Possible host plants for larvae of western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera)

摘要

Since the late 1960s it is known that larvae of western corn rootworm (WCR) (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) are not simply monophagous on maize; Branson & Ortman (1967, 1970) recorded nearly 20 possible monocotyledonous host plants for the larvae. This might not be important for the USA, where maize is usually grown in monocultures or in rotation with soybean which, in common with all dicotyledonous plants, is not a suitable host for the larvae of WCR. In most parts of Europe, however, a crop rotation with cereals and grassy fodder crops is common, which may result in an increase in the percentage of larvae of WCR that survive on such hosts. For eradication, which is the policy in the EU, rotation is an important means of controlling WCR. For this,and for integrated control in regions where WCR is already established, the availability of all suitable host plants needs to considered. We have, therefore, investigated the suitability of various cereals and monocotyledonous weeds as hosts for the larvae of WCR.