Abstract
Abstract Populations of the soil insects African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Fabricius), and whitefringed weevil, Graphognathus leucoloma (Boheman), and the damage caused to potato crops in south-western Australia were measured with and without the insecticide chlorpyrifos incorporated into the soil prior to planting. Low populations of both insects were highly damaging. Destruction of stems by H. arator reduced tuber yield and both species damaged tubers from the time of their formation. Tuber damage increased with time because both insect species on average damaged multiple tubers and caused multiple attacks on tubers. Growth of G. leucoloma larvae caused increased abundance of the more damaging later instars in spring. The insecticide reduced resident H. arator abundance and hence damage to newly-emerging potato stems in summer, but had less effect on reducing attacks on tubers in summer crops because adult beetles flew into some crops during growth. Exceptionally high tuber damage per H. arator adult in winter crops was ascribed to enhanced activity during its spring breeding season. The insecticide was inconsistent in reducing the abundance of G. leucoloma larvae. Insecticidal effects were greatest near the soil surface, resulting in an increase in the relative proportion of both insects deeper in the soil. Since a greater proportion of the tubers occurred there, the resulting greater potential for the insects to cause tuber damage tended to outweigh reduction in their abundance.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Low populations of both soil insects caused high potato crop damage.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- both insectse0pest
- Outcome
- highly damaginge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Low populations of both insects were highly damaging.”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
H. arator stem destruction reduced potato tuber yield.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- H. arator
Heteronychus aratore0pest - Outcome
- tuber yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Destruction of stems by H. arator reduced tuber yield”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Both insect species damaged potato tubers from formation onward.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- both speciese0pest
- Outcome
- damaged tuberse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“both species damaged tubers from the time of their formation”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Potato tuber damage increased over time as both insects attacked multiple tubers repeatedly.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- both insect speciese0pest
- Outcome
- Tuber damagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- with timee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Tuber damage increased with time because both insect species on average damaged multiple tubers and caused multiple attacks on tubers.”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Growth of G. leucoloma larvae increased abundance of later instars in spring.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- G. leucoloma
Naupactus leucolomae0pest - Outcome
- abundance of the more damaging later instarse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Growth of G. leucoloma larvae caused increased abundance of the more damaging later instars in spring.”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Chlorpyrifos reduced resident H. arator abundance.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- insecticide chlorpyrifose1
- Interactor
- H. arator
Heteronychus aratore0pest - Outcome
- resident H. arator abundancee0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“The insecticide reduced resident H. arator abundance”
e1“insecticide chlorpyrifos”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Chlorpyrifos reduced damage to newly emerging potato stems in summer.
- Taxon
- potato
Solanum tuberosume0 - Treatment
- insecticide chlorpyrifose2
- Interactor
- H. arator
Heteronychus aratore1pest - Outcome
- damage to newly-emerging potato stemse0
- Direction
- reducede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“hence damage to newly-emerging potato stems in summer”
e1“The insecticide reduced resident H. arator abundance”
e2“insecticide chlorpyrifos”
Claim · model-written summary
Chlorpyrifos was less effective against tuber attacks in summer crops because adult beetles entered during growth.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- insecticide chlorpyrifose1
- Interactor
- adult beetlese0pest
- Outcome
- attacks on tuberse0
- Direction
- less effect on reducinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“had less effect on reducing attacks on tubers in summer crops because adult beetles flew into some crops during growth.”
e1“insecticide chlorpyrifos”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Winter crops had exceptionally high tuber damage per H. arator adult, attributed to spring breeding activity.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- H. arator
Heteronychus aratore0pest - Outcome
- tuber damage per H. arator adulte0
- Direction
- Exceptionally highe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Exceptionally high tuber damage per H. arator adult in winter crops was ascribed to enhanced activity during its spring breeding season.”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Chlorpyrifos inconsistently reduced G. leucoloma larval abundance.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- insecticide chlorpyrifose1
- Interactor
- G. leucoloma
Naupactus leucolomae0pest - Outcome
- abundance of G. leucoloma larvaee0
- Direction
- reducinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“The insecticide was inconsistent in reducing the abundance of G. leucoloma larvae.”
e1“insecticide chlorpyrifos”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticidal effects were greatest near the soil surface.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Outcome
- Insecticidal effectse0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Setting
- near the soil surfacee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Insecticidal effects were greatest near the soil surface”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticide increased the relative proportion of both insects deeper in the soil.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- insecticide chlorpyrifose1
- Interactor
- both insectse0pest
- Outcome
- relative proportion of both insects deeper in the soile0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“resulting in an increase in the relative proportion of both insects deeper in the soil”
e1“insecticide chlorpyrifos”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Greater insect presence deeper in soil tended to outweigh abundance reduction as a tuber damage risk.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Outcome
- greater potential for the insects to cause tuber damagee0
- Direction
- greatere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“the resulting greater potential for the insects to cause tuber damage tended to outweigh reduction in their abundance.”
t0“potatoes”
The same questions in other papers
chlorpyrifos · pest · Solanum tuberosum (potato)Positive and negative results
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- positive
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10 papers in the same direction as this paper · 20 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
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See all 31 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.