EVIDENCE OF VARIATION IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO VINE WEEVIL (OTIORHYNCHUS SULCATUS) IN STRAWBERRY CULTIVARS

Leaves from strawberry plants of the cultivars Cambridge Favourite, Elsanta, Rhapsody, Symphony and seedling 7/6 were fed to adult vine weevils (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) under laboratory conditions.
Preferential feeding was evaluated as a means of determining weevil susceptibility by exposing leaves of all cultivars simultaneously to adult weevils.
The cultivar Symphony showed significantly lower number of notches per leaf and total area of leaf eaten than other cultivars.
In another trial, adult weevils were placed separately on leaves of different cultivars and the number of eggs laid determined.
Though not statistically significant, less eggs were laid when weevils were fed on ‘Symphony’ leaves, whilst the most eggs were produced when weevils were fed on ‘Rhapsody’ leaves.
There is some evidence that the results found in the laboratory are correlated with vine weevil damage found in the field.
As a consequence, the technique of examining feeding and egg laying behaviour in the laboratory may be of value in the rapid screening of a cultivar’s susceptibility to damage in the field.

III International Strawberry Symposium

L. Labuschagne, H. Wainwright, D.L. Jennings

Fragaria x ananassa, insect pest, varietal reaction

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.439.143