Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Feeding, Development, and Survival to Adulthood After Continuous Exposure to Bacillus Thuringiensis Subsp
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Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Feeding, Development, and Survival to Adulthood After Continuous Exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis-Treated Potato Foliage from the Field Author(s): Brian A. Nault, Scott D. Costa, and George G. Kennedy Source: Journal of Economic Entomology, 93(1):149-156. Published By: Entomological Society of America DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493-93.1.149 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1603/0022-0493-93.1.149 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. HORTICULTURAL ENTOMOLOGY Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Feeding, Development, and Survival to Adulthood After Continuous Exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis-Treated Potato Foliage from the Field 1 2 BRIAN A. NAULT, SCOTT D. COSTA, AND GEORGE G. KENNEDY Department of Entomology, Box 7630, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 J. Econ. Entomol. 93(1): 149Ð156 (2000) ABSTRACT Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), feeding, development, and survival to adulthood were examined after continuously exposing large larvae to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis-treated potato foliage from the Þeld. In laboratory assays, the overall consumption and the length of period to become prepupae were determined for larvae, which began as 3rd and 4th instars, that were offered potato leaf disks with naturally declining levels of B. thuringiensis residue. In small-cage Þeld experiments, survival to adulthood and the period to adult emergence for beetles conÞned to potato plants treated with B. thuringiensis beginning as 3rd and 4th instars also were examined. Third instars remaining on plants after a B. thuringiensis application were unlikely to feed and 4th instars consumed only Ϸ50% as much foliage as those fed untreated foliage. Many late instars subjected to B. thuringiensis-treated foliage failed to survive to adulthood; 58Ð83% of these beetles died during the larval stage. Reduced feeding and poor survival of late instars suggest that counts of large larvae after application do not provide a complete picture of the efÞcacy of the B. thuringiensis treatment. Late instar Colorado potato beetles that were exposed continually to naturally declining levels of B. thuringiensis-treated potato foliage took an average of 1.8Ð4.5 d longer to become prepupae and 4Ð8 d longer to emerge as adults compared with those provided with untreated foliage. Delayed emergence of adults that fed on B. thuringiensis-treated potatoes as late instars indicated that development was prolonged in these insects because of ingestion of a sublethal dose of B. thuringiensis. KEY WORDS Colorado potato beetle, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis, feeding, develop- ment, survival BIOPESTICIDES CONTAINING THE Coleopteran-active Ba- small larvae (Ferro and Lyon 1991). Thus, application cillus thuringiensis toxins have been examined inten- of B. thuringiensis early in the infestation episode, sively as an alternative to broad-spectrum insecticides when eggs are hatching and small larvae are the pre- for control of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa dominant lifestage present, has been recommended decemlineata (Say), in Irish potato. Unlike conven- (Zehnder and Gelertner 1989, Zehnder et al. 1992, tional insecticides, B. thuringiensis must be ingested by Ghidiu and Zehnder 1993). the insect to be effective and it requires different Þeld Late-instar potato beetles subjected to potato foli- application strategies than conventional insecticides age treated with B. thuringiensis toxins for discrete (Bystrak et al. 1994). Research on how B. thuringiensis periods, from 18 h to 6 d, have been shown to feed less affects stage-speciÞc mortality, feeding behavior, and and die sooner than those fed untreated foliage development in potato beetles under laboratory con- (Zehnder and Gelertner 1989, Hough-Goldstein et al. ditions has provided insight on how best to use these 1991, Hoy and Hall 1993, Ferro et al. 1993, Ferro et al. toxins in the Þeld. For example, B. thuringiensis subsp. 1997). However, the effect of continuous exposure to san diego and B. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis toxins naturally declining levels of B. thuringiensis on foliage have been shown to be more effective in controlling from the Þeld has not been documented. For example, small (1st and 2nd instars) than large (3rd and 4th Hough-Goldstein et al. (1991) measured consumption instars) Colorado potato beetles (Zehnder and Ge- by 3rd-instar potato beetles in which the concentra- lertner 1989, Ferro et al. 1993) because large larvae tion of B. thuringiensis subsp. san diego toxin on the must consume more toxin to receive a lethal dose than potato foliage did not vary during the 6-d experiment. Ferro et al. (1993) treated potato plants in the Þeld 1 Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 33446 with B. thuringiensis toxin, but foliage was excised and Research Drive, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Painter, VA 23420. maintained in the laboratory in the absence of UV light 2 Entomology Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 53400, University of before presenting it to 3rd- and 4th-instar potato bee- Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405Ð3400. tles for the duration of the 4-d experiment. UV light is 0022-0493/00/0149Ð0156$02.00/0 ᭧ 2000 Entomological Society of America 150 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY Vol. 93, no. 1 a major factor responsible for reducing efÞcacy of B. M-Trak (B. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis, Mycogen, thuringiensis because it inactivates this toxin under San Diego, CA) were examined. Foliage was collected Þeld conditions (Gelertner 1990). Ferro et al. (1997) from potted potato plants, Solanum tuberosum L. (va- recently investigated the chronic effects of B. thurin- riety Kennebec), maintained outdoors. Potato plants giensis subsp. tenebrionis on large potato beetle larvae were started in the greenhouse from tuber pieces that survived a pulse exposure of this product (up to sown in small plastic pots (3.8 liters) Þlled with a 24 h), which was designed to simulate the duration of soil-less potting mixture (Metro 220). Upon emer- exposure before a rainfall event. Ferro et al. (1997) gence, the plants were fertilized with Ϸ9 g of Osmo- discovered that when large larvae were exposed to B. cote (14-14-14, N-P-K). Three-week-old plants were thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis-treated foliage for up transferred to large plastic pots (11.8 liters) and then to 24 h, their consumption of foliage was reduced, moved outside into the full sun and allowed 2Ð3 wk of their development was delayed and their survival to additional development before initiating the experi- adult was reduced compared with beetles fed un- ments. The exterior of the large pots was painted white treated foliage. In the absence of a rainfall event soon to increase reßectance and lower soil temperatures. after an application of B. thuringiensis, large potato Plants were watered as needed and were provided beetle larvae will be exposed to residues of B. thurin- additional Osmocote fertilizer. giensis that decline over a longer period. These plants were divided into 3 groups and ar- Ferro and Gelertner (1989) reported that the abun- ranged in single rows for treatment with M-Trak using dance of small potato beetle larvae present after an either a 2.34 or 4.68 liters/ha (1 or 2 qt/acre, respec- application of B. thuringiensis subsp. san diego does not tively) rate, or were left untreated for the control. provide an adequate measure of efÞcacy because Treatments were made using a CO2-pressurized back- many 1st instars feed on the egg mass before moving pack sprayer equipped with a single row boom that to foliage and may not ingest a lethal dose of product had 3 nozzles (D3 disk per 25 core hollow cone), 1 before the counts are made. Rather, counts of large above row and 2 dropped 43 cm and directed at the larvae were shown to provide a more reliable measure row. Sprays were delivered using a volume of 234 of efÞcacy because surviving large larvae were likely liters/ha at a pressure of 276 kPa. After application, to have escaped the B. thuringiensis treatment. Bystrak 2Ð4 plants within each group were designated to 1 of et al. (1994) reported that B. thuringiensis efÞcacy is 5 replicates and used in all experiments during a single best evaluated by comparing the number of 3rd- and run. 4th-instar potato beetles remaining on plants after Larvae used in bioassays originated from eggs that application with those on untreated plants when the were collected by putting potato plants into rearing number of large larvae peak on untreated plants. An cages for 1 d. To obtain 1st instars, the eggs were abundance of large larvae on B. thuringiensis-treated excised from leaves and permitted to hatch at 27.5ЊC plants would suggest that an additional application of (Ϯ1ЊC), with a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h, in a petri this product or another insecticide could be required. dish lined with dry Þlter paper (9 cm in diameter). However, this assumes that large larvae remaining on When eggs began to hatch, the Þlter paper was moist- plants after an application of B.