| Popis: |
This chapter explores the development of a rapid bioassay technique for screening sweet potato clones for the presence of an oviposition stimulant, its isolation and identification, and its use in the development of an analytical screening technique. Sweetpotato weevil, Cylas formicarius, is a major pest of sweet potato worldwide, both in the field and in storage. The criteria used to assess and select individual traits in sweet potato breeding programs often represent a formidable obstacle, which has hampered the development of resistant cultivars. An analytical approach based on the levels of kairomones involved in the interaction of weevils with sweet potato would be an important tool to assist plant breeders. F. W. Martin noted that the most reliable test for resistance was to expose a uniform amount of sweet potato roots to a controlled number of weevils at a given level of hunger under controlled temperature and humidity. |
