English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Age influences host-plant quality, which is a key determinant of the fitness of herbivorous insects and hence biological control agents of invasive plants. We assessed the effect of host-plant age on the performance of the root-feeding flea beetle  Heikertingerella  sp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), which was recently approved for release against the invasive tree  Tecoma stans  (L.) Juss ex Kunth var.  stans  (Bignoniaceae) in South Africa. Using similar-sized plants that were aged from one to three years, our aim was to determine an optimal host-plant age to facilitate mass-rearing of the beetle for impending releases. While significantly more  F1  progeny were produced with increasing plant age, presumably due to larger root masses in progressively older plants, plant age did not influence the size of the  F1  adults. There was no significant effect of plant age on the survival and percentage of leaves damaged by the  P1  adults.  Tecoma stans  plants of all ages produced significantly fewer leaves when exposed to feeding by  Heikertingerella  sp. adults and their larval progeny, relative to the unexposed control plants. Irrespective of plant age, adults displayed higher feeding intensity on the younger leaves at the top sections of the plants than on the older leaves on the middle and bottom sections. Although plants of all three ages were suitable for adult feeding and survival in quarantine cultures, progressively older plants are best suited for  F1  progeny production and therefore for the mass-rearing of  Heikertingerella  sp. for releases.

biocontrol science and technology

Effect of host-plant age on the performance of the root-feeding flea beetle  Heikertingerella  sp., a biological control agent for  Tecoma stans  in South Africa