Kanchupati Naga Mani, Seal Dakshina R, Jangra Sumit, Schaffer Bruce, Liburd Oscar E, Beuzelin Julien
Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, IFAS, Homestead, FL 33031, USA.
Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Insects. 2024 Jul 25;15(8):562. doi: 10.3390/insects15080562.
The pepper weevil ( Cano) is a devastating pest that inflicts severe damage to pepper crops, leading to substantial economic losses. This study investigated the impact of aging on the reproductive success of the pepper weevil. Pepper weevil-infested fruit were harvested from pepper fields and subsequently transferred into an insect cage to facilitate the emergence of adults. The emerged adults were housed in separate cages and allowed to mature until they reached specified ages: 10 days old (young), 20 days old (middle-aged), and 30 days old (old) individuals. Eggs laid by each age group were carefully collected and incubated under controlled laboratory conditions (28 ± 1.5 °C). Several reproductive variables including the number of eggs laid, the percentage of hatched eggs, and the egg incubation period were recorded for each age group. Embryonic development was also monitored daily using a VHX digital microscope at a magnification of 200×. Differences in developmental stages such as the blastoderm, germ band, gastrulation, segmentation, and appendage formation were observed, and the time span of every stage was recorded. The results show that the 10-day-old weevils laid the most eggs and had the highest hatching rate and the shortest developmental time. The 30-day-old weevils laid the fewest eggs and had the lowest hatching rate and longest developmental time. Thus, the pepper weevil age significantly influenced the fecundity, length of time for each embryonic development stage, hatching rate, and incubation period, and should be considered when studying the reproductive biology of this pest insect. This first report of the effect of aging on the reproductive potential of the pepper weevil should enable pepper growers to adopt cultural practices aimed at reducing the pepper weevil populations, thereby helping to protect their crop from this important pest.
胡椒象鼻虫（Cano）是一种极具破坏力的害虫，会对胡椒作物造成严重损害，导致巨大的经济损失。本研究调查了衰老对胡椒象鼻虫繁殖成功率的影响。从胡椒田中收获受胡椒象鼻虫侵害的果实，随后转移到昆虫饲养笼中，以利于成虫羽化。羽化后的成虫被放置在单独的笼子里，使其成熟，直至达到特定年龄：10日龄（年轻）、20日龄（中年）和30日龄（老年）个体。仔细收集每个年龄组产下的卵，并在可控的实验室条件（28±1.5°C）下进行孵化。记录每个年龄组的几个繁殖变量，包括产卵数量、孵化卵的百分比和卵的孵化期。还每天使用放大倍数为200倍的VHX数码显微镜监测胚胎发育。观察了胚盘、胚带、原肠胚形成、体节形成和附肢形成等发育阶段的差异，并记录了每个阶段的时间跨度。结果表明，10日龄的象鼻虫产卵最多，孵化率最高，发育时间最短。3日龄的象鼻虫产卵最少，孵化率最低，发育时间最长。因此，胡椒象鼻虫的年龄显著影响其繁殖力、每个胚胎发育阶段的时长、孵化率和孵化期，在研究这种害虫的生殖生物学时应予以考虑。这份关于衰老对胡椒象鼻虫繁殖潜力影响的首次报告应能使胡椒种植者采取旨在减少胡椒象鼻虫种群数量的栽培措施，从而有助于保护他们的作物免受这种重要害虫的侵害。
