Biocontrol of emerging insect pests of legume crops

Abstract

Pea weevils (Bruchus pisorum) and pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) are insect pests of great economic importance for agriculture and represent one major cause of damage and loss in legume crops. Bruchus pisorum is specialist, feeding and developing almost exclusively on pea. Acyrthosiphon pisum feeds on several species of legumes worldwide and ranks among the aphid species in agriculture. Recently, germplasm collections of pea have been screened under field conditions to identify sources of resistance to weevils and aphids in pea. The identification of compounds with phagodeterrent activity, which are able to interfere with aphid host plant selection and host acceptance, is currently becoming of great interest for the design of innovative biotechnical strategies in control of phytophagous insects. In this communication results obtained on the identification of metabolites responsible for antixenosis and/or antibiosis in pea resistant accessions to weevils and aphids will be reported. The effect of natural metabolites against these pests will be discussed, too.