Response of Epilachna paenulata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to two flavonoids, Pinocembrin and Quercetin, in a comparative study

DÍAZ NAPAL, GEORGINA; DEFAGÓ, M. T.; VALLADARES, G.; PALACIOS, S. M.

SPRINGER

Año: 2010 p. 898 - 898

e 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