The relationship between the insect community and Exserohilum turcicum in corn fields
Author of the article:FENG Li-Chao;GENG Kai;ZHANG Shao-Qing;ZHOU Yan;ZHANG Yu-Feng;ZHANG Shuang;ZHAO Li-Na;CHEN Dian-Yuan
Author's Workplace:Department of Plant Protection, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, Jilin 132101, China; 2. Testing and Analysis Center, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Key Words:Exserohilum turcicum; maize incidence; insect species richness; correlation
Abstract:
[Objectives] To explore the relationship between the
occurrence of northern corn leaf blight and insect community composition in
farmland, and identify insect vectors of this pathogen. [Methods] Field investigation, pathogen
separation and purification, physiological identification and
biochemistry and molecular biology, were used to identify insects carrying Exserohilum
turcicum. [Results] Sixty
insect species, from forty-five families and nine orders (Diptera, Coleoptera,
Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Ephemeroptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera and
Dermaptera) were investigated during an outbreak of northern corn leaf blight (Exserohilum
turcicum) in corn fields. The Diptera were the dominant order and the
Coleoptera the second most abundant. Microscopy and DNA analysis revealed that
the E. turcicum pathogen was present in insect species. We suspect that
the two Coleoptera species (Notoxus monoceros andMonolepta hieroglyphica) carry more pathogen than
the Diptera (P<0.05), however, the species richness of virus vectors
was lower among the Coleoptera than among the Diptera. There was a correlation
between insect species and the incidence E. turcicum in corn crops. [Conclusion]
Transmission of E.
turcicum by insects may play a small role in outbreaks of this
disease.