LIFE HISTORY of Triaspis Eugenii Wharton And
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LIFE HISTORY OF Triaspis eugenii Wharton and Lopez-Martinez (HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE) AND EVALUATION OF ITS POTENTIAL FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF PEPPER WEEVIL Anthonomus eugenii Cano (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) By ESTEBAN RODRIGUEZ-LEYVA A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2006 Copyright 2006 by Esteban Rodríguez-Leyva This work is dedicated to my parents, Benito Rodríguez and Pilar Leyva, and brothers, Martín, Verónica, and Víctor, who have been teaching me the importance of having resolutions in life, social gathering and education included, within an admirable familial strength. Without their support it would be harder to complete this study, to my nieces and nephew. Este trabajo lo dedico a mis padres, Benito Rodríguez y Pilar Leyva, y a mis hermanos, Martín, Verónica, y Víctor, quienes me han mostrado la importancia de tener metas en la vida, incluido el convivir y la educación, en el seno de una extraordinaria fuerza familiar. Sin su apoyo completar este trabajo hubiese sido más difícil. A mis sobrinas y sobrino. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people and institutions contributed to the success of this dissertation. I am extremely grateful to Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (National Council of Science and Technology) and Colegio de Postgraduados from México which supported tuitions, living expenses, and laborer situations through all the process for getting the goals of this study. My gratitude and appreciation go to my advisor, Dr. Philip A. Stansly, he found resources for conducting and assisting my dissertation and gave me independence to express ideas and objectives. Additionally, for the many hours that he spent reading, correcting, and re-reading drafts of this dissertation. I am grateful to Dr. David J. Schuster who offered encouragement, support, and always friendship. I would like to recognize the rest of my committee, Drs. Norman C. Leppla, Ru Nguyen, and Steven A. Sargent, for being available and offering experiences to improve my academic development. Special thanks go to Dr. Susan Webb for allowing me to use resources in her laboratory in Gainesville, and Mike Miller for being such an amiable person. Special recognition goes to Debbie Hall, Myrna Litchfield, and Nancy Sanders for providing constant support, always with professionalism and amiability. I want to thank also the personnel in the methods and quarantine facilities at the Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville, FL, and many people of the South West Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) at Immokalee, which supported me in the implementation of a bunch of activities. I thank James M. Conner, Carmen Gómez, Jaime Martínez, Alexandra Delgado, and Ronald D. French. At the same time, I thank those iv who helped me have a nice time in the center, C. Vavrina, F. Jaber, R. Pluke, M. Ozores, P. Roberts, R. Muchovej, S. Sukla, K. Cushman, J. Knowles, K. Jackson, C. Pandey, M. Triana, J. Castillo, F. Roka, J. & K. Hill, K. & R. Systma, B. & B. Hyman, A. Garcia, D. Spencer, and L. Rigby. I also thank Emily Vasquez and Steven Davis of the entomology group at Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Bradenton. I thank Eugenio Mariscal for his help during the field trips to Nayarit, México. I thank my friends in Gainesville, I will always remember academic, cultural, and gastronomical moments, excursions and of course “intoxicating moments of life” that I spent with all of them. v TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 Literature Review .........................................................................................................4 Origin of Capsicum spp. and Distribution of Pepper Weevil................................4 Economic Importance............................................................................................5 Description ............................................................................................................6 Biology and Life History.......................................................................................7 Host Plant Association ..........................................................................................9 Capsicum spp. ................................................................................................9 Solanum spp. ................................................................................................11 Management Strategies .......................................................................................12 Host plant resistance.....................................................................................12 Cultural and chemical control ......................................................................13 Biological control.........................................................................................14 Objectives............................................................................................................19 2 REARING METHODOLOGY AND INFLUENCE OF FOOD QUALITY ON BIOLOGY OF PEPPER WEEVIL.............................................................................20 Introduction.................................................................................................................20 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................22 Laboratory Weevil Colony ..................................................................................22 Crowding Effects on Oviposition........................................................................24 Fruit Quality ........................................................................................................25 Adult Feeding and Oviposition ...........................................................................26 Life Table ............................................................................................................27 Nitrogen Content of Fruits and Buds...................................................................28 Results.........................................................................................................................29 vi Crowding Effects and Oviposition ......................................................................29 Fruit Quality ........................................................................................................30 Feeding and Oviposition in Peppers versus Floral Buds (7d) .............................30 Oviposition with or without Floral Buds (7d) .....................................................31 Life Table ............................................................................................................31 Nitrogen Content of Fruits and Buds...................................................................32 Discussion...................................................................................................................33 Crowding Effects and Oviposition ......................................................................33 Fruit Quality ........................................................................................................34 Adult Feeding and Oviposition ...........................................................................35 Life Table ............................................................................................................37 3 LIFE HISTORY OF Triaspis eugenii Wharton and Lopez-Martinez (HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE) .......................................................................40 Introduction.................................................................................................................40 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................43 Surveys ................................................................................................................43 Parasitoid Rearing ...............................................................................................44 Host-Age Range ..................................................................................................46 Role of the Oviposition Plug in Host Location ...................................................47 Effect of Weevil: Fruit Ratio on Parasitoid Production ......................................49 Life Cycle ............................................................................................................49 Fecundity .............................................................................................................51 Adult Longevity...................................................................................................52 Results.........................................................................................................................52 Surveys ................................................................................................................52