Record ID No. |
2438 |
Author(s) |
Andrei Alyokhin, Serena Gross , 2013 |
Affiliation |
School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA |
Title |
Interactions among Organic Soil Amendments, Plants, and Insect Herbivores |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Insect Pests of Potato, 291–309p. |
Categories |
Mycorrhiza General |
Subjects |
Biological Interaction |
Sub-subjects |
Insects |
Host |
Solanum tuberosum |
Organism |
Leptinotarsa decemlineata(Colorado potato beetle) |
Country |
USA, N. America |
Abstracts |
Population levels of a variety of insect species, including the Colorado potato beetle, are often lower on plants grown in soils fertilized with manure and compost compared to the soils fertilized with synthetic fertilizers. Organic soil amendments make potato plants less suitable as Colorado potato beetle hosts, with negative effects including lower fecundity, fewer larvae surviving past the first instar, slower development of immature stages, and reduced foliage consumption by larvae and adults. Three major hypotheses attempt to explain the observed phenomenon. The mineral balance hypothesis and induced defense hypothesis attribute this phenomenon to enhanced plant resistance, while the natural enemy hypothesis suggests a build-up in the populations of natural enemies on amended plots. The three hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, and, at least in some cases, different mechanisms may be complementary to each other.
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