Eur. J. Entomol. 115: 364-371, 2018 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2018.036

Flora surrounding rice fields as a source of alternative prey for coccinellids feeding on the pests of riceOriginal article

Chitra SHANKER1, Lydia CHINTAGUNTA1, Sampathkumar MUTHUSAMY2, Sunil VAILLA1, Amudhan SRINIVASAN1, Gururaj KATTI1
1 ICAR - Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, Telangana, India; e-mails: chitrashanker@gmail.com, lclydiach@gmail.com, vsunil85@gmail.com, srinidrr@gmail.com, gururajkatti@yahoo.com
2 ICAR - National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru 560024, Karnataka, India; e-mail: ento_sam@yahoo.co.in

Coccinellids are effective predators and a key component of the predator guild in rice ecosystems. In order to enhance their efficacy, a study was undertaken to assess the seasonal movement of coccinellids into rice fields and the role of the surrounding flora on their colonization. The seasonal abundance of coccinellids and their prey was recorded on the rice crop and the surrounding flora at fortnightly intervals from 2012 to 2015. Coccinellid prey range was assessed using PAGE electrophoresis. The herbivorous insects associated with weeds were Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis craccivora (Koch), Cicadulina bipunctata (Melichar), Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), Sitobion sp., Thaia oryzivora Ghauri and Zygina maculifrons Matsumura. Of the species of coccinellids recorded in rice fields, Harmonia octomaculata (Fabricius), Micraspis discolor (F.), Propylea dissecta (Mulsant), Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), Scymnus nubilus Mulsant and Brumoides suturalis (Fabricius) were also recorded on weeds. The esterase profiles indicated that the leafhoppers and aphids on the weeds were the prey of the coccinellids before they colonized the rice fields. The coccinellids recorded on the weeds showed bands corresponding to the insects present on the weeds. Beetles collected from rice fields had different bands, some of which corresponded to the green leafhopper (GLH) Nephotettix virescens Distant, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens Stal and white backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera Hovarth infesting rice. In addition, some bands corresponded to hoppers and aphids that were present on the surrounding flora. The results indicate the importance of surrounding flora in the conservation and colonization of rice fields by coccinellids.

Keywords: Coleoptera, Coccinellidae, conservation, biological control, generalist predators, gut-content analysis, prey spectrum, planthoppers, aphids, rice

Received: July 19, 2017; Revised: February 22, 2018; Accepted: February 22, 2018; Published online: July 31, 2018  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
SHANKER, C., CHINTAGUNTA, L., MUTHUSAMY, S., VAILLA, S., SRINIVASAN, A., & KATTI, G. (2018). Flora surrounding rice fields as a source of alternative prey for coccinellids feeding on the pests of rice. EJE, 115, Article 364-371. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2018.036
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Amalin M.D., Pena J.E. & McSorley R. 2000: Gut content analysis of three species of sac spiders by electrophoresis. - Fla Entomol. 83: 489-492. Go to original source...
    2. Boreau de Roincé C.B., Lavigne C., Ricard J.M., Franck P., Bouvier J.C., Garcin A. & Symondson W.O.C. 2012: Predation by generalist predators on the codling moth versus a closely-related emerging pest the oriental fruit moth: a molecular analysis. - Agr. For. Entomol. 14: 260-269. Go to original source...
    3. Corey D., Kambhampat S. & Wilde G. 1998: Electrophoretic analysis of Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) feeding habits in field corn. - J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. 71: 11-17.
    4. Dassou A.G. & Tixier P. 2016: Response of pest control by generalist predators to local-scale plant diversity: a meta-analysis, - Ecol. Evol. 6: 1143-1153. Go to original source...
    5. Dicke M. & De Jong M. 1988: Prey preference of the phytoseiid mite Typhlodromus pyri: 2. Electrophoretic diet analysis. - Exp. Appl. Acarol. 4: 15-25. Go to original source...
    6. Eya A.A., Lacuna D.G. & Espra A.S. 2011: Gut content analysis of selected commercially important species of coral reef fish in the southwest part of Iligan Bay, Northern Mindanao, Phillippines. - Publ. Seto Marine Biol. Lab. 41: 35-49. Go to original source...
    7. Giller P.S. 1982: The natural diets of water bugs (Hemiptera-Heteroptera): electrophoresis as a potential method of analysis. - Ecol. Entomol. 7: 233-237. Go to original source...
    8. Giller P.S. 1984: Predators gut state and prey detectability using electrophoretic analysis of gut contents. - Ecol. Entomol. 9: 157-162. Go to original source...
    9. Giller P.S. 1986: The natural diet of the Notonectidae: field trials using electrophoresis. - Ecol. Entomol. 11: 163-172. Go to original source...
    10. Grez A.A. & Prado E. 2000: Effect of plant patch shape and surrounding vegetation on the dynamics of predatory coccinellids and their prey Brevicoryne brassicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae). - Environ. Entomol. 29: 1244-1250. Go to original source...
    11. Gurr G.M., Wratten S.D. & Barbosa P. 2000: Success in conservation biological control of arthropods. In Gurr G.M. & Wratten S.D. (eds): Biological Control: Measures of Success. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 105-132. Go to original source...
    12. Gurr G.M., Liu J., Read D.M.Y., Catindig J.L.A., Cheng J.A., Lan L.P. & Heong K.L. 2010: Parasitoids of Asian rice planthopper (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) pests and prospects for enhancing biological control by ecological engineering. - Ann. Appl. Biol. 158[2011]: 149-176. Go to original source...
    13. Harwood J.D. & Obrycki J.J. 2005: Quantifying aphid predation rates of generalist predators in the field. - Eur. J. Entomol. 102: 335-350. Go to original source...
    14. Hobson E.S. 1974: Feeding relationships of teleostan fishes on coral reefs in Kona. - Hawaii. Fish. Bull. 72: 915-1031.
    15. Hodek I. & Evans E.W. 2012: Food relationships. In Hodek I., Van Emden H.F. & Honek A. (eds): Ecology and Behaviour of the Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae). John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 141-274. Go to original source...
    16. Horgan F.G., Ramala A.F. , Bernala C.C., Villegasa J.M., Stuarta A.M. & Almazana M.L.P. 2016: Applying ecological engineering for sustainable and resilient rice production systems. - Procedia Food Sci. 6: 7-15. Go to original source...
    17. Joon H.L. & Seung T.K. 2001: Use of spiders as natural enemies to control rice pests in Korea. In: Extension Bulletin - Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region (Taiwan), No. 501. Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region, Taipei, 13 pp.
    18. Kranz J., Tort N. & Sengonca C. 2002: Effects of three weeds on the populations of predatory coccinellids and aphids in a kohlrabi field. - Gesunde Pfl. 54: 98-104. Go to original source...
    19. Landis D.A., Wratten S.D. & Gurr G.M. 2000: Habitat management to conserve natural enemies of arthropod pests in agriculture. - Annu. Rev. Entomol. 45: 175-201. Go to original source...
    20. Lister A., Usher M.B. & Block W. 1987: Description and quantification of field attack rates by predatory mites: an example using an electrophoretic method with a species of Antarctic mite. - Oecologia 72: 185-191. Go to original source...
    21. Lixa A.T., Campos J.M., Resende A.L.S., Silva J.C., Almeida M.M.T.B. & Aguiar-Menezes E.L. 2010: Diversity of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) using aromatic plants (Apiaceae) as survival and reproduction sites in agroecological system. - Neotrop. Entomol. 39: 364-359. Go to original source...
    22. Michaud J.P. & Harwood J.D. 2012: Quantifying the impact of coccinellids on their prey. In Hodek I., Van Emden H.F. & Honek A. (eds): Ecology and Behaviour of the Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae). John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 465-487. Go to original source...
    23. Murray R.A. & Solomon M.G. 1978: A rapid technique for analysing diets of invertebrate predators by electrophoresis. - Ann. Appl. Biol. 90: 7-10. Go to original source...
    24. Pompanon F., Deagle B.E., Symondson W.O.C., Brown D.S., Jarman S.N. & Taberlet P. 2012: Who is eating what: diet assessment using next generation sequencing. - Mol. Ecol. 21: 1931-1950. Go to original source...
    25. Rekha B.S., Ramkumar J., Kandibane M., Raguraman S. & Swamiappan M. 2009: Diversity of coccinellids in cereals, pulses, vegetables and in weeded and partially weeded rice-cowpea ecosystems in Madurai District of Tamil Nadu. - Madras Agr. J. 96: 251-264.
    26. Schaller M. & Nentwig W. 2000: Olfactory orientation of the seven-spot ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): Attraction of adults to plants and conspecific females. - Eur. J. Entomol. 97: 155-159. Go to original source...
    27. Schmid A. 1992: Investigations on the attractiveness of agricultural weeds to aphidophagous ladybirds (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae). - Agrarökologie 5: 122 pp.
    28. Schulz K.L. & Yurista P.M. 1995: Diet composition from allozyme analysis in the predatory cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemi. - Limnol. Oceanogr. 40: 821-826. Go to original source...
    29. Senthil Kumar C.M. & Regupathy A. 2009: Gut content analysis of spiders in coffee ecosystem. - Curr. Sci. 96: 892-893.
    30. Shanker C., Mohan M., Sampathkumar M., Lydia Ch., Katti G. 2013a: Functional significance of Micraspis discolor (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) in rice ecosystem. - J. Appl. Entomol. 137: 601-609. Go to original source...
    31. Shanker C., Mohan M., Sampathkumar M., Lydia Ch. & Katti G. 2013b: Selection of flowering forbs for conserving natural enemies in rice fields. - Biocontr. Sci. Technol. 23: 480-484. Go to original source...
    32. Solomon M.G., Fitzgerald J.D. & Murray R.A. 1996: Electrophoretic approaches to predator-prey interactions. In Symondson W.O.C. & Liddell J.E. (eds): The Ecology of Agricultural Pests: Biochemical Approaches. Chapman & Hall, London, pp. 457-468.
    33. Sutherland J.P., Sullivan M.S. & Poppy G.M. 2001: Distribution and abundance of aphidophagous hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in wildflower patches and field margin habitats. - Agr. For. Entomol. 3: 57-64. Go to original source...
    34. Symondson W.O.C., Sunderland K.D. & Greenstone M.H. 2002: Can generalist predators be effective biocontrol agents? - Annu. Rev. Entomol. 47: 561-594. Go to original source...
    35. Traugott M. 2003: The prey spectrum of larval and adult Cantharis species in arable land: An electrophoretic approach. - Pedobiologia 47: 161-169. Go to original source...
    36. Villegas C.M., Verdugo J.A., Grez A.A., Tapia J. & Lavandero B. 2013: Movement between crops and weeds: temporal refuges for aphidophagous insects in Central Chile. - Cien. Inv. Agr. 40: 317-326. Go to original source...
    37. Wackers F.L. & van Rijn P.C.J. 2012: Pick and mix: Selecting flowering plants to meet the requirements of target biological control insects. In Gurr G.M., Wratten S.D., Snyder W.E. & Read D.M.Y. (eds): Biodiversity and Insect Pests: Key Issues for Sustainable Management. John Wiley, Chichester, pp. 139-166. Go to original source...
    38. Weber D.C. & Lundgren J.G. 2009: Assessing the trophic ecology of the Coccinellidae: their roles as predators and prey. - Biol. Contr. 51: 199-214. Go to original source...
    39. Win S.S., Muhamad R., Ahmad Z.A.M. & Adam N.A. 2011: Population fluctuations of brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens Stal and white backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera Horvath on rice. - J. Entomol. 8: 183-190. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content