ANATOMICAL BASIS FOR CONELET ABORTION ON PINUS ECHINATA FOLLOWING FEEDING BY LEPTOGLOSSUS CORCULUS (HEMIPTERA: COREIDAE)

Abstract

AbstractSecond-instar nymphs of Leptoglossus corculus (Say) confined to shortleaf pine conelets for only 4 days caused 100% conelet abortion. The bugs fed almost exlusively on the cytoplasm of cells of the nucellar tissue. Feeding in May produced an abscission zone in only a few days and resulted in conelet abscission in less than 2 weeks. Similar ovule destruction, followed by conelet abortion, occurred in late summer after being fed upon by the same instar, but conelet abscission was prevented because of a greater proportion of tracheary elements in the conelet stalks.