Volatile constituents of the boll weevil

When the distillable oil from adult boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis, of both sexes was investigated with an integrated gas chromatographymass spectrometry system, evidence was obtained for a number of mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and some substituted anilines including o-toluidine; for some C₅ and C₆ alcohols and monoterpene alcohols; and for at least one sesquiterpene alcohol. The major components were a series of alkanes, alkenes, and alkyl alcohols of high molecular weight. This investigation was part of a study made to identify possible additional components of the pheromone produced by the boll weevil.     

Susceptibility of the boll weevil to Steinernema riobrave and other entomopathogenic nematodes

The susceptibility of the boll weevil (BW), Anthonomus grandis Boheman, to Steinernema riobrave and other nematode species in petri dishes, soil (Hidalgo sandy clay loam), and cotton bolls and squares was investigated. Third instar weevils were susceptible to entomopathogenic nematode (EN) species and strains in petri dish bioassays at 30 degrees C. Lower LC(50)'s occurred with S. riobrave TX- 355 (2 nematodes per weevil), S. glaseri NC (3), Heterorhabditis indicus HOM-1 (5), and H. bacteriophora HbL (7) than H. bacteriophora IN (13), S. riobrave TX (14), and H. bacteriophora HP88 (21). When infective juveniles (IJs) of S. riobrave were applied to weevils on filter paper at 25 degrees C, the LC(50) of S. riobrave TX for first, second, and third instars, pupae, and 1-day-old and 10-days-old adult weevils were 4, 5, 4, 12, 13, and 11IJs per weevil, respectively. The mean time to death, from lowest to highest concentration, for the first instar (2.07 and 1.27days) and second instar (2.55 and 1.39days) weevils were faster than older weevil stages. But, at concentrations of 50 and 100IJs/weevil, the mean time to death for the third instar, pupa and adult weevils were similar (1.84 and 2.67days). One hundred percent weevil mortality (all weevil stages) occurred 3days after exposure to 100IJs per weevil. Invasion efficiency rankings for nematode concentration were inconsistent and changed with weevil stage from 15 to 100% when weevils were exposed to 100 and 1IJs/weevil, respectively. However, there was a consistent relationship between male:female nematode sex ratio (1:1.6) and nematode concentration in all infected weevil stages. Nematode production per weevil cadaver increased with increased nematode concentrations. The overall mean yield of nematodes per weevil was 7680IJs. In potted soil experiments (30 degrees C), nematode concentration and soil moisture greatly influenced the nematode efficacy. At the most effective concentrations of 200,000 and 400,000IJs/m(2) in buried bolls or squares, higher insect mortalities resulted in pots with 20% soil moisture either in bolls (94 and 97% parasitism) or squares (92 and 100% parasitism) than those of 10% soil moisture in bolls (44 and 58% parasitism) or squares (0 and 13% parasitism). Similar results were obtained when nematodes were sprayed on the bolls and squares on the soil surface. This paper presents the first data on the efficacy of S. riobrave against the boll weevil, establishes the potential of EN to control the BW inside abscised squares and bolls that lay on the ground or buried in the soil.     

Forensic pollen geolocation techniques used to identify the origin of boll weevil re-infestation

The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, entered the United States of America in the early twentieth century and became a major pest in cotton, Gossypium spp. Shortly after the passage of Tropical Storm Erin on 16 August 2007 through the South Texas/Winter Garden boll weevil eradication zone, over 150 boll weevils were captured in the Southern Rolling Plains (SRP) eradication zone that was essentially weevil-free since 2003. Pollen analyses were made of the SRP weevils and weevils collected in two suspected source zones, Cameron (Southern Blacklands eradication zone) and Uvalde (Winter Garden eradication zone). An additional examination of the palynological evidence and examination of additional pollen residue shed new light on this event and strengthens the conclusion that the Uvalde area was the source of the SRP weevils. A total of 192 pollen grains from 39 taxa were found in the SRP weevils: 1904 pollen grains from ten taxa from the Cameron weevils and 148 grains from 28 taxa in the Uvalde weevils. The SRP weevils shared 16 taxa, including Phermeranthus sp. (flameflower) with the Uvalde weevils and only five taxa with the Cameron weevils. Common taxa between SRP and Uvalde weevils and the lack of the dominant ‘low spine’ Asteraceae that occurred in all Cameron samples confirm that the SRP weevils originated from the South Texas/Winter Garden zone. Problems associated with this type of research are similar to those in forensic palynology. These problems include the unknown origin of the weevils, pollen contamination and care and storage of the samples.     

Selection for mating propensity in irradiated populations of the cotton boll weevil

Summary Twelve generations of family selection for 10-day post-irradiation male mating propensity resulted in significant divergence between the selected and unselected control populations. Much of this divergence was the result of a decline in the control population which was believed to have been a function of both inbreeding and environmental effects. Significant correlated responses as measured by differences in the two populations for linear time trends of performance on generations of selection were observed for 10-day post-irradiation survival, percent survivors mating at 10 days, and 7-day egg production of unirradiated females.     

Proteolytic processing of the vitellogenin precursor in the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis

The soluble proteins of the eggs of the coleopteran insect Anthonomus grandis Boheman, the cotton boll weevil, consist almost entirely of two vitellin types with M_rs of 160,000 and 47,000. We sequenced their N-terminal ends and one internal cyanogen bromide fragment of the large vitellin and compared these sequences with the deduced amino acid sequence from the vitellogenin gene. The results suggest that both the boll weevil vitellin proteins are products of the proteolytic cleavage of a single precursor protein. The smaller 47,000 M vitellin protein is derived from the N-terminal portion of the precursor adjacent to an 18 amino acid signal peptide. The cleavage site between the large and small vitellins at amino acid 362 is adjacent to a pentapeptide sequence containing two pairs of arginine residues. Comparison of the boll weevil sequences with limited known sequences from the single 180,000 M_r honey bee protein show that the honey bee vitellin N-terminal exhibits sequence homology to the N-terminal of the 47,000 M_r boll weevil vitellin. Treatment of the vitellins with an N-glycosidase results in a decrease in molecular weight of both proteins, from 47,000 to 39,000 and from 160,000 to 145,000, indicating that about 10–15% of the molecular weight of each vitellin consists of N-linked carbohydrate. The molecular weight of the deglycosylated large vitellin is smaller than that predicted from the gene sequence, indicating possible further proteolytic processing at the C-terminal of that protein. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Karyotypic analysis of the cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman

The diploid chromosome number of the cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, is 44. Both C‐ and N‐banding techniques of mitotic cells demonstrated constitutive heterochromatin in the p arm of the eight largest chromosomes, the p arm of the X chromosome, and the centromeric region of autosomal groups A–D. Neither the y nor the group E autosomes appeared to contain constitutive heterochromatin. Supernumerary chromosomes were not found in the boll weevil. Restriction endonuclease banding of primary spermatocytes revealed a rod‐shaped Xy tetrad in which the X and y were terminally associated. The p arm of the large, submetacentric X was C‐band positive. While two of the autosomal tetrads were typically ring‐shaped in primary spermatocytes, the remaining 19 autosomal tetrads were rod‐shaped. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Infection of the boll weevil by Chilo iridescent virus

When infections with Chilo iridescent virus (CIV) were induced in larvae of boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis, by intrahemocoelic injection or by feeding, and in adults by feeding, the typical blue coloration of adipose tissue developed at 3–7 days postinfection, and mortality occurred after 3 days. The symptomatology and the pathological expressions depended on the initial infectious titer. The virus remained viable when it was added to the feeding stimulant bait used to infect weevils with protozoan pathogens in the field, and weevils feeding on the formulation became infected when it had been exposed 1–3 days in nature.     

Functions of the spermathecal muscle of the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis

In female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis, spermathecal filling was not affected by severing the spermathecal muscles. Females whose spermathecal muscles were severed 2 to 4 weeks after mating laid infertile eggs and resumed virginal ovipositional behaviour indicating the importance of this muscle in supplying sperm for egg fertilization. The presence of normal active sperm within the spermatheca in no way influenced ovipositional behaviour. In females whose spermathecal muscles had been severed, 22 per cent sperm displacement occurred after a second mating compared with 66 per cent for normal females. The physical displacement of sperm was thus largely dependent on a functional spermathecal muscle.     

Regulation of vitellogenin synthesis and uptake in the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis

Abstract. Hormonal factors influencing reproductive development were examined in adult boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Long-day, high-temperature rearing conditions promote reproduction whereas short-day, low-temperature conditions do not. Implants of corpora allata (CA), brains, or brains plus retrocerebral complexes taken from long-day donors, or hormone analogue treatments were used to examine onset of vitellogenin synthesis and uptake in decapitated bodies of adult weevils reared in short-day, low-temperature conditions. Weevils decapitated within 2 days after eclosion and reared in short-day, low-temperature conditions never initiated vitellogenin production or ovarian development. Females and males decapitated on day 2 showed haemolymph vitellogenin within 5 days following treatment with Juvenile Hormone (JH) analogue or implantation of CA, but not after implantation of brain alone or implantation of muscle (sham). Uptake of vitellogenin into the oocytes did not occur unless both JH analogue and brain were given as replacement therapy. These experiments indicated that JH is necessary and sufficient to stimulate vitellogenin synthesis in this species but that a brain factor must be present for vitellogenin uptake.     

An assessment of the life time biosynthesis potential of the male boll weevil

The four monoterpene compounds [1, (+)-cis-2-isopropenyl-1-methycyclobutaneethanol; II, (Z)-3,3-dimethyl-Δ^1,β-cyclohexaneethanol; III, (Z)-3,3-dimethyl-Δ^1,α-cyclohexaneacetaldehyde; and IV, (E)-3,3-dimethyl-Δ^1,α-cyclohexaneacetaldehyde] which comprise the pheromone of the male boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, were determined daily throughout the lifespan of the insect by GLC analysis of the whole body and the frass. The total content of the components in the male is never greater than 210 ng, the average content in the frass produced during 1 day is 1268 ng, and the lifetime production is at least 40,000 ng. The ratio of the four components in frass is 6 : 6 : 2 : 1/I : II : III : IV. None of the four components was found in females, but female frass contained traces in three instances. These data can be used to compare the potential attractancy of insects from various geographical areas, at different seasons, in different nutritional states, and after chemosterilization. Such differences in potential insect attractiveness could be crucial to effective large-scale control programmes.     

Toxicity to cotton boll weevil Anthonomus grandis of a trypsin inhibitor from chickpea seeds

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important agricultural commodity, which is attacked by several pests such as the cotton boll weevil Anthonomus grandis. Adult A. grandis feed on fruits and leaf petioles, reducing drastically the crop production. The predominance of boll weevil digestive serine proteinases has motivated inhibitor screenings in order to discover new ones with the capability to reduce the digestion process. The present study describes a novel proteinase inhibitor from chickpea seeds (Cicer arietinum L.) and its effects against A. grandis. This inhibitor, named CaTI, was purified by using affinity Red-Sepharose Cl-6B chromatography, followed by reversed-phase HPLC (Vydac C18-TP). SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF analyses, showed a unique monomeric protein with a mass of 12,877 Da. Purified CaTI showed significant inhibitory activity against larval cotton boll weevil serine proteinases (78%) and against bovine pancreatic trypsin (73%), when analyzed by fluorimetric assays. Although the molecular mass of CaTI corresponded to alpha-amylase/trypsin bifunctional inhibitors masses, no inhibitory activity against insect and mammalian alpha-amylases was observed. In order to observe CaTI in vivo effects, an inhibitor rich fraction was added to an artificial diet at different concentrations. At 1.5% (w/w), CaTI caused severe development delay, several deformities and a mortality rate of approximately 45%. These results suggested that CaTI could be useful in the production of transgenic cotton plants with enhanced resistance toward cotton boll weevil.     

Sterilization of boll weevil pupae with fractionated doses of gamma irradiation

Fractionated doses of 6,250–8,000 rads of gamma irradiation when administered to pupae of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boh., sexually sterilized both sexes. Mortality of males thus treated with 6,250 and 8,000 rads via fractionation was 14% and 27% respectively, by 5 days posttreatment compared with 46% mortality when an equivalent acute dose was administered to newly emerged adults. Pheromone production of males irradiated at 6,250 rads was one-third that of the control for the first 4 days, but equal that of the control during 5–11 days posttreatment. This procedure lends itself to the large-scale sterilization of weevils needed in an eradication program. This technique is applicable to other insects that are highly susceptible to acute doses.

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Zusammenfassung Durch fraktionierte Dosen von insgesamt 6250 und 8000 rads einer Gammabestrahlung (25 bzw. 32 Teilbehandlungen zu 250 rads mit 4 h-Intervallen) wurden Puppen des Baumwollkapselkäfers, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, in beiden Geschlechtern sexuell sterilisiert. Die Sterblichkeit, 5 d nach der Behandlung, betrug bei den so behandelten Männchen bei 6250 rads 14%, bei 8000 rads 27% im Vergleich zu 46%, wenn eine äquivalente akute Dosis bei frisch geschlüpften Käfern angewendet wurde. Die Pheromonproduktion der Männchen in den ersten 4 d erreichte bei 6250 rads-Bestrahlung 1/3 derjenigen der Kontrolltiere; 5–11 d nach der Behandlung war kein Unterschied. Dieses Verfahren eignet sich für die Massensterilisation von Kapselkäfern, wie sie bei einem Ausrottungsprogramm nötig ist. Diese Technik ist anwendbar auf andere Insekten, die gegenüber akuten Dosen hochempfindlich sind.

     

Endocrine regulation of reproduction and diapause in the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis Boheman

A review of the literature for the hormonal control of reproduction and diapause in Coleoptera is presented. The role of juvenile hormone and juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) in the control of the different life history strategies of the boll weevil are examined. Elevated levels of hemolymph JHE were found to be positively correlated with survival throughout the winter in South Texas population of weevils. Winter weevils were examined for hemolymph vitellogenin (Vg) and their subsequent survival was monitored. The majority of weevils surviving beyond ten weeks had no hemolymph Vg. We conclude that elevated hemolymph JHE and the absence of Vg are good predictors of survivors in the South Texas population. The hormonal basis of diapause termination was examined using hormone treatment and implant therapy. We were unsuccessful in our attempt to induce post-diapause reproductive development with all of our treatments. Only weevils given access to a food source were capable of reproductive development. Our recent experimental findings in the control of Vg synthesis and uptake in the boll weevil are reviewed. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 35:455–477, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.