Physiological changes of Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. sinensis before and after infested by Eogystia hippophaecolus (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)

To explore the translocation and reallocation of nutrients in Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. sinensis after damage by Eogystia hippophaecolus, we determined the water contents, nutrients and mineral element compositions of the different sections of healthy and damaged H. rhamnoides. The results showed that the water contents of healthy shrubs did not differ significantly between the different sections, whereas they decreased before increasing subsequently from the top sections to the lower sections after insect damage. The ash contents of healthy shrubs decreased before increasing from the top sections to the lower sections, whereas there were no significant differences between the sections after damage. There were no significant changes in the variation tendency of most minerals and amino acids after damage. The protein contents of healthy shrubs decreased initially and thereafter remained unchanged, from top to bottom. After damage, there were no significant differences between the three sections. The capacities for translocation and the uptake of water and minerals were reduced after damage, and the damaged sections competed with others for nutrients, thereby causing weakening or even death of the plant. Results of this study demonstrated the mechanism of H. rhamnoides’s death and devastation caused by E. hippophaecolus.