THE EFFECTS OF SPHAERALCEA SPP. ON OVERWINTER SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTIVITY OF BOLL WEEVILS, ANTHONOMOUS GRANDIS BOHEMAN (OVIPOSITION, LONGEVITY, ATTRACTANTS). Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Palumbo, John Charles, 1959- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 30/09/2021 19:20:06 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/275459 INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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ON OVERWINTER SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTIVE OF BOLL WEEVILS, ANTHONOMOUS GRANDIS BOHEMAN The University of Arizona M.S. 1985 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 THE EFFECTS OF SPHAERALCEA SPP. ON OVERWINTER SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTIVITY OF BOLL WEEVILS, ANTHONOMOUS GRANDIS BOHEMAN by John Charles Palumbo A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 8 5 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgement the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: Theo F. Watson Date Professor of Entomology ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to Dr. Theo Watson, for his advice and guidance throughout the duration of this research. I wish to thank Dr. Leon Moore, Dr. Irene Terry, and Dr. Don Tuttle for their valuable suggestions while reviewing the manuscript. I would like to thank Todd Hannan and Clay Mullis, Yuma Valley Agricultural Center, for the assistance and support they provided throughout the project. Special thanks go to my parents, Joseph and Joan Palumbo for their constant encouragement, support, and assistance in preparation of the manuscript. My fiance K. C. Faber, with her love and under­ standing, provided the emotional and spiritual support necessary for the completion of this project. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii ABSTRACT viii INTRODUCTION 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 4 Overwinter Survival 4 Feeding and Oviposition 8 Reproduction on Alternate Hosts 11 Overwinter Reproductivity 14 METHODS AND MATERIALS 17 Overwinter Survival 17 Oviposition 18 Preoviposition 20 Overwinter Reproductivity 22 RESULTS 23 Overwinter Survival 23 Oviposition 28 Preoviposition Development 32 Overwinter Reproductivity 36 DISCUSSION 42 LITERATURE CITED 54 iv LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Average survival and maximum longevity of overwintering boll weevils emerging from bolls in January and March and provided various conditions in the insectary, 1984 24 2. Average number of weeks adult boll weevils survived in the insectary after removal from dry bolls and kept without food or provided globemallow or cotton squares, 1984 26 3. Summary of average heat unit accumulation in the insectary for boll weevils which were maintained under dry conditions or with globemallow after emerging from dry bolls in January and March, 1984 .... 30 4. Total number of eggs oviposited by gravid female boll weevils provided with cotton squares, and two species of globemallow buds in a one week period in the laboratory, 1984 31 5. Total number of eggs oviposited by gravid females caged on cotton and globemallow plants in the greenhouse in a one week period, 1984 31 6. Total number of eggs oviposited by reproductive female boll weevils on cotton and globemallow treated with aqueous extracts in the laboratory in a 24-hour period 33 7. Average number of feeding punctures by reproductive female boll weevils in cotton squares and globe­ mallow buds, alone or treated with aqueous extracts ... 34 8. Average number of days required for newly-emerged females to oviposit when feeding on various food sources at a constant temperature of 30° C with a 14-hour photophase, 1985 35 v LIST OF TABLES - CONTINUED Page 9. Preovipositional status of newly-emerged female boll weevils provided with globemallow for 0, 5, 10 and 15 days prior to placement on squares 37 10. Number and percentage of male boll weevils which were reproductive (R) or nonreproductive (NR) after feeding on cotton squares or globemallow buds in simulated winter and spring environments 38 11. Number and percentage of female boll weevils which were reproductive (R) or nonreproductive (NR) after feeding on cotton squares or globemallow buds in simulated winter and spring environments 39 12. Total number of heat units accumulated at 15-day intervals in simulated environments in the laboratory 41 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page 1. Total average percentage of boll weevils surviving at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days held without food (DRY) or provided globemallow or cotton squares in the insectary 25 2. Percentages of boll weevil adults surviving in the insectary for 7, 15, 21, 28 and 35 days provided dry conditions after emerging from dry bolls in January and March, 1984 ..... 27 3. Percentages of boll weevil adults surviving in the insectary provided with globemallow after emerging from dry bolls in January and March, 1984 .... 29 vii ABSTRACT The overwinter survival and reproduction of boll weevils, Anthonomous grandis Boheman, on globemallow, Sphaeralcea spp., in Arizona was studied. In addition, the effect of aqueous extracts of cotton and globemallow on oviposition was compared. More boll weevils survived for 90 days when provided with cotton squares (69%) or globemallow (18%) than weevils held without food or water (0%). Weevils emerging from infested bolls in January survived significantly longer (2.4 weeks) than weevils emerging in March. More female boll weevils which had fed on globemallow in a simulated spring environment attained reproductive status (52%) than similar females held in simulated winter conditions (12%). Gravid females consistently failed to oviposit into buds of globemallow in the greenhouse. When buds were treated with an aqueous cotton extract, oviposition was observed. Oviposition was reduced 54% in cotton squares treated with globemallow extract. viii INTRODUCTION The boll weevil, Anthonomous grandis Boheman, has recently become a serious pest in cultivated cotton throughout central and western Arizona. Economic infestations were first observed in 1962 when "stubbing" cotton was a common practice in Pinal and Yuma Counties (Fye 1968). Stub cotton, i.e., cotton cultivated as a perennial, provided an ideal overwintering habitat for boll weevils by allowing stalks and bolls to remain in the fields throughout the winter. Mandatory plowdown and adjusted planting dates imposed in 1965 subsequently reduced boll weevil infestations to a noneconomic status (Beatty 1977). Regulations banning stub cotton were temporarily relaxed from 1978-1982 with approximately 40,000 acres initially cultivated (Taylor and Hathorn 1979). By 1981, boll weevil infestations were again wide­ spread in both stub and planted cotton growing in Maricopa and eastern Yuma Counties (Bergman et al. 1982). Stub cotton cultivation was again prohibited after the 1982 growing season in an effort to reduce boll weevil populations to noneconomic levels. However, boll weevil popula­ tions continued to spread west in 1983, damaging previously uninfested cotton fields near the Colorado River (Borth 1984).