Diapause development and cold hardiness of Pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) larvae in Greece

Abstract

Larval diapause development and termination and some characteristics of cold hardiness in Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) were studied under field conditions in northern Greece. P. gossypiella overwintering larvae were sampled at 20 to 30 day intervals and subjected to two photoperiodic regimes at 20°C. In larvae kept under a long-day photoperiod (16L : 8D) diapause development was accelerated compared to those kept under a short-day photoperiod (8L : 16D). There was no difference in response to the two photoperiods after February. Mean number of days to pupation of P. gossypiella overwintering larvae decreased progressively through the sampling period, from November to April. Chilling is not a prerequisite but does accelerate diapause development. Supercooling points for P. gossypiella overwintering larvae ranged from -14 to -17°C with the majority dying after freezing. © 2003 Institute of Entomology.