Acta Ecologica Sinica (2010) 30, 3628-3636

Chun-Sen Ma, Gang Ma and He-Ping Yang (2010)
Overwintering of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella in temperate countries
Acta Ecologica Sinica 30 (13), 3628-3636
Abstract: The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, is an important horticultural pests worldwide. In the tropics and subtropics where crucifers are planted throughout the year all life stages of DBM appear at any time. However, in temperate regions, where crucifers are not grown year round, hibernation of DBM becomes a significant ecological issue during noncropping periods. Research progress on hibernation of the DBM in Asian, North American and European countries are reviewed in this article. The detailed original research approaches and important experiment data were demonstrated. In Japan, detailed experiments showed that DBM cannot overwinter in Hokaido and a large part of Tohoku and Hokuriku districts of Honshu. The north limit of hibernation of DBM was estimated at where the duration of continuous snow cover is longer than 60 days. In China, there is evidence showing that DBM cannot overwinter in the chilly North East China, but it feeds and reproduces normally during winter on south China. However, the north limit of hibernation in China remains unknown. Researchers found that DBM occurs normally during mild winter in South Korea and southeast of Australia. In North America, the detailed experiment results provided evidence that DBM cannot overwinter in Ontario and West Canada. DBM was found to feed and reproduce normally in south United States. Whether DBM hibernates in north United States remains a controversial topic. Seedlings grown in the southern states contaminated with DBM had been proven to be one of the major sources of diamondback moth infestations in northern states. In European countries, it is not known whether DBM can survive in winters in situ. The experiments have consistently shown very little survival in the UK, and give no reason to suggest that overwintering occurs at any significant degree. There are two approaches to explore the overwintering of DBM, i.e. direct approach via field experiments and indirect approach via forecasting based on cold tolerance experiments and environment temperature. The common methods of the direct approach include field cage experiments with all life stages of DBM under the snow cover, plant debris, volunteer plants, soil gaps; field investigations for temporal dynamic of all life stages of DBM in winter crops, and field survey for natural hibernation populations of DBM on cruciferous crops before and after winter. The indirect approach is to find out whether DBM can overwinter or not, based on the results of the cold hardness tests and temperatures in the hibernation environment. World winter temperature has increased due to climate change and global warming, which has brought significant impact on the hibernation of DBM. It should be further studied the north limit of hibernation associated with the migration of DBM in temperate countries to provide evidence for the forecast and management of DBM.
(The abstract has been supplied by the author or ISPI and is excluded from the Creative Commons licence.)
(original language: Chinese)
Database assignments for author(s): Chun-Sen Ma

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation
population dynamics/ epidemiology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Plutella xylostella