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The Switchgrass Gall Midge (Chilophaga virgati Gagné) in the Northern Great Plains

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Abstract

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is considered to be a highly promising bioenergy crop. However, little is known about insect pests that impact its utilization for this purpose. The switchgrass gall midge [Chilophaga virgati Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)], which was first discovered in 2008 at Brookings, SD, USA, is shown to have a negative impact on biomass and seed yields of switchgrass. Our objectives were to increase knowledge of the biology of the midge by describing its life stages and any parasitoids that have biological control potential. Data collections were made during May to December in 2011 and April to late autumn in 2012. The gall midge adult is active from early June to late July. This insect overwinters as a late instar larva, usually in large aggregations, enclosed in the sheath of the flag leaf of dry tillers. The mean number of larvae was 31, with a range of 6 to 85 per tiller. Infested tillers m−2 varied among three phenologically distinct cultivars. The late flowering cultivar ‘Cave-In-Rock’ was more heavily infested (>2×) than the early flowering ‘Dacotah’. A newly discovered parasitoid, Platygaster chilophagae Buhl (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and a species of Quadrastichus sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were reared from gall midge larvae. These results will be valuable to entomologists, switchgrass breeders, and agronomists as a guide to the occurrence and activities of the gall midge.

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Acknowledgments

The US Department of Energy and the North-Central Sun Grant Program are thanked for their support. This work was done primarily at the Insect Biodiversity Lab, Plant Science Department, South Dakota State University. Dr. Nels Troelstrup is thanked for allowing additional studies at the Oak Lake Field Station, South Dakota State University, in northeastern Brookings County, SD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA

    Veronica Calles Torrez

  2. Insect Biodiversity Lab, Department of Plant Science, South Dakota State University, Box 2207A, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Paul J. Johnson

  3. Department of Plant Science, South Dakota State University, Box 2140C, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Arvid Boe

Authors
  1. Veronica Calles Torrez
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  2. Paul J. Johnson
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  3. Arvid Boe
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Correspondence to Paul J. Johnson.

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Calles Torrez, V., Johnson, P.J. & Boe, A. The Switchgrass Gall Midge (Chilophaga virgati Gagné) in the Northern Great Plains. Bioenerg. Res. 7, 417–423 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-013-9386-4

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