Abstract
How aphid parasitoids of recent invasive species interact with their hosts can affect the feasibility of biological control. In this study, we focus on a recent invasive pest of US grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor, the sorghum aphid (SA), Melanaphis sorghi. Understanding this pest’s ecology in the grain sorghum agroecosystem is critical to develop effective control strategies. As parasitoids often use aphid honeydew as a sugar resource, and honeydew is known to mediate parasitoid–aphid interactions, we investigated the ability of SA honeydew to retain the parasitoid Aphelinus nigritus. Since SAs in the US have multiple plant hosts, and host–plant diet can modulate parasitoid retention (a major component in host foraging), we measured SA honeydew sugar, organic acid, and amino acid profiles, then assessed via retention time A. nigritus preference for honeydew produced on grain sorghum or Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense. Compared to a water control, A. nigritus spent more time on SA honeydew produced on either host plant. Despite similar honeydew profiles from both plant species, A. nigritus preferred honeydew produced on Johnson grass. Our results suggest the potential for SA honeydew to facilitate augmentation strategies aimed at maintaining A. nigritus on Johnson grass to suppress SAs before grain sorghum is planted.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Aphelinus nigritus spent more time on sorghum aphid honeydew produced on either grain sorghum or Johnson grass than on a water control.
- Taxon
- grain sorghum or Johnson grass
Sorghum bicolor.jpg?width=60)
Sorghum halepensee2 - Treatment
- SA honeydewe1
- Interactor
- A. nigrituse1biocontrol_agent
- Second interactor
- Melanaphis sorghi
Melanaphis sorghie3pest - Outcome
- timee1
- Direction
- spent more timee1
- Comparator
- water controle1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e1“Compared to a water control, A. nigritus spent more time on SA honeydew produced on either host plant”
e2“assessed via retention time A. nigritus preference for honeydew produced on grain sorghum or Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense”
e3“the sorghum aphid (SA), Melanaphis sorghi”
Claim · model-written summary
Aphelinus nigritus preferred sorghum aphid honeydew produced on Johnson grass over honeydew produced on grain sorghum.
- Taxon
- Johnson grassSorghum halepensee1
- Treatment
- honeydew produced on Johnson grasse1
- Interactor
- A. nigrituse1biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- preferencee2
- Direction
- preferrede1
- Comparator
- honeydew produced on grain sorghume2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Despite similar honeydew profiles from both plant species, A. nigritus preferred honeydew produced on Johnson grass”
e2“assessed via retention time A. nigritus preference for honeydew produced on grain sorghum or Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum aphid honeydew profiles were similar on grain sorghum and Johnson grass.
- Taxon
- grain sorghum or Johnson grassSorghum bicolorSorghum halepensee2
- Outcome
- honeydew profilese1
- Direction
- similare1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Despite similar honeydew profiles from both plant species, A. nigritus preferred honeydew produced on Johnson grass”
e2“assessed via retention time A. nigritus preference for honeydew produced on grain sorghum or Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum aphid honeydew could facilitate augmentation of Aphelinus nigritus on Johnson grass to suppress sorghum aphids before grain sorghum is planted.
- Taxon
- Johnson grassSorghum halepensee1
- Outcome
- augmentation strategiese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Our results suggest the potential for SA honeydew to facilitate augmentation strategies aimed at maintaining A. nigritus on Johnson grass to suppress SAs before grain sorghum is planted”