DEVELOPMENTAL INHIBITION OF SPODOPTERA-LITURA (FAB) LARVAE BY A NOVELCAFFEOYLQUINIC ACID FROM THE WILD GROUNDNUT, ARACHIS-PARAGUARIENSIS (CHOD ET HASSL)

A novel compound, 1-caffeoyl-4-deoxyquinic acid (1-CdQA) has been iden tified along with 3-caffeoylquinic acid (3-CQA) and 5-caffeoylquinic a cid (5-CQA) (syn. chlorogenic acid) in the foliage of Arachis paraguar iensis, a wild species of groundnut that is highly resistant to attack by the larvae of Spodoptera litura. When neonate larvae were fed on d iets treated with 3-CQA or 1-CdQA, their development was severely inhi bited compared to larvae on untreated diets, and the effects were simi lar in nature and magnitude to those observed for larvae feeding on di ets treated with 5-CQA, rutin, and quercetin. The effects of all the c ompounds were dose related, and their optimal concentration was approx imately 3 mM, which corresponds to the total foliar concentration of b oth caffeoylquinic acids and quercetin diglycosides in A. paraguariens is. After 24 h, the development of third stadium larvae feeding on die ts treated with 5-CQA, rutin and 1-CdQA was promoted compared to larva e on control diets, but after 96 hr larvae feeding on treated diets ha d gained significantly less weight than those on the control diets. 1- CdQA, 3-CQA, and quercetin dyglycosides (previously identified in the foliage of A. paraguariensis) are considered to be valuable components in resistance of groundnuts to S. litura and may provide useful genet ic markers in future breeding for resistance to this pest.