Influence of Nutrients in the Adult Diet on Diapause in the Boll Weevil123

Abstract

The ratio of proteins and carbohydrates in the adult diet of Anthonomus grandis Boheman was varied to study its effect on the initiation of diapause. Removal of germinated cottonseed puree from the standard diet greatly increased the incidence of diapause, but this effect was offset partially by increasing the level of protein and decreasing the level of sucrose. Similarly, a reduction of protein and an increase in sucrose caused greater numbers of insects to enter diapause. We were not able to extract the component (s) of germinated cottonseed that prevent initiation of diapause with chloroform, acetone, water, and dilute NaOH, in succession. A cottonseed flour or the alkali-soluble protein of that flour was equal to or better than germinated cottonseed in preventing the initiation of diapause.