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Response of Epilachna paenulata to Two Flavonoids, Pinocembrin and Quercetin, in a Comparative Study

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Abstract

We examined the effects of the flavonoids pinocembrin and quercetin on the feeding behavior, survival, and development of the Cucurbitaceae pest Epilachna paenulata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). In no-choice experiments, 48 hr-consumption of Cucurbita maxima Duch. leaves treated with pinocembrin at 1, 5, and 50 μg/cm2 was less than one third of that for leaves treated with 0.1 μg/cm2 of pinocembrin or untreated leaves. Larvae stopped feeding after 9 days of high doses of pinocembrin (5 and 50 μg/cm2), and larval weight and survival were negatively affected by pinocembrin at 1–50 μg/cm2. Delayed mortality in comparison to food-deprived larvae suggests that the mechanism of action for pinocembrin is chronic intoxication, rather than simple starvation from antifeedant effects. In contrast, leaf consumption and larval weight were not significantly affected by quercetin (at 0.1, 1, 5, and 50 μg/cm2) while mortality rates were only slightly increased. The response of E. paenulata larvae in a choice-test to combinations of pinocembrin at antifeedant doses (5 and 50 μg/cm2) and quercetin at phagostimulant doses (0.01 and 0.1 μg/cm2) indicated that the feeding deterrent activity of the former completely overshadowed the stimulant activity of the latter. These results demonstrate the different responses of one insect species to two widely distributed plant flavonoids. Pinocembrin strongly affected survival of E. paenulata while quercetin had only a weak effect without major consequences on the insect life-cycle.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Grant from FONCyT- PICT 2005 and PICTO-CRUP 2005. G.D.N. gratefully acknowledges receipt of a fellowship from CONICET. We thank Joss Heywood for revising the English language.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Química Fina y Productos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Camino a Alta Gracia Km 10, (5000), Córdoba, Argentina

    Georgina N. Diaz Napal & Sara M. Palacios

  2. Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, (5016), Córdoba, Argentina

    Maria T. Defagó & Graciela R. Valladares

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Camino a Alta Gracia Km 10, (5000), Córdoba, Argentina

    Sara M. Palacios

Authors
  1. Georgina N. Diaz Napal
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  2. Maria T. Defagó
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  3. Graciela R. Valladares
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  4. Sara M. Palacios
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Correspondence to Sara M. Palacios.

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Diaz Napal, G.N., Defagó, M.T., Valladares, G.R. et al. Response of Epilachna paenulata to Two Flavonoids, Pinocembrin and Quercetin, in a Comparative Study. J Chem Ecol 36, 898–904 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9823-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9823-1

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