Oviposition behavior of Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on different rice cultivars in Louisiana.
The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), is a pest of a variety of graminaceous crops in the southern United States, including sugarcane, maize, and rice in Louisiana. This study examined several aspects of D. saccharalis oviposition behavior on rice (Oryza sativa). The vertical  distribution of egg masses on four phenological stages of rice in the field showed that D. saccharalis prefers to oviposit on the uppermost portions of rice plants, regardless of plant stage. In greenhouse choice experiments, females strongly preferred plants at the boot and panicle differentiation  stages over plants at the tillering stage for oviposition. Greenhouse studies were also conducted to quantify the oviposition preference of D. saccharalis for different cultivars of. When plants were at the tillering stage, cultivars Cocodrie, Priscilla, Bengal, Cheniere, and CL161 were more  preferred than cultivars Jupiter, XL723, and XP744. When plants reached the panicle initiation stage, cultivars Cocodrie, CL161, and Priscilla were more preferred than Bengal, Cheniere, Jupiter, XL723, and XP744. Females also oviposited significantly more egg masses on the adaxial surfaces  of rice leaves than on the abaxial surfaces. These results will facilitate scouting and management of sugarcane borer and can be used as a foundation for the development of sugarcane borer resistant cultivars.
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Department of Entomology, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Jason C
JC
Hamm
Jaspreet K
JK
Sidhu
Michael J
MJ
Stout
Natalie A
NA
Hummel
Thomas E
TE
Reagan
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008145:Louisiana; D009036:Moths / Q000502:physiology*; D012275:Oryza / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010058:Oviposition; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development