Techniques for Determining Mechanisms
of Resistance: Antixenosis for Oviposition
K. R. Manikandan and A. Arasu
Abstract In the host selection process, oviposition by adult female is a crucial step.
It establishes the fact that the insect can utilize the plant for reproduction. The
ovipositional preference of an adult can be tested under choice/no-choice conditions.
Nonparametric and parametric statistical tools can be deployed to deduce inferences
from the experiments.
Keywords Ovipositional preference · Choice conditions · No-choice conditions ·
Reproduction
1 Introduction
The ovipositional preference of adult insects can be measured by both free-choice
and no-choice/confinement conditions. Laboratory choice experiments may use filter
papers soaked in plant extracts, whole plants or plant parts. Studies on oviposition
are conducted with a simultaneous choice, and preferences are estimated on the basis
of relative number of eggs laid on the test plants.
K. R. Manikandan (*)
Agricultural College and Research Institute (TNAU), Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
A. Arasu
Department of Entomology, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019
A. Kumar Chakravarthy, V. Selvanarayanan (eds.), Experimental Techniques in
Host-Plant Resistance, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2652-3_15
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