Physiological responses to Nilaparvata lugens in susceptible and resistant rice varieties: allocation of assimilates between shoots and roots.

Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) is a typical vascular feeder, primarily sucking the phloem sap of host plants. Its feeding on rice, Oryza sativa L., plants changes the pattern of allocation of assimilates between roots and shoots, and the root:shoot (R/S) ratio of assimilates is often measured as an index of physiological responses to N. lugens. The current study investigated changes in the R/S ratio of biomass, sucrose, and soluble sugar contents of rice plants in a susceptible variety (TN1) and a resistant variety (Xieyou 963). The results demonstrated that root and shoot biomasses in the two varieties linearly decreased with the increase of N. lugens infestation density. However, the relationship between changes in the R/ S ratio ofbiomass and N. lugens density differed between rice varieties, with the R/S increasing with infestation density in TN1 and decreasing in Xieyou 963. Sucrose and soluble sugar contents and their R/S values were also significantly different between the two varieties. Compared with the control that was not infested by N. lugens, the R/S values of sucrose and soluble sugar at 3 days after infestation (DAI) increased but decreased at 6 DAI in TN1. The R/S values of sucrose and soluble sugar were higher at 6 DAI than those at 3 DAI in TN1, whereas these values were lower at 6 DAI than at 3 DAI in Xieyou 963. These contrasting results suggest that physiological responses to N. lugens infestation differ between the susceptible and tolerant rice varieties.

Reproduction-flight relationship in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

To evaluate the relationship between reproduction and migratory flight, we examined ovaries, tethered flight, and egg laying in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Ovarian development in female S. exigua was classified into five stages in relation to the postemergence age of the moths. Oviposition peaked at ovarian stages III and IV. Mating accelerated ovarian development in this species, and thus the mated females developed faster than the virgin moths in ovaries. In virgin adults, flight capacity increased from the first day to the third day after emergence and remained at a high level until the moths were 7 d old. In contrast, the mated moths reached the maximum flight capacity in 2 d after emergence and maintained a high level until the age of 7 d. However, mating status could not influence the flight capacity of the beet armyworm, although there were general differences in flight capacity between virgin and mated adults at the same age. Moreover, significant correlations between the number of eggs laid and the flight capacity were not performed by the mated moths. These results showed that mating status and ovarian development did not seem to influence flight capacity in the beet armyworm, which was not in agreement with the definitions of the oogenesis-flight syndrome observed in many other migratory insects.

Changes of zeatin riboside content in rice plants due to infestation by Nilaparvata lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae).

The effect of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae), infestation on the content of zeatin ribosides (ZR) in rice plants was investigated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hydroponics experiments were conducted on 'Zhendao 2' rice, in which plants were subjected to N. lugens infestation at three nonhopperburn-causing densities (15, 30, and 60 nymphs per hill) for 2, 4, 6, and 8 d and at one hopperburn-causing density (240 nymphs per hill) for 2, 4, and 6 d, respectively. When rice plants were infested at the nonhopperburn-causing densities, ZR content in leaves varied significantly with the infestation density. Compared with the control plants, ZR content in rice leaves decreased significantly after infestation by 60 nymphs per hill for 2 d, but it tended to increase due to prolonged infestation at all the nonhopperburn-causing densities. In contrast, ZR content in rice roots significantly reduced after the plants being infested at the density of 15 nymphs for 2 d and at all densities for prolonged duration, except for the plants infested by 60 nymphs for 6 and 8 d, in which the ZR content increased or did not change significantly. However, infestation at the hopperburn-causing density caused significant reduction in ZR content in rice roots, regardless of infestation duration, and in rice leaves from the plants subjected to 2-d infestation. These results are discussed in relation to the possible physiological reaction of rice plants to N. lugens infestation and the resultant severe damage or hopperburn.