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Characterization of Feeding Injuries Caused by Ceresa nigripectus Remes Lenicov (Hemiptera: Membracidae) on Alfalfa Stems

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Abstract

Piercing-sucking insects cause mechanical and physiological injury to plants. Ceresa nigripectus Remes Lenicov is a pest of alfalfa in subtropical regions of South America and a carrier of the ArAWB phytoplasma. The aim of this study was to determine the feeding habits of this treehopper and to describe the effects of the feeding injuries on stem vascular tissues in alfalfa. Adults and nymphs of C. nigripectus inserted their stylets repeatedly girdling the stem. One week after feeding, alfalfa stems exhibited numerous feeding canals with salivary deposits, most of which reached the phloem. Two weeks after feeding, cortex and phloem cells next to the salivary sheath collapsed, mature tracheal elements became sparse and appeared with an increased cross-section area, and phenolic compounds increased in cells and cell walls compared to undamaged plants. Three weeks after feeding, an annular callus, formed by abnormal cell division and hypertrophy of preexisting cortex and vascular cambium cells, appeared immediately above the stem girdle. Parenchyma cells from the outer layers of the callus differentiated to form secondary anomalous amphicribal bundles in the wound. The aerial parts above the stem girdle eventually withered and died.

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Acknowledgments

We thank our colleague Eric Fengler for improving the language style, and we are especially grateful to the reviewers for their valuable criticisms and suggestions. This work was supported partially by INTA-PNPV. PE1. 1135022, PICT No. 2010-604 and Fundación Miguel Lillo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (CIAP), Instituto de Patología Vegetal (IPAVE), INTA, Córdoba, Argentina

    T P Grosso & L R Conci

  2. Área Botánica, Instituto de Morfología Vegetal, Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251, San Miguel de Tucumán,, T4000JFE, Argentina

    M I Mercado & G I Ponessa

  3. Instituto de Entomología, CONICET and Fundación Miguel Lillo, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina

    E G Virla

Authors
  1. T P Grosso
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  2. M I Mercado
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  3. G I Ponessa
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  4. L R Conci
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  5. E G Virla
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M I Mercado.

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Edited by Jorge Braz Torres – UFRPE

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Grosso, T.P., Mercado, M.I., Ponessa, G.I. et al. Characterization of Feeding Injuries Caused by Ceresa nigripectus Remes Lenicov (Hemiptera: Membracidae) on Alfalfa Stems. Neotrop Entomol 45, 211–216 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-015-0357-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-015-0357-7

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