Abstract
A naturally occurring α-amylase inhibitor (α-AI) of Triticum aestivum protects wheat grain from gramnivorous arthropod pests. The α-AI (Type-I) was incorporated into carbohydrate and protein diets to test its inhibitory activity on the stored-product mites Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Astigmata). Growth tests of mites fed the various diets were used to compare the suppressive effects. The final population size of mites attained from an initial population of 50 specimens maintained under controlled conditions (85 % relative humidity and 25 °C) was compared after 21 days of cultivation. The results showed that α-AI in the concentration in the range of 0.01–1 mg g−1 did not suppress the growth of the tested stored-product mites. α-AI at a concentration of 10 mg g−1 exerted a growth-suppressive effect that depended on the diet and species of the mites. The growth rate of A. siro was affected by the type of diet and was higher on carbohydrate diet than on the protein diet, the suppressive effect of α-AI was on the both diets. The growth-suppressive effect of α-AI on L. destructor and T. putrescentiae was significant when they were fed the protein diet but not when they were fed the carbohydrate diet. The higher resistance of tested mites to α-AI (proteinaceous) compared to non-proteinaceous acarbose corresponds to a powerful proteotolytic system in the mite gut. The results are discussed in terms of the adaptability of mites to utilize the starch from food sources.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (http://www.msmt.cz/). J.H. and M.N. were supported by Grant Number LD13052 (COST FA1105: Towards a Sustainable and Productive EU Organic Greenhouse Horticulture), and T.E. was supported by Grant Number OC10019 (COST CM0804: Chemical Biology with Natural Products). The authors thank Martin Markovic for valuable help. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions that have improved the manuscript.
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Hubert, J., Nesvorna, M. & Erban, T. Growth-suppressive effect of the α-amylase inhibitor of Triticum aestivum on stored-product mites varies by the species and type of diet. Exp Appl Acarol 62, 57–65 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-013-9718-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-013-9718-2