A novel method for evaluating the egg killing defenses and varietal resistance of the bunching onion against Liriomyza chinensis (Diptera: Agromyzidae) via the artificial inoculation of eggs

The stone leek leafminer, Liriomyza chinensis (Kato) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) , is recognized as one of the most destructive pests of the bunching onion. Varietal resistance against L. chinensis has been reported in Allium fistulosum in Japan. We report a new method for evaluating the antibiosis of bunching onions with varietal resistance to L. chinensis by artificially inoculating leaves with L. chinensis eggs. New no-choice tests were performed via the collection and artificial inoculation of L. chinensis eggs into unifacial leaves with a plunger microsyringe and the quantification of the number of individuals that reached the pupal stage in the soil after 14 days of inoculation at 24 °C; these tests were established and conducted to determine the resistance categories of several varieties of A. fistulosum. Antibiosis studies revealed a significant difference in survival to the pupal stage, forewing lengths of adults and development time from the egg to pupal stages among the resistant and susceptible varieties of A. fistulosum, indicating that antibiosis is an important factor in the varietal resistance of A. fistulosum. Furthermore, the antibiosis of the highly resistant varieties ‘Beicong’ and ‘Kokusen natsuyo’ revealed egg killing defenses against L. chinensis.