Relationship Between Simulated Chinese Rose Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Feeding and Photosynthetic Rate Reduction

Abstract

Photosynthetic rate measurements of the remaining leaf lamina tissue were taken from snap bean and corn plants after simulated Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus Burmeister, feeding. There was a linear decline in photosynthetic rate for snap bean leaves and a curvilinear decline for corn with increased amount of simulated feeding. Percent photosynthetic rate reduction for corn increased at a greater rate than for snap bean with increased defoliation. The differential feeding pattern on monocotyledonous (interveinal and veinal feeding) and dicotyledonous (interveinal feeding) plants by the Chinese rose beetle is suggested as evidence for the photosynthetic rate differences of snap bean and corn.