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Oxidative Responses of St. Augustinegrasses to Feeding of Southern Chinch Bug, Blissus insularis Barber

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Abstract

Southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber (Hemiptera: Blissidae), is a serious insect pest of St. Augustinegrass, Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze, a turfgrass commonly grown in the southeastern United States. Resistance to southern chinch bug has been identified in the polyploid St. Augustinegrass varieties ‘Floratam’ and ‘FX-10’, and the diploid ‘Captiva’. However, southern chinch bug in Florida and elsewhere has overcome Floratam’s resistance. This research investigated the potential role of selected plant oxidative enzymes in resistance/susceptibility to southern chinch bug in two polyploid varieties (FX-10 and Floratam) and two diploid varieties (Captiva and Palmetto). Oxidative enzyme activity was estimated spectrophotometrically from plant samples collected 1, 3, 5, and 8 days after southern chinch bug infestation and from uninfested control plants. Resistant FX-10 and Captiva had significantly higher peroxidase activity, while Captiva had significantly higher polyphenol oxidase activity 5 and 8 days after infestation compared to uninfested controls. FX-10 had higher lipoxygenase activity 3, 5, and 8 days after infestation compared to uninfested controls. Catalase activities did not differ between infested and control plants in any of the varieties tested. Native gels stained for peroxidase indicated that certain isozymes in FX-10 and Captiva were induced 5 and 8 days after infestation. Isozyme profiles of polyphenol oxidase and lipoxygenase did not differ between control and infested FX-10, Floratam, Captiva, and Palmetto. Potential mechanisms to explain the correlation of resistance to southern chinch bug in FX-10 and Captiva with higher activities of oxidative enzymes are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Marty Marshall (Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida) for use of his spectrophotometer and Dr. Eric Schmelz (USDA ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida) for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. This research was supported by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station and a Wedgeworth Fellowship to R. C.

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  1. Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Murugesan Rangasamy & Heather J. McAuslane

  2. Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Bala Rathinasabapathi

  3. Everglades Research and Education Center, IFAS, Belle Glade, FL, 33430, USA

    Ronald H. Cherry & Russell T. Nagata

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  1. Murugesan Rangasamy
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Rangasamy, M., Rathinasabapathi, B., McAuslane, H.J. et al. Oxidative Responses of St. Augustinegrasses to Feeding of Southern Chinch Bug, Blissus insularis Barber. J Chem Ecol 35, 796–805 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-009-9664-y

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