Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2009 Categorization and Indentification of Mechanisms of Sugarcane Resistance to the Sugarcane Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Waseem Akbar Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Akbar, Waseem, "Categorization and Indentification of Mechanisms of Sugarcane Resistance to the Sugarcane Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae)" (2009). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2785. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2785 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. CATEGORIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MECHANISMS OF SUGARCANE RESISTANCE TO THE SUGARCANE APHID (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the formal requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Entomology by Waseem Akbar B.Sc. (Hons.), University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi, Pakistan 1997 M.Sc. (Hons.), University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi, Pakistan 2000 M.S., Kansas State University, 2003 May 2010 Dedicated to my dearest parents & beloved wife whose sincere prayers and sacrifices have made this milestone achievable for me ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my major professor, Dr. Thomas E. Reagan, who has been invaluable throughout my studies. I believe I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Reagan as he was not just a supervisor, but a great mentor. His extremely considerate attitude toward me has sustained me through several problems that I faced during my studies and research. His exemplary encouragement, full cooperation, and push to publish research have been instrumental in adding several distinguished accolades to my resume. Working with him has been a wonderful life-time learning experience for me. I have no words to express my appreciation for Dr. Allan T. Showler who put confidence in my abilities to achieve this terminal degree. He was the first one to motivate me to embark on a Ph.D. program at LSU. He has provided untiring help, which spans from technical aspects of my work to improved quality in writing of the dissertation. As a tribute to him, I will always do my best to give the same consideration and help to others when given the opportunities. I am also grateful to my other committee members, Drs. Michael Stout, William White, Kenneth Gravois, and Dean’s representative Dr. Collins Kimbeng for serving on my committee and sharing their expertise in my work. Special thanks to Jaime Cavazos (USDA ARS-Weslaco), in Dr. Showler’s laboratory, for technical assistance with the free amino acid work. I am also thankful to Dr. Jeff Davis for providing the opportunity for me to conduct EPG studies. Thanks to Dr. Chris Carlton for helping me with coccinellid studies. Also thanks to Julien Beuzelin and Dr. Francis Reay-Jones (Clemson University) who were always there to assist me on statistical glitches. Thanks to Jason Hamm for assistance in the greenhouse work and reading portions of my dissertation. I am also thankful to Blake Wilson who saved my precious time by helping facilitate certain aspects of my dissertation. He also read portions of my dissertation and gave valuable suggestions. iii Above all, I could not have achieved this accomplishment without the understanding and constant support of my parents, wife, bothers and sisters. I owe everything to my father, Mr. Aziz Akbar, who ingrained the value of hard work in me from the very beginning. Being a true academician, he sacrificed his desires and needs on quality education and better upbringing of me and my siblings. Thanks to my father-in-law, Mr. Banaris Abbasi, talking to whom was always a source of inspiration for me. I must admit that the two individuals who suffered even more than me during my Ph.D. are my wife, Shamsa, and lovely daughter, Hadia. Hadia should know that I had to miss her during the 6th to 8th months of her life to complete my dissertation, which was difficult. I am sure they are happy with my accomplishment, and hopefully I will be able to make up for the lost days! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………………... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………... iii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………. viii LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………………….... ix ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………….... x CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION………………………………………………… 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW …..………………………………………………….. 4 2.1. General Aphid Biology…………………………………….………………..................... 4 2.2. Sugarcane Aphid Taxonomy, Distribution, and Host Plants……………………………. 5 2.3. Sugarcane Aphid Morphology and Biology…………..…………………………………. 5 2.4. Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Taxonomy, Distribution, and Host Plants…………………..... 6 2.5. Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Morphology and Biology………….……………….………… 6 2.6. Sugarcane Aphid and Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Economic Importance……………........ 7 2.7. Sugarcane Aphid and Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Management………………………….. 8 2.8. Aphid-Plant Interaction……………………………..……………………………............ 9 2.9. Host Plant Resistance…………………………………………………………................. 10 2.10. Factors Affecting Plant Resistance to Aphids……………………………………............ 12 2.11. Aphid Biotype and Host Plant Resistance………………………………….………......... 13 2.12. Categories of Host Plant Resistance……………………………………………………... 14 2.12.1. Antixenosis……………………………………………………………………... 14 2.12.2. Factors Affecting Antixenosis…………………………………………………. 15 2.12.3. Antibiosis………………………………………………………………………. 16 2.12.4. Tolerance ………………………………………………………………………. 17 2.13. Effect of Amino Acids on Aphid Performance and Feeding Behavior………………….. 17 2.14. Effects of Aphid Feeding on Plant Amino Acid Levels………………………………..... 19 2.15. Endosymbionts in Aphid Hemolymph……………………………..…………………..... 19 2.16. Honeydew……………………………….……………………………………………….. 20 2.17. Effect of Plant Secondary Compounds on Host Plant Resistance to Aphids………......... 20 2.18. Louisiana Sugarcane Industry………………………………………………………......... 21 2.19. Aphids on Sugarcane…………………………………………………………………….. 23 2.20. Host Plant Resistance Studies with Sugarcane in Louisiana……………....…….............. 23 CHAPTER 3: CATEGORIZING SUGARCANE CULTIVAR RESISTANCE TO THE SUGARCANE APHID AND YELLOW SUGARCANE APHID (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE)..…….………………………..………………... 25 3.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………... 25 3.2. Materials and Methods…………………………………………………………………….. 26 3.2.1. Aphids and Plants ……………………………………………………………...... 26 3.2.2. Antixenosis ……………………………………………………………………… 27 v 3.2.3. Antibiosis……………………………………………………………………….. 27 2.2.4. Tolerance…………………………………..…………………………………..... 28 3.2.5. Data Analysis……………………………………………………........................ 29 3.3. Results ……………………………………………………………………………………. 30 3.3.1. Antixenosis…………………………………………………………………………. 30 3.3.2. Antibiosis………………………………………………………………………….... 30 3.3.3. Tolerance……………………………………………………...…………………….. 32 3.4 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………. 34 CHAPTER 4: SUGARCANE APHID (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) FEEDING BEHAVIOR ON RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE SUGARCANE …......... 39 4.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………... 39 4.2. Material and Methods……………………………………………………………………... 41 4.2.1. Aphids and Plants ……………………………………………………………….. 41 4.2.2. EPG Setup and Data Recording…………………………………………………. 41 4.2.3. Waveform Interpretation and Statistical Analyses………………………………. 42 4.3. Results……………………………………………………………………………………... 43 4.4. Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………. 45 CHAPTER 5: IDENTIFICATION OF FREE AMINO ACIDS IMPLICATED IN SUGARCANE RESISTANCE TO THE SUGARCANE APHID…………….... 51 5.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………... 51 5.2. Materials and Methods…………………………………………………………………….. 52 5.2.1. Aphids and Plants ……………………………………………………………...... 52 5.2.2. Plant Biochemical Extractions and Analyses ………………………………….... 52 5.2.3. Concentration Calculations and Statistical Analyses ………………………….... 55 5.3. Results……………………………………………………………………………………... 56 5.3.1. FAAs in Whole Leaf Tissues of L 97-128 and HoCP 91-555…………………... 56 5.3.2. FAAs in the Phloem Sap of L 97-128 and HoCP 91-555 …………………......... 58 5.3.3. FAAs in the Whole Leaf Tissue vs. Phloem Sap…..…………………………..... 59 5.3.4. FAAs in the Phloem Sap vs. Excreted Honeydew …..………………………….. 61 5.3.5. FAAs in the Honeydew of M. sacchari Feeding on L 97-128 and HoCP 91- 555……………………………………………………………………………...... 63 5.4. Discussion………………………………………………………………………………..... 63 CHAPTER 6: FIELD EVALUATION OF LOUISIANA SUGARCANE CULTIVARS FOR RESISTANCE TO THE SUGARCANE APHID AND YELLOW SUGARCANE APHID………………………………………………………….. 69 6.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………... 69 6.2. Materials and Methods…………………………………………………………………….. 70 6.3. Results……………………………………………………………………………………... 71 6.4. Discussion………………………………………………………………………………..... 77 CHAPTER 7: LIFE CYCLE AND LARVAL MORPHOLOGY OF DIOMUS TERMINATUS (SAY) (COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE) AND ITS POTENTIAL AS A BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENT OF THE SUGARCANE APHID, MELANAPHIS SACCHARI ZEHNTNER………..……………………………. 80 7.1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….. 80 vi 7.2. Materials and Methods…………………………………………………………………….