Effects of Short-Term High and Low-Temperatures stress on Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) Eggs and Pupae Development and offspring

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-4928314/v1

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Effects of Short-Term High and Low-Temperatures stress on Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) Eggs and Pupae Development and offspring

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4928314/v1

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To clarify the effects of short-term high and low temperature treatment on the growth and development of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) in eggs and pupae. S. litura eggs and pupae were treated at 35°C and 4°C for different time, respectively. The results demonstrated a gradual prolongation of the developmental period of S. litura eggs with increasing treatment time at a high temperature of 35°C for 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 hours. Moreover, the hatching rate progressively decreased to as low as 19.33%, and no survival was observed after treating the eggs for 36 hours. Similarly, exposure to 4°C for durations of 24, 48, and 96 hours resulted in an extended developmental period accompanied by a gradual decline in the hatching rate. When subjected to 35°C at durations of 24, 48, and 96 hours, the emergence rates of female and male pupae decreased to 21.60-81.67% and 11.67-80%, respectively. The duration of high-temperature treatment initially shortened and then lengthened both the developmental period and preoviposition period; however, it led to a gradual reduction in oviposition time. After 48 hours of treatment, the shortest oviposition time recorded was 4.42 days. Nevertheless, a significant impact on oviposition behavior occurred after subjecting individuals to 35°C for 96 hours, resulting in minimal adult survival and no oviposition activity. Adult lifespan gradually decreased. In summary, short-term exposure to low temperatures at 4°C or high temperatures at 35°C had a inhibitory effect on the development and breeding of S.litura eggs and pupae.

Spodoptera litura

Short-term high and low temperatures

Egg stage

Pupal stage

Fertility

Pest control

Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) is a member of the family Noctuidae within the Lepidoptera order and belongs to the genus Spodoptera. The pests are widely distributed worldwide (Holloway, 1989), primarily in subtropical and temperate regions of Asia and Oceania. It infests a diverse range of host plants, encompassing 389 species including cotton, tobacco, corn, sweet potatoes, sunflowers, sorghum, legumes, and cruciferous vegetables (Ye et al., 2007). In recent years, S. litura has inflicted severe damage on tobacco crops, leading to leaf perforation and adversely affecting both yield and quality (Qin et al., 2006; Chen et al., 2013).

The optimum development temperatures for S. litura are 28°C to 30°C (Du et al., 2020; Zakria et al., 2022). However, the peak period of damage caused by this pest occurs from June to September. During this time, which encompasses the summer season with the highest temperatures of the year, often exceeding 35°C, there are instances where temperatures reach extreme levels. For instance, Chishui City in Guizhou Province experienced a record high temperature of 43.2°C in 2023, while Songtao, Shiqian, Dejiang, Daozhen, Yinjiang, Bijiang, Jianhe, Sandu, Luodian, Tongzi and other cities recorded temperature between 35–40°C. Therefore, The questions were raised why the peak damaging period of S. litura coincides with such extreme conditions. Furthermore, S. litura exhibits poor cold resistance and cannot survive when it was prolonged exposured to sub-zero temperatures (Ranga et al., 1989; Si et al., 2020). However, winter commonly brings about freezing conditions below zero degrees Celsius. Yet not all S. litura were frozen to death during this time. This could be attributed to previous studies that primarily focused on examining constant temperature effects on their growth and development (Thakur et al., 2017; Prasad et al., 2021; Maharjan et al., 2023). However, in nature, the temperatures are constantly fluctuates, and so does both high and low temperature durations. The impact of these fluctuating extremes on the growth and reproduction of S. litura undoubtedly differs from that observed under continuous constant temperature conditions (Pham et al., 2020; Zhong et al., 2024).

Previous studies have demonstrated a negative correlation between temperature and hatchability of Helicoverpa armigera eggs, with higher temperatures and prolonged durations leading to decreased survival rates. At 35°C, the majority of eggs fail to survive (Qayyum et al., 1987). Third instar larvae of S. litura experienced stress at different time intervals under temperatures of 35°C and 13°C, respectively. As stress duration increased, there was a significant prolongation in development duration accompanied by a notable decrease in survival rate. Additionally, both pupation rate and pupal weight were reduced, with low temperature exerting a more pronounced effect compared to high temperature conditions (Li et al., 2014). Callosobruchus chinensis subjected to varying durations of low temperature stress (-4°C, 0°C, and − 4°C) exhibited detrimental effects on egg and pupa survival rates as well as development duration (Maharjan et al., 2017). After high-temperature treatment at 41^oC for different durations (0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours) at different insect states (1, 2, and 4 days old eggs. 1, 6, 12, and 18 days old larvae. 1, 3, and 6 days old pupae. and 1 day and 2 days old female and male adults), Athetis lepigone was found to have different insect states. The immediate survival rates of eggs, larvae, late pupae, and early emergence adults are relatively high. Heat treatment during the eggs and larval stages did not affect development into adulthood and female fertility, but the survival rate of larvae significantly decreased with the prolongation of treatment time (Liang et al., 2016). The mortality rates of the experimental population of Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) treated at low temperatures (0, 1, 2, and 3°C) for 16, 19, 20, and 24 days were all 100%. After prolonged exposure at 4, 4.5, and 5°C, the mortality rate was higher than 90% (Moore et al., 2022). After treating Spodoptera frugiperda eggs and pupae at high temperatures of 34, 38, 42, and 46°C for 2, 4, and 6 hours respectively, the hatching rate of the eggs gradually decreased with increasing temperature and prolonged high temperature duration. After 6 hours of treatment at 46°C, the larvae could not survive (Zhang et al., 2020). After 6 h of extreme high temperature (36°C and 39°C) and different durations (1 day and 3 days), the eggs and adults of Coccinella septempunctata were subjected to stress. The higher the treatment temperature, the longer the duration of high temperature, and the lower the survival rate of C. septempunctata eggs. The impact of extreme high temperature on the egg stage was significantly greater than that of the adult stage (Zhao et al., 2023). Plutella xylostella pupa of the diamondback moth were treated with low temperature (8°C) for 24, 48, and 96 hours, and the pupal stage gradually extended with the prolongation of low temperature treatment time. The duration of low temperature treatment significantly affected the adult emergence rate (Cui et al., 2022). Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) undergoes 3 hours of heat exercise per day at high temperatures of 38, 41, and 44°C for 5 days. After a short period of high temperature stress during the egg stage, the egg hatching rate decreases, the development period prolongs, the larval development period and female moth lifespan shorten, and the single female eggs production increases (Chen et al., 2023). In summary, these reports indicate that short-term high and low temperatures can timely or later inhibit the development and reproduction of insects.

However, there are few studies showing the effects of short-term high or low temperature stress on the growth, development, and reproduction of the S. litura. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effects of different short-term high (6 h ,12 h ,18 h ,24 h ,and 36 h at 35°C) and low (24h ,48h, and 96h at 4°C) temperature stresses on S. litura eggs and pupae. For instance, the influences on egg development duration, egg hatching rate, pupal emergence rate, pre-oviposition period, oviposition period, adult lifespan, etc. It will provide theoretical references and data support for optimizing indoor rearing conditions for S. litura.

1.1 Insect specimen acquisition and Rearing

S. litura was acquired from Yuzhang Natural Enemy Breeding Base (25°20′26″N, 105°9′59″E) in Xingren City, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China. Larvae were fed with artificial feed in illuminated incubator (Ningbo Jiangnan Instrument Factory RXZ-280), which the temperature for 28.0 ± 1°C, relative humidity for (70 ± 5)%, and the light cycle (Light: Dark = 16 h: 8 h) (Ebrahimifar et al., 2020) were set. Each insect cage (40 cm×40 cm×45 cm) has 100–200 larvae.

After pupation, a culture dish with a diameter of 90 mm, containing a specific number of pupae spread on the bottom and moistened with defatted cotton, was placed in an insect cage. Daily observations were conducted to assess the emergence status. Additionally, adult insects that emerged on the same day were paired by gender and housed in an insect cage lined with grass paper (60 cm×60 cm×50 cm). They were provided with 10% honey water as supplementary nutrition to facilitate mating and egg-laying. Each day, the collected egg blocks were transferred to a new insect cage to serve as artificial feed for hatching and feeding larvae, thus enabling multiple generations of circulation. Specifically, only eggs produced within 24 hours by adults and pupae formed within 24 hours by mature larvae were selected for subsequent use.

The method for raising S. litura using artificial feed involves the following steps: Firstly, consisting mixture of corn flour (150 g), soybean flour (100 g), wheat bran flour (40 g), lotus root leaf flour (20 g), and yeast powder (12 g), was combined and steamed for 20–30 minutes. Secondly, in a separate container, agar powder (15 g), sucrose (50 g), and ddH₂O (900–1000 mL) were boiled until the agar and sucrose dissolved component while stirring continuously to prevent stickiness. Subsequently, component 1 was added to component 2 and stirred thoroughly until it cooled down. Wearing gloves, the mixture was further stirred and allowed to cooled until it reached room temperature. At temperature below 60°C, sorbic acid (2 g), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (2 g), ascorbic acid (6 g), mixed vitamins solution (15 mL), and cholesterol (1 g) were incorporated into the mixture with thorough mixing. Finally, the prepared feed was stored at -4^oC for future use.

1.2 The effects of short-term exposure high and low temperatures on the developmental duration and hatching rate of Spodoptera litura eggs

The short-term high-temperature treatment experiment of S. litura eggs was conducted at 35°C for durations of 24, 48, and 96 hours. The short-term low-temperature treatment experiment involved exposure to 4°C for durations of 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 hours. The control conditions included a relative humidity ( RH) maintained at (70 ± 5)%, a light cycle set at a ratio of 16 Light: 8 Dark, and a light intensity maintained at 8000 lx. A temperature of 28°C was maintained as the control condition while keeping all other variables unchanged.

Firstly, two newly laid eggs of S. litura were carefully examined and enumerated under a microscope. Subsequently, the eggs were placed in a culture dish andassigned unique indentification numbers. The base of the dish was lined with moistened degreased cotton. Following this, the eggs were subjected to varying temperatures and treated for different durations before being retrieved and cultured at a constant temperature of 28°C. The incubation period along with the number of eggs was meticulously recorded once daily at 9:00 am and 6:00 pm.

1.3 The effects of short-term high and low temperature variation on the developmental progression and reproductive capacity of Spodoptera litura during the pupal stage

The short-term high and low temperature treatment experiments of S. litura pupae were conducted at 35°C and 4°C for durations of 24, 48, and 96 hours, respectively. Each treatment was replicated 6 times under controlled conditions of relative humidity (70 ± 5)%, a light cycle of 16 Light: 8 Dark, and a light intensity of 8000 lx. Pupae exposed to a temperature of 28°C were used as the control group.

Upon complete reddish-brown coloration of the larvae during pupation, female and male pupae were meticulously sorted under a microscope based on their morphological characteristics (Lin et al., 2015; Yang et al., 2022). Ten female and ten male pupae were selected for each treatment, with six repetitions per treatment. The segregated female and male pupae were individually placed in culture dishes according to their respective treatments. Subsequently, they were evenly distributed on the moist defatted cotton lining the bottom of each dish before being transferred into separate 500 mL plastic boxes. Daily observations were conducted to monitor emergence time and quantity of the pupae. Upon adult emergence, three pairs of adults from each treatment group were cohabitated within a single 500 mL plastic box equipped with grass paper affixed to the lid for egg-laying purposes. Furthermore, daily records at 9 o'clock and 18 o'clock documented both egg-laying instances as well as counts of surviving adults.

1.4 Data Analysis

The data analysis was conducted using Excel 2021 (Microsoft Office, Redmond, USA) and SPSS Statistics 22.0 (International Business Machines Corporation, Amenk, USA) software (SPSS Institute Inc., 2022). One-way ANOVA was employed to analyze the developmental time, hatching rate, pupal emergence rate, adult lifespan, and other indicators of S. litura eggs. Duncan's new complex range method was utilized for significance testing of differences among groups. Graphpad Prism 8.0.2 (GraphPad, California, USA) software was employed for data fitting and visualization.

2.1 The effects of short-term exposure to high and low temperatures on the developmental duration and hatching rate of Spodoptera litura eggs

2.1.1 The effect of short-term high temperature stress on the developmental period and hatching rate of Spodoptera litura eggs

The egg stages and hatching rates were significantly impacted by prolotonged exposure to 35°C. Egg stages increased with longer stress times, with no significant difference observed in egg stages (2.37 days, 2.22 days, and 2.10 days, respectively) after 0, 6, and 12 hours of treatment. However, exposure to temperatures for 18h and 24 h resulted in a significant prolongation of the egg stage (2.72 days and 3.47 days respectively) (Fig. 1A). Additionally, longer stress times led to lower hatching rates; there was no significant difference in hatching rates (89.50% and 83.16%, respectively) after treatments at 35°C for 0, and 6 h. However, exposure for 12 hours or more resulted in a significant decrease in hatching rate: specifically, the hatching rate decreased to approximately half after 12 hours of treatment (57.81%), while it dropped further still following 18 or 24 h exposures (38.59% and 19.33%, respectively). After thirty-six hours at this temperature all eggs had perished (Fig. 1B).

2.1.2 The effect of short-term exposure to low temperatures on the developmental period and hatching rate of Spodoptera litura eggs

The prolonged exposure to low temperature stress significantly influenced both the duration of oviposition and egg hatching rate. The duration of oviposition increased with longer stress periods, with no significant difference observed between 0 and 24 hours of 4°C stress (2.38 and 2.57 days, respectively). However, at 48 and 96 hours of 4°C stress, the duration of oviposition was significantly extended to 3.85 and 4.77 days, respectively (Fig. 2A). Additionally, a longer duration of stress resulted in a decreased egg hatching rate. Similar to the findings regarding the duration of oviposition, there was no significant difference in egg hatching rate (90.76% and 86.15%, respectively) between 0 and 24 hours of exposure to a temperature of 4°C. However, at both durationsof exposuretoa temperature of 4°C for either 48 or 96 hours, the egg hatching rates were significantly reduced to 64.91% and 47.34%, respectively (Fig. 2B).

2.2 The effects of short-term high and low temperature treatments on the developmental progression and reproductive capacity of Spodoptera litura during the pupal stage

2.2.1 Effects of short-term thermal stress at high and low temperatures on the pupal developmental period of Spodoptera litura

The pupal development duration was significantly prolonged with the extension of low temperature and high temperature stress periods. Specifically, there was no significant difference in pupal development duration (7.45 and 7.72 days, respectively) between 0 and 24 hours of 4°C stress. However, the pupal development duration (8.87 and 10.57 days, respectively) was significantly prolonged at 48 and 96 hours of 4°C stress (Fig. 3A). Similarly, there was no significant difference in pupal development duration (7.38, 7.23, and 7.92 days, respectively) between 0, 24, and 48 hours of 35°C stress, while the pupal development duration (9.02 days) was significantly prolonged at the end of a continuous exposure to a temperature of 35°C for a period of up to 96 hours (Fig. 3B). Additionally, there were no significant differences observed in the pupal development durations when comparing stresses applied at temperatures of 4°C versus those applied at temperatures of 35°C for equivalent time periods.

2.2.2 Effects of short-term thermal stress at high and low temperatures on the pupal emergence rate of Spodoptera litura

Prolonged exposure to both low and high temperature stress significantly reduces the emergence rate of pupae. The emergence rates of female and male pupae were 40.00%~85.00% and 41.67%~86.67% respectively under different stress time at 4°C (Fig. 4A). The emergence rates of female and male pupae were 21.67–90.00% and 11.67–91.67% respectively under different stress time at 35°C (Fig. 4B). No significant difference in emergence rate was observed between 0 and 24 hours of 4°C stress, but significant differences were found after 48 and 96 hours (Fig. 4A). Similarly, no significant difference in emergence rate was observed between 0 and 24 hours of 35°C stress, but significant differences were found after 48 and 96 hours (Fig. 4B). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the emergence rates of female and male pupae under the two temperature for 24 hours of stress, but there was a significant difference in the emergence rates of male pupae when the duration reached 48 hours, and after 48 hours, there was a significant difference in the emergence rates of female and male pupae (Fig. 4C & D).

2.2.3. Effects of short-term thermal stress at high and low temperatures on the pre-oviposition period and oviposition duration of Spodoptera litura post- pupal stage

With the prolonged exposure to low and high temperature stress, both the preoviposition and oviposition periods were significantly extended. There was no significant difference in pre-oviposition between 0 and 24 hours of stress at 4°C, but it was significantly prolonged after 48 and 96 hours of stress (Fig. 5A). At 4°C, the oviposition period initially increased with longer stress duration before decreasing again, with the longest oviposition period observed at 48 hours (8.60 days) (Fig. 5C). Similarly, there was no significant difference in preoviposition between 0 and 24 hours of stress at 35°C, however, preoviposition was significantly prolonged after a stress duration of 48 hours, while no oviposition occurred after a stress duration of 96 hours (Fig. 5B). Moreover, under a continuous exposure to a temperature of 35°C for increasing durations, the oviposition period showed a significant reduction until no oviposition occurred after a duration of 96 hours (Fig. 5D). Additionally, there was a significant difference in preoviposition period between stresses lasting at time point twenty-four and ninety-six hours at both temperatures (Fig. 5E), but there was a significant difference in ovopostion periods where those exposed to higher temperature had significantly shorter durations compared to those exposed to lower temperature stresses (Fig. 5F).

2.2.4. Effects of short-term thermal stress at high and low temperatures on the adult lifespan of Spodoptera litura post-pupal stage

Significant differences in adult lifespan were observed with variations in low and high temperature stress durations. Under 4°C stress, with the prolongation of stress time, the lifespan of females gradually extends, while the lifespan of males significantly decreases (Fig. 6A). Conversely, under the stress of 35°C, the life span of both females and males was shortened with the extension of stimulation time, and after the node of more than 48 hours, the harm to females and males was greater (Fig. 6B). Under the two temperature stresses, the lifespan of females and males was significantly different at the same time node, and the survival time of both females and males was longer at low temperature than at high temperature (Fig. 6C & D).

2.2.5 Effects of short-term thermal stress at high and low temperatures on the egg production and hatching rate of Spodoptera litura post-pupal stage

The high and low temperature treatments exhibited significant differences in egg production and hatching rate (Fig. 7). Following 24, 48, and 96 hours of treatment at 35°C and 4°C, the single female egg production was significantly lower compared to the control group. Moreover, there were significant differences among the groups after each respective treatment duration. At a temperature of 35°C, S.litura recorded the highest (1102.17) and lowest (459.17) single female egg productions respectively (Fig. 7B). Similarly, at a temperature of 4°C, S. litura displayed the highest (1082.00) and lowest (224.33) single female egg productions respectively (Fig. 7A). After exposure to temperatures of both 35°C for 24 (67.41%) and 48 (38.98%) hours, the hatching rate was significantly lower than that of the control group (87.59%). However, after a treatment duration of 96 hours, no spawning behavior was observed due to excessive impact on it (Fig. 7D). After being subjected to temperatures of 4°C for durations of both 48 (69.70%) and 96 (56.21%) hours, the hatching rate was significantly lower than that observed in the control group (85.82%), as well as following a treatment duration of 24 hours (80.27%) (Fig. 7C). As the duration of temperature treatments increased, the eggs production and hatching rates decreased for S. litura. Higher temperature stress had a more pronounced effect on these parameters compared to lower temperature stress.

The results of this study indicated that the duration of egg development in S. litura gradually increase with higher temperatures and longer exposure to high temperatures. The finding aligns with a previous study which observed prolonged developmental periods in eggs of S. frugiperda after treatment at 42°C for more than 4 hours and 46°C for more than two hours (Zhang et al., 2020). Additionally, the hatching rate of the eggs decreased as temperature and duration of high-temperature treatment increase. Furthermore, a similar conclusion was drawn in another article where it was found that higher treatment temperatures and longer durations resulted in lower survival rates of C. septempunctata eggs (Zhao et al., 2023). Lastly, when subjected to two temperature stresses (3°C and 38°C), Bactrocera dorsalis larvae exhibited extended pre-oviposition stages, total pre-oviposition stages, and oviposition days among adults (Farman et al., 2022). The generation of this result may primarily rely on the varying sensitivity of different insects to high temperatures. As the duration of high temperature treatment increases, the developmental period of S. litura eggs initially shortens and then prolongs. Following treatments at 35°C for 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours, the highest hatching rate observed was 89.55%, while the lowest was recorded at 19.33%. This indicates that the hatching rate was significantly influenced by the duration of exposure to high temperatures. However, prolonged exposure to high temperatures (36 hours) renders S. litura eggs unable to survive, highlighting its extreme vulnerability under extended heat stress conditions. After undergoing short-term low-temperature treatment, the developmental period of S. litura eggs is prolonged, and the hatching rate gradually decreases with an increase in the duration of low-temperature treatment. Furthermore, similar to a previous study on Heterolocha jinyinhuaphaga (Xiang et al., 2014), it was observed that the hatching rate of S. litura eggs also decreased after being treated at 5°C and 8°C for durations of 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days. However, these findings differ from those reported in another study which found no significant impact on both the hatching rate and developmental period of C. suppressalis egg masses when refrigerated at temperatures of 4°C and 5°C (Dai et al., 2018). In conclusion, it can be inferred that high temperature stress has a more pronounced effect on the development duration and hatching rate of S. litura eggs compared to low temperature stress.

After undergoing a short-term high temperature treatment at 35°C for 24 hours, the pupa of S. litura exhibited the shortest developmental period, highest emergence rate, longest adult lifespan, longest egg laying period, and highest egg production. However, when subjected to a 48-hour treatment at 35°C, the egg production significantly decreased. Following a 24-hours treatment at 35°C, there was no difference in emergence rate compared to the control group; however, the egg laying period and amount were both significantly reduced compared to the control group. Within a certain temperature range, short-term warming proved beneficial for S. litura reproduction; however, sustained high temperatures had a significant inhibitory effect on reproduction. When exposed to a 96-hours treatment at 35°C, only a small number of S. litura pupae emerged as adults who were unable to lay eggs successfully. Furthermore, after being treated with temperatures above 35°C for more than 24 hours,the female pupae displayed higher emergence rates than their male counterparts.This observation may be attributed to females bearing the responsibility of breeding offspring and exhibiting greater resistance towards high temperature stress—a finding consistent with previous research demonstrating stronger heat tolerance among female adults of S.frugiperda (Zhang et al., 2020; Yang et al., 2022). As the duration of high temperature increases, both male and female adultlifespans decrease, with males exhibiting a higher lifespan than females. This contrasts with the findings for Bactrocea tau, where the lifespans of males and females initially increased at 34°C but gradually shortened as the treatment temperature further rose. This discrepancy may be attributed to variations in temperature perception among different species or differences in response to prolonged high temperatures. Moreover, an increase in high temperature duration leads to a reduction in developmental period, emergence rate, egg laying period, adult lifespan, egg laying quantity, and hatching rate of S. litura pupae.

After 48 and 96 hours of low temperature treatment, the developmental period of pupae was significantly prolonged compared to the control group. Additionally, the emergence rate of male and female pupae decreased with increasing treatment duration. The preovulation period extended as the low-temperature duration increased, while the egg-laying period initially lengthened and then shortened. The longest egg-laying time observed was 8.67 days after 48 hours of treatment, whereas it was 7.70 days in the control group. The lifespan of adult insects increased within 48 hours of low-temperature treatment and continued to extend beyond that timeframe; however, male adults exhibited a shortened lifespan. Moreover, longer durations of low temperature resulted in lower egg production and hatching rates, with only 224.33 eggs produced after a 96-hour treatment period. Furthermore, after storing semi-closed curved tail wasp pupae at a temperature of 4°C for intervals ranging from 5 to 30 days, both emergence rate and parasitism ability decreased. (Zhang et al., 2022). The emergence rate, adult lifespan, and mating rate of C. suppressalis pupae stored at 4°C gradually decrease with an increase in the duration of low-temperature exposure (Dai et al., 2018). In contrast, the emergence rate of H. jinyinhuaphaga pupae decreases gradually after treatment at different temperatures of 5°C and 8°C; however, their pupal development period shortens with a longer durationof the duration of low temperature (Xiang et al., 2014), which differs from the findings presented in this article. Furthermore, when treated at 10 and 13°C for 48 and 96 hours respectively, both female and male H. jinyinhuaphaga pupae exhibit increased emergence rates similar to Lepidoptera noctuidae as treatment time increases (Yang et al., 2022). These results are inconsistent with the conclusions drawn in this study regarding decreased emergence rates for both female and male pupae with prolonged low-temperature treatment time or potential influences related to significant differences in test temperature, experimental environment, or species variations.

The occurrence of insects in agricultural environments is significantly influenced by high and low temperature stress (Zhu et al., 2019; Scaccini et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2021; Joanna et al., 2021; Farman et al., 2022; Yu et al., 2022; Zhang et al., 2022). This experiment revealed that the populations of S. litura eggs and pupae were greatly suppressed under prolonged exposure to high temperatures (35°C) and low temperatures (4°C). These findings provide a scientific basis for predicting and preventing S. litura outbreaks during hot summers or cold winters in China. It is advisable to implement chemical control measures and agricultural practices when the eggs and pupae become vulnerable after extended periods of high or low temperatures, as this approach effectively reduces the population of S. litura (Wang et al., 2010; Perrin et al., 2022; Iltis et al., 2022; Verheyen et al., 2022)

This study investigated the effects of short-term stress treatment at high temperature (35°C) and low temperature (4°C) on the eggs and pupae of S. litura. The results showed that exposure to these temperatures gradually prolonged the development period of the eggs, decreased hatching rate, and inhibited the growth and reproductive ability of both pupae and subsequent adults. Interestingly, our findings revealed that S. litura pupae and eggs exhibited differential resistance to temperature stress, with greater tolerance observed in pupae compared to eggs. Consequently, refrigerated propagation of pupae was recommended over eggs for large-scale breeding purposes.

All authors have seen and agree with the contents of the manuscript and there is no conflict of interest, including specific financial interest and relationships and affiliations relevant to the subject of the manuscript.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme (CPR5028) and IAEA Coordinated Research Project D41028 (26368), China National Tobacco Corporation Project (110202201022 (LS-06)), Hundred’ Level Innovative Talent Foundation of Guizhou Province (GCC [2022] 028 − 1), and Guizhou Sci-ence Technology Foundation (Qiankehe Talent Platform – CXTD [2023] 021).

Data availability statement

The data are included in the manuscript.

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Effects of Short-Term High and Low-Temperatures stress on Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) Eggs and Pupae Development and offspring

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Abstract

Figures

1. Introduction

1. Materials and Method

1.1 Insect specimen acquisition and Rearing

1.4 Data Analysis

2. Results

4. Discussion

5. Conclusion

Declarations

Acknowledgements

Data availability statement

References

Status:

Version 1