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Student 10-Minute Paper

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Student Competition

Student

Grad Competition P-IE: Chemical Ecology 1

Investigating the role of sorghum polyphenolics in mediating resistance to stored product insect infestation

Monday, November 6, 2023
9:12 AM – 9:24 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland D
In-Person Student Competition
Stored product pests can cause significant damage and loss to post-harvest commodities, and traditional pest management approaches like fumigation can be ineffective due to insecticide resistance. Polyphenols are a group of plant secondary metabolites that are known for their diverse functional roles, including chemical defenses against insect herbivory in vegetative plant tissues and resilience against stored product insect infestation in grains. This study investigates the potential role of polyphenols in sorghum grain in mediating resistance to four different stored product insect species different life histories including Trogoderma variabile, Tribolium castaneum, Rhyzopertha dominica and Plodia interpunctella. R. dominca larvae are an internal feeder that feeds predominantly on the germ and endosperm, whereas T. variabile larvae and adults are a voracious feeder that feed predominantly on the surface of grain and is difficult to control with insecticides and fumigants. In contrast, T. castaneum feeds predominantly on damaged grains, whereas P. interpunctella larvae are highly mobile and can easily disperse to new food sources. The insects being studied have a broad host range that includes stored maize, wheat, sorghum, and rice. The study aims to observe the impacts of sorghum polyphenols on adult emergence, adult mortality, developmental time, and progeny size of the four species. Results have shown a negative correlation between polyphenolic concentrations and emergence of adult insects in T. variabile and P. interpunctella and ongoing work will identify specific polyphenol compounds that lead to these phenotypes. This investigation could offer new insights for developing effective management strategies against stored product insects.