Phenological stages of a soybean crop affect the number of mating pairs and egg load in Rhyssomatus nigerrimus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) females under natural conditions

Authors

  • Guillermo López Guillén Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Campo Experimental Rosario Izapa, Tuxtla Chico, Chiapas, C. P. 30780, México
  • Jaime Gómez Ruiz Grupo Académico Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Tapachula, Chiapas, CP 30700, México
  • Leopoldo Cruz López Grupo Académico Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Tapachula, Chiapas, CP 30700, México
  • Andrea Joyce Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI), University of California Merced, 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, California, 95343, USA
  • Fernando Hernández Baz Facultad de Biología-Xalapa, Universidad Veracruzana, Zona Universitaria, Circuito Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán, s/n, C.P. 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
  • Eriberto Aragón Robles Instituto Tecnológico del Valle de Oaxaca, Ex-Hacienda de Nazareno, Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca, C.P. 71230, México
  • Rafael Hernández Alaniz Instituto Tecnológico del Valle de Oaxaca, Ex-Hacienda de Nazareno, Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca, C.P. 71230, México

Abstract

The soybean weevil, Rhyssomatus nigerrimus Fahraus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an economically important pest that attacks soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) crops in northern and southern Mexico. Knowledge of bioecological and behavioral aspects of this insect can contribute to developing integrated management strategies for its control. This study aimed to register the number of mating R. nigerrimus pairs during different phenological stages of the soybean crop and at different times of day, as well as to determine the egg load in R. nigerrimus females during different phenological stages of the crop. During the soybean vegetative stages (VE to V5) and reproductive stages (R1 to R3), no copulating R. nigerrimus pairs were observed. The first mating pairs were found from phenological stage R4 to phenological stage R9. Rhyssomatus nigerrimus pairs were observed mating from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, with the largest number of mating pairs between 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The number of copulating R. nigerrimus pairs correlated positively with the temperature and negatively with relative humidity. In the ovaries of female R. nigerrimus collected in the field at different phenological stages, eggs started appearing at the phenological stage R5. The largest egg load was found in females collected during the phenological stage R7.1.

 

Resumen

El picudo de la soya, Rhyssomatus nigerrimus Fahraus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), es una plaga de importancia económica que ataca cultivos de soya (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) del norte y sur de México. Conocer aspectos sobre la bioecología y comportamiento de este insecto puede ayudar a desarrollar estrategias de manejo integrado para su control. El objetivo del presente fue registrar el número de parejas de R. nigerrimus en cópula en diferentes etapas fenológicas del cultivo de soya y en diferentes horas del día; así como determinar carga de huevos corionados en las hembras de R. nigerrimus en diferentes etapas fenológicas del cultivo de soya. Durante las etapas vegetativas del cultivo de soya (VE a V5) y reproductivas (R1 a R3), no se observaron parejas de R. nigerrimus copulando. Las primeras parejas en cópula, se encontraron a partir de la etapa fenológica R4 hasta la etapa fenológica R9. Se observaron parejas de R. nigerrimus en cópula desde las 7:00 a. m. a 5:30 p. m., con la mayor cantidad de parejas en cópula entre 11:30 a. m. y 2:30 p. m. La cantidad de parejas de R. nigerrimus en cópula se correlacionó de manera positiva con la temperatura y de manera negativa con humedad relativa. En los ovarios de las hembras de R. nigerrimus recolectadas en campo en diferentes etapas fenológicas, se comenzaron a encontrar huevos corionados a partir de la etapa fenológica R5. La mayor carga de huevos fue encontrada en hembras recolectadas en la etapa fenológica R7.1.

Key Words: Glycine max; the soybean weevil; soybean pest; mating behavior; copulate

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Published

2023-10-20

Issue

Vol. 106, No. 3 (September 2023)

Section

Research Papers

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