Can the extract of Aristolochia argentina Griseb affect the foraging decisions of the leaf cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi (Guérin)? Preliminary assays

NAPAL, GEORGINA DÍAZ; DEFAGÓ, MARÍA TERESA; PALACIOS, SARA MARÍA; NOLLI, LAURA; BUFFA, LILIANA MARÍA

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEST MANAGEMENT

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Año: 2017 p. 1 - 6

0967-0874

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether foraging decisions of Acromyrmex lundi in thefield are affected by the extract of Aristolochia argentina. A free choice test was performedusing Rosa x hybrida leaves treated with the extract and control with acetone. Two leaves(treated and control) were presented on either side of a foraging trail. The percentage ofremoved material was recorded for 90 minutes of observation on two consecutive days. Dryweight and repellency index were calculated. Ant activity, the percentage of carried leaves andweight data were analyzed using a ?t?-test for paired data, and a General Linear Mixed Modeltest was used to evaluate the different variables and their interactions. A. argentina extract (1%)did not affect the foraging activity of A. lundi, whereas the 5% dose caused significantdifferences in foraging activity as well as between the factors and the interactions. A repellencyindex of above 95% was obtained at the 5% dose. The extract of A. argentina could beconsidered for future management of this insect.