kalubia Governorate. The previous crops were cultivated during November 2008. To estimate population fluctuation activity, sweep net technique was applied. For this purpose a sweep- net 30 cm diameter, 60cm deep of the conical fine muslin and long wooden handle (1.6m) were used. The weekly sampling started 6 weeks after cultivation date and continued until the harvest. Each sample represented by 25 double strokes, was taken randomly from the cardinal directions of a fixed area (35x20cm).

*Corresponding Author: Mahmoud, Y.A., Amr, E.M. and Ebadah, I.M.A. National Research Centre, Department of Pests and Plant Protection.

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To study the diurnal activity, the initial sample was taken at 8 a.m. and then repeated 4 times of 2-hour intervals to 4 p.m. The captured were collected and transferred into polyethylene bags to be examined in the laboratory. The samples were sorted into the target as well as coccinellid predator species (adult). The count of both adults and nymphs of the cicadellid during the day (5 samples) on the hosts was considered as the population index for each week. To estimate the number and duration of generations, the methods adapted by Audemard and Miliair (1975) and Iacob (1977) were followed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Identification of the captured leafhopper according to Paoli (1936) showed that the majority was the target species, Empoasca decipiens (Paloi), while the main predator adults were identified as Coccnilla undecimpunctata (Reiche).

Population fluctuation of the leafhopper, Empoasca decipiens (Paoli)

The weekly counts of E.decipiens and its coccinillid predator on winter crops with the corresponding temperature and relative humidity are given in table(1) and represented by Fig.(1).

Table (1): The weekly counts of Emposca decipiens on some winter plantations at Kalubia Governorate with corresponding data of the main climatic factors during 2008/2009 Date of sampling Total number /150 double strokes Temp. R.H. No. of predators Brood Green Pea Lupine Potato Squash Total Coccinella Bean Bean undecimpunctata 26 December 2008 678 37 45 40 242 44 1086 11.8 65 24 2 January 2009 584 72 68 79 232 63 1098 12 60 34 9 January 2009 1158 166 107 105 173 61 1770 12.8 62.5 35 16 January 2009 1093 98 138 66 145 71 1611 13.6 61. 46 23 January 2009 607 81 97 54 260 73 1172 14. 49.2 45 30 January 2009 414 61 74 45 172 98 864 14.2 64 44 6 February 2009 569 56 134 52 136 123 1070 15 53 32 13 February 2009 558 92 191 58 173 141 1213 13.7 56.7 44 20 February 2009 926 72 161 47 229 125 1560 15.8 64.3 41 27 February 2009 775 56 113 35 305 172 1456 16.3 55.5 42 6 March 2009 409 88 78 49 211 192 1027 17.5 53.5 34 13 March 2009 304 42 59 38 154 199 796 18 50 22 Total 8075 921 1265 668 2432 1362 14723 174.7 633.7 443 Mean 672.9 76.8 105.4 55.7 202.7 113.5 14.55 52.8 36.9

The data indicated that there are differences in the weekly counts of E.decipiens from a week to another, related to temperature and relative humidity. The highest count (1770 individuals) was recorded at 9 January followed by 1611 individuals at 16 January, where the corresponding mean temperatures and relative humidities were 12.8 and 13.6 co, 62.5% and 61% R.H., respectively. On the other hand, the lowest weekly count of E.decipiens was at 13 March, it recorded 796 individuals where the temperature was 18co and relative humidity was 50 %.

89 J. Basic Appl. Sci. Res., 1(2): 88-94, 2011

Fig. (1):Weekly count of the leafhopper E.decipiens on some winter plantation in Kalubia Governorate 2008/2009

2000

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Squash 1200 Potato Lupin 1000 Pea Green Bean 800 Broad bean

Total Nummber ofInsects Nummber Total 600

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0

/2008 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2009 /2 /9 /6 /6 /26 1 1 /16 /23 /30 2 /13 /20 /27 3 /13 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 12 Date of Sampling

Figure (1) clearly indicated two important features; the first one is that E.decipiens had two peaks during the period of experiment. The first peak occurred at January 9 and the second peak occurred at February 20. The second feature is that there is a negative relationship between the weekly count of E.decipiens and temperature where the highest count (1770 individuals) was recorded at 12.8co while the lowest count (796 individuals) was recorded at 18co. In addition, the table shows that the predator, Coccinella undicimpunctata began to appear at December 26 (the first stage of the growing plants) and gradually increased to reach the maximum population during the period from 16 January to the beginning of February then decreased again to its minimum population at the time of harvest. This trend indicates that coccinllid predator activity is largely associated with the activity of the leafhopper on the plant. Willcocks (1937) stated that the unfavorable climatic conditions are the main reason for population fluctuation of Jassid in Egypt. The Jassid tended to prevail about late August and early September, starting to appear in early May on cotton plants. Sami (1963) found that E. decipiens on cotton reached its maximum population level during May and decreased during late August and early September in Giza region. Also, Ammar et al., (1986) demonstrated that Empoasca spp. reached the highest population at late June and early August on cotton plants. Ebadah (2002) recorded three peaks of this pest at 8 May, at 5 June and at 31 July on summer plantations.

Host preference

The accumulated counts of E.decipiens during the period of experiment, table (2), showed that there is high difference in the preference of E.decipiens to different hosts. Therefore, Broad bean is considered the most preferred host to E.decipiens (8075 individuals) while lupine plant is the less preferred host (668 individuals). Potato plants come in the second order in preference for E.decipiens with recording 2432 individuals. Hence, we can arrange the tested hosts in a descending order according to preference for E.decipiens as follows: Broad bean come in the first order followed by potato plants then squash in the third order followed by Pea plant in the fourth order , green bean in the fifth order and finally lupin plant which is considered the less preferred host to E. decipiens. In this respect, it seems that the nature of the texture of the plant ( hairs, trichomes and glands) may play a role in the host plant preference. Amr 1993, found that there was a negative correlation between jassid infestation of different cotton varieties and the number of stellate and glandular trichomes in leaf epidermis. Brewer et al., (1986) found that perennial hair species of alfalfa and highly lignified tissues contributed to resistance by mechanically or chemically deterring or preventing feeding and oviposition against E. faba. Zareh (1987) found that there were significant correlations between infestation by Empoasca spp. and the density of hairs and glands on the lower surface of cotton leaf where they reduced the number of insects in a cultivar having thick hairs.

Diurnal activity of the leafhopper, E.decipiens on some winter plantations

Brood bean, potato and squash plants were chosen to study the diurnal activity of the leafhopper, E.decipiens due to high density of the leafhopper on these plants (tables 3, 4 and 5 and fig.2).

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Fig (2): Diurnal activity of E.decipiens on winter plantation of Broad Bean, Potato and Squash in Kalubia governorate 2008/2009

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150 broad bean potato squash 100 Number of Insects of Number

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0 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12 m 2:00 PM 4:00 PM Hours

Table (2): Accumulated numbers of the total weekly counts of Emposca decipiens on some winter plantations in Kalubia Governorate during 2008/2009 (According to Audemard and Milaire 1975 and Jacob, 1977).

Sampling Accumulated Weekly Accumulated % of accumulated Date days of counts of weekly count weekly count Samples insects 26 December 2008 7 1086 1086 7.38 2 January 2009 14 1098 2184 14.83 9 January 2009 21 1770 3954 26.86 16 January 2009 28 1611 5565 37.80 23 January 2009 35 1172 6737 45.76 30 January 2009 42 864 7601 51.63 6 February 2009 49 1070 8671 58.89 13 February 2009 56 1213 9884 67.13 20 February 2009 63 1560 11444 77.73 27 February 2009 70 1456 12900 87.62 6 March 2009 77 1027 13927 94.59 13 March 2009 84 796 14723 100.00

Table (3): Weekly counts of E.decipiens on broad bean between 8a.m. and 4 p.m. throughout the period From December 26, 2008 to March 13, 2009 Date of sampling Time of Sampling 8a.m 10 a.m 12 noon 2 P.m 26 December 2008 98 112 139 184 2 January 2009 48 87 101 196 9 January 2009 71 213 356 316 16 January 2009 36 262 342 259 23 January 2009 92 144 156 118 30 January 2009 56 70 165 67 6 February 2009 76 108 174 128 13 February 2009 85 94 184 115 20 February 2009 34 288 370 120 27 February 2009 82 194 173 190 6 March 2009 53 87 119 93 13 March 2009 41 75 92 64 Total 792 1734 2371 1850 Mean 66 144.5 197.58 154.17 LSD at 1% = 76.71 LSD at 5% = 57.68

91 J. Basic Appl. Sci. Res., 1(2): 88-94, 2011

Table (4): Weekly counts of E.decipiens on potato between 8a.m. and 4 p.m. throughout the period From December 26, 2008 to March 13, 2009 Date of sampling Time of Sampling 8a.m 10 a.m 12 noon 2 P.m 26 December 2008 13 18 54 82 2 January 2009 21 36 61 73 9 January 2009 18 15 47 59 16 January 2009 11 13 26 53 23 January 2009 26 35 38 89 30 January 2009 38 18 21 57 6 February 2009 13 19 28 46 13 February 2009 17 21 56 38 20 February 2009 26 39 69 58 27 February 2009 32 71 87 72 6 March 2009 18 64 53 48 13 March 2009 15 42 37 41 Total 248 391 577 716 Mean 20.67 32.58 48.08 59.67 LSD at 1% = 17.77 LSD at 5% = 13.36

Table (5): Weekly counts of E.decipiens on squash between 8a.m. and 4 p.m. throughout the period From December 26, 2008 to March 13, 2009 Date of sampling Time of Sampling 8a.m 10 a.m 12 noon 2 P.m 26 December 2008 7 5 18 5 2 January 2009 11 12 25 8 9 January 2009 4 19 24 11 16 January 2009 9 11 28 107 23 January 2009 8 15 22 13 30 January 2009 3 34 27 26 6 February 2009 5 38 41 25 13 February 2009 7 41 38 29 20 February 2009 12 46 32 24 27 February 2009 10 53 58 38 6 March 2009 18 61 67 34 13 March 2009 14 51 54 62 Total 108 386 434 285 Mean 9 32.17 36.17 23.75 LSD at 1% = 14.26 LSD at 5% = 18.97

The data indicated that E.decipiens started its activity at 8a.m and the population increased gradually to reach its maximum activity at noon (12a.m to 2 p.m.). This trend was observed in all selected plants. At 8a.m the total numbers of caught individuals were 792, 248 and 108 for brood bean, potato and squash, respectively, while at 2 p.m., they were 1850, 716 and 285, respectively. Hamdy and Emam (1994) observed that, the insects were normally residing beneath the at the lower parts of the plants between 8a.m and 10a.m and moved to the middle parts between 12 noon and 4 p.m. Ebadah (2002) on his study on E.decipiens on some summer plantations stated that the number of hopper increased progressively from 8a.m on words and reached its highest peak at 2 p.m. in cowpea and squash, then decreased to minimum level at 6.p.m.

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Number and duration of generations

Results in table (2) and Fig. (3) Indicated that, E.decipiens passed through three generations during winter plantations. Durations of these generations were estimated to be as follows: the first from 26 December to 16 January (21 days), the 2nd From 23 January to 13 February (21days) and the third from 20 February to 6 March (15 days). In this aspect, Hegab et al., (1989) found E.decipiens on cabbage and cauliflower in winter at Salhia hence, the appeared to have a wide range of host plants in different localities of Egypt. El- Nahal et al., (1977a & 1977b) surveyed E.decipiens on 57 hosts at Giza region, Egypt. Ammar et al., (1978 - 1979) found it on rice in northern Egypt. El-Khouly et al., 2005 determined three peaks for Emposca decipiens in the two tested years on marjoram plants, on 5 July, 26 July and the highest one on 23 August 2001, in 2002, the peaks were on 25 July, 15 August and 5 September (the highest). Rassoulian et al., (2005) determined 4 generations for this pest per year on soybeans. The first generation completed their life cycle on weeds before soybeans planting, the second, third and fourth generations lived on soybeans. In 2008, Naser et al., investigated population fluctuation of E.decipiens on different bean species during 2004-2005. In both years, the highest population density was observed on V. sinesis, this density increased with increasing temperature and decreasing relative humidity. The highest and lowest population density of the pest was in early September and late October, respectively. Significantly, the highest and lowest rate of thermal constant related to overall nymph period and overall immature period was recorded on P. calcaratus and V.sinensis, respectively, in which the shortest development time was recorded on V. sinensis.

REFERENCES

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