Ayres Abstracts

Strom, B. L., F. P. Hain, and M. P. Ayres. 1996. Field performance of F1-sterile gypsy moth larvae (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) on loblolly pine and sweetgum. Environmental Entomology 25:749-756.
The quality of sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua L., and loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., as a foodsource for gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), larvae was evaluated using caged F1-sterile gypsy moths in a field study in southeastern Virginia. A 1st experiment compared host species at 3 sites. Because early instars do not feed on loblolly pine, 2nd and 3rd stadia larvae were caged only on sweetgum, and allocated to sweetgum and loblolly pine at the onset of the 4th stadium. On sweetgum, survival of L2 and L3 gypsy moths was 32% across sites and was apprxeq 17% higher on the best site compared with the worst. Survival of L4 to pupae was not affected by site, but survival was significantly higher on sweetgum than loblolly pine during this period. Host species did not affect duration of the larval stage, pupal weight, duration of the pupal stage, or development time to adult of F-1-sterile gypsy moths; however, site had a significant effect on duration of the larval period. A 2nd experiment using L4-L6 examined the effects of detaching branches, on both host species, on the duration of the larval period, relative growth rate, and pupal weight. The main effects of host species, branch detachment, and frequency of larval handling (frequent versus infrequent) were not significant for any response variable. The interactions of branch detachment by host species and larval handling by host species were significant. On loblolly pine, larvae caged on detached branches developed more slowly than those on intact branches, but those larvae caged on intact branches and moved infrequently developed the slowest of any treatment. Larvae on sweetgum were unaffected by branch detachment or frequency of handling.
Liquidambar styraciflua/ Pinus taeda/ Lymantria dispar/ Sweetgum/ Loblolly pine/ Gypsy moth/ Host/ Plant/ Lymantriidae/ Adult/ Insect/ Larva/ Pest/ Pupa/ Biobusiness/ Economic entomology/ Survival/ Field performance/ Growth rate/ Pinus

 

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