Home

Ornamental and Medicinal Plants, 2017, 1(1): 49-57
[XML] [EndNote] [RefManager] [BibTex] [ Full PDF (770K)] [Comment/Review Article]

Article

Temperature dependent development of poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, and its parasite sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

WenJun Zhang
School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Hong Kong

Received 19 May 2017;Accepted 26 June 2017;Published 1 December 2017
IAEES

Abstract
The present study demonstrated that development of the ornamental plant poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd Ex Koltz was determined by temperature. The expected lower temperature threshold, optimal temperature, and upper temperature threshold for leaf sprouting of poinsettia was 19.2, 32.8, and 37.6 ¡æ, respectively. The effective cumulative day degrees for the development of single leaf of poinsettia were 21.8. The dynamic models for the number of leaves per poinsettia plant, the total foliage area per poinsettia plant, and the height of poinsettia plant were developed as follows: N=-1.86+0.05D, A=-80.60+2.12D, H=-0.71+0.04D, where D is the effective cumulative day degrees, N, A, and H are the number of leaves per plant, the total foliage area per plant (cm2), and the height of plant (cm), respectively. The development and fecundity of the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci Genn., the insect pest of poinsettia, are greatly determined by temperature. The present study revealed that the expected lower temperature threshold for development of egg, 1st to 4th instar nymphs, pupae, and immature of B. tabaci fed on poinsettia was 12.6, 12.2, 8.4, 6.9, 9.5, 12.6, and 9.8 ¡æ, respectively; the optimal temperature for development was 30.8, 31.5, 29.7, 31.4, 30.3, 31.3, and 31.0 ¡æ, respectively; the upper temperature threshold for their development was 39, 36.9, 36.7, 36.4, 36.5, 36.2, and 36.6 ¡æ, respectively. The temperature range for development of B. tabaci was between 6 to 39 ¡æ, and the favorable temperature range was between 29 to 32 ¡æ. The egg had the strongest tolerance to high temperature. The effective cumulative day degrees for development of egg, 1st to 4th instar nymphs, pupae, and immature stage were 74.1, 56.5, 64.1, 44.4, 29.9, 16.8, and 204.1, respectively. The effective cumulative day degrees for development generally decreased from egg to pupae. The favorable temperature for egg laying was in the range of 27 to 36 ¡æ. The expected maximum number of eggs laid daily per adult in unlimited living space could be reached at 30.8 ¡æ. The stronger density dependence of fecundity was found in female adults of B. tabaci. Fecundity of B. tabaci was comprehensively affected by temperature and adult density on host plant poinsettia. Temperature dependence was more important than density dependence in the determination of fecundity. The expected maximum number of eggs laid daily per adult in unlimited living space was 0.57, 4.53, 11.23, 15.32, and 13.10 at the temperature 12.0, 16.0, 21.0, 27.0, and 36.0 ¡æ, respectively.

Keywords poinsettia;Bemisia tabaci;temperature;development;adult density;fecundity.


International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. E-mail: office@iaees.org
Copyright © 2009-2024 International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. All rights reserved.
Web administrator: office@iaees.org, website@iaees.org; Last modified: 2024/5/7


Translate page to: