Tanzubil P B, Mensah G W, McCaffery A R
School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AJ, UK.
Bull Entomol Res. 2000 Aug;90(4):365-71. doi: 10.1017/s0007485300000493.
The role of the host plant in the development of larval diapause in the millet stem borer, Coniesta ignefusalis (Hampson) was investigated in northern Ghana in 1996 and 1997. Surveys conducted in farmers' fields in the Guinea and Sudan savannah revealed that of all the upland cereals grown, the insect survived the dry season only in stalks and stubble of pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum and late sorghum, Sorghum bicolor. This observation was confirmed by results from field trials conducted at the Manga Research Station. In these studies, C. ignefusalis larvae entered diapause only in late millet and late sorghum, with a higher incidence in the former. The insect neither attacked nor entered diapause in maize planted during the same period as the other crops. Results from controlled experiments showed that diapause incidence in the preferred host, millet, was higher in older than in younger plants, suggesting that host plant maturation is a key factor influencing the development of larval diapause in C. ignefusalis.
1996年和1997年在加纳北部对寄主植物在粟灰螟（Coniesta ignefusalis (Hampson)）幼虫滞育发育中的作用进行了研究。在几内亚和苏丹草原的农田中进行的调查显示，在所有种植的旱作谷物中，这种昆虫仅在珍珠粟（Pennisetum glaucum）和晚熟高粱（Sorghum bicolor）的茎秆和残茬中度过旱季。曼加研究站进行的田间试验结果证实了这一观察结果。在这些研究中，粟灰螟幼虫仅在晚熟粟和晚熟高粱中进入滞育，前者的发生率更高。在与其他作物同期种植的玉米上，这种昆虫既不侵害也不进入滞育。对照实验结果表明，在其偏好的寄主粟中，老龄植株的滞育发生率高于幼龄植株，这表明寄主植物的成熟是影响粟灰螟幼虫滞育发育的关键因素。
