International Journal of Horticulture 2015, Vol.5, No.4, 1
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Ahmad, 1977; Sardar and Mondal, 1983; Singh and
Misra, 1989; Baksha, 1997; Deka and Kalita, 1999;
Becerra, 2004) but their feeding preference in terms of
feeding dynamics, survivability and population
parameters on the two host plants are unknown. Present
study provide the knowledge on nutritional ecology and
life table parameters of
P. quatuordecimpunctata
in
relation to their respective host phytochemical regime,
which will enable growers to employ the most
appropriate control tactics towards integrated crop
management (ICM) for hog-plum cultivation.
1 Results
1.1 Phytochemicals
The biochemical constituents of the two host plant,
S.
dulcis
and
S. pinnata
, leaves are presented in Table 1.
The primary metabolites i.e., total carbohydrates,
proteins and lipids including amino acids content was
higher in
S. pinnata
leaves (81.556±0.434,
15.656±0.519, 6.013±0.111 and 1.960±0.059µg/mg
dry wt., respectively) and varied significantly with
S.
dulcis
leaves (
F
2,4
= 76.273, 44.864, 40.848 and 41.776,
respectively,
P
<0.005) (Table 1). Total nitrogen and
moisture content were higher whereas ash content was
lower in
S. pinnata
(2.503±0.082, 58.596±0.398 and
0.130±0.012%, respectively) relative to
S. dulcis
(1.880±0.040, 54.740±0.903 and 0.203±0.015%,
respectively) and also significantly differed
(
F
2,4
=46.563, 15.287 and 15.613, respectively,
P
>0.05)
(Table 1). Among the secondary metabolites, total
phenols and flavonoids concentration was lower in
S.
pinnata
leaves (3.590±0.217 and 8.940±0.243µg/mg
dry wt., respectively) and phenols content was
significantly different from
S. dulcis
(
F
2,4
=8.613, P <
0.05), but flavonoids was not significantly differed
(
F
2,4
=4.480, P > 0.05) (Table 1). On the other hand,
tannin, saponin, alkaloids, phytate and oxalate content
were highest in
S. dulcis
leaves (8.243±0.117,
14.350±0.051, 12.630±0.068, 5.150±0.044 and
2.636±0.115µg/mg dry wt., respectively) relative to
S.
pinnata
(6.350±0.040, 11.323±0.050, 10.040±0.095,
4.133±0.035 and 1.276±0.084µg/mg dry wt.,
respectively) with highly significant differences
(
F
2,4
=235.149, 1792.313, 494.455, 328.710 and
91.464, respectively,
P
< 0.001) (Table 1). Thus, the
nutritional factors (primary metabolites including
nitrogen and moisture contents) relative to the
anti-nutritional factors (Secondary metabolites) in
S.
pinnata
leaves were always higher than
S. dulcis
.
Table 1 Phytochemical variations of the hog-plum,
S. dulcis
and
S. pinnata
leaves. Mean ±SE of 3 observations with
F
and
P
values
are representing different significant level (ANOVA), while comparing one type of host plant with the other
Phytochemicals (µg/mg dry wt.)
S. dulcis
S. pinnata
F
(
df
=1,4)
P
Total Carbohydrates
75.403±0.555
81.556±0.434
76.273
0.001
Total proteins
11.776±0.257
15.656±0.519
44.864
0.003
Total Lipids
4.913±0.131
6.013±0.111
40.848
0.003
Total Amino acids
1.250±0.093
1.960±0.059
41.776
0.003
Total Nitrogen (%)
1.880±0.040
2.503±0.082
46.563
0.002
Moisture (%)
54.740±0.903
58.596±0.398
15.287
0.017
Ash content (%)
0.203±0.015
0.130±0.012
15.613
0.017
Total phenols
4.450±0.197
3.590±0.217
8.613
0.043
Total Flavonoids
9.583±0.182
8.940±0.243
4.48
0.102
Tanin
8.243±0.117
6.350±0.040
235.149
0.001
Saponin
14.350±0.051
11.323±0.050
1792.313
0.001
Alkaloids
12.630±0.068
10.040±0.095
494.455
0.001
Phytate
5.150±0.044
4.133±0.035
328.71
0.001
Oxalate
2.636±0.115
1.276±0.084
91.464
0.001
1.2 Feeding dynamics
The life cycle and food utilization indices of this leaf
beetle,
P. quatuordecimpunctata
were investigated in
the laboratory condition by providing two types of
host leaves separately and showed four distinct stages
with four larval instars (i.e., egg, larva, pupa, and adult)
(Figure 1). As the larval stages including adults
defoliate the plants, the food utilization indices were
relevant only for these stages which lead to the
variation in total life history parameters including
larval duration, fecundity, survivability and other
population parameters of that beetle.
