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Feeding preferences of the weevils Sitona gressorius and Sitona griseus on different lupin genotypes and the role of alkaloids

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Abstract

The weevils Sitona gressorius and Sitona griseus are specialist herbivores on lupins in Europe. The adult weevils feed on the leaves, and the larvae on the root nodules of the plants. This causes severe damage to lupin crops. In the present study, the feeding preferences of lupin weevil adults on different lupin genotypes were examined with respect to a possible effect of lupin alkaloids on host selection. A total of 12 genotypes from the species Lupinus albus, L. angustifolius, L. luteus, and L. nanus were grown in a field experiment and the feeding damage on the leaves caused by naturally occurring lupin weevil adults was estimated. Additionally, a feeding choice test with S. gressorius adults was performed to examine feeding preferences under laboratory conditions. A gas chromatographic analysis provided information on the alkaloid content and profiles in the leaves of the tested lupin genotypes. In the field experiment, significant differences in the extent of the feeding damage within the 12 lupin genotypes were observed. The dual-choice feeding bioassay did not show discrimination of lupin species, but two L. angustifolius genotypes were significantly less affected than the standard L. luteus “Bornal”. The alkaloid analysis revealed large contrasts in alkaloid concentrations and profiles in the leaves of the tested genotypes. Correlation analysis with the results from the field and laboratory did not indicate a significant influence of the total foliar alkaloid content on the extent of weevil feeding.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) based on a decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the innovation support program. We kindly thank the anonymous reviewers for their detailed and constructive comments on an earlier version of the manuscript, the staff of the Chair of Nutritional Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock for granting us use of their GLC-MS system and laboratory facilities for the alkaloid analyses, and the Saatzucht Steinach GmbH & Co. KG for providing the lupin seed material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Crop Health, University of Rostock, Satower Str. 48, 18059, Rostock, Germany

    Kathrin Ströcker & Christine Struck

  2. Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Behavioural Biology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany

    Shirley Wendt & Wolfgang H. Kirchner

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  1. Kathrin Ströcker
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  2. Shirley Wendt
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  3. Wolfgang H. Kirchner
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  4. Christine Struck
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Correspondence to Kathrin Ströcker.

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Handling Editor: Michael Smith.

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Ströcker, K., Wendt, S., Kirchner, W.H. et al. Feeding preferences of the weevils Sitona gressorius and Sitona griseus on different lupin genotypes and the role of alkaloids. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 7, 579–589 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-013-9273-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-013-9273-0

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