• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.193-199
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• 2021

Solenopsis japonica, which is belonging to Formicidae in Hymenoptera, is a native ant species in Korea. However, it had not been studied for cold hardiness of S. japonica to understand on its overwintering mechanisms in field so far. Cold tolerance on developmental stages was measured at different cold temperature with various exposure times. Workers showed more survival at 5℃ and 10℃ compared with other stages and elevated cold tolerance when workers were exposed at 15℃ for more than 12h incubation as a rapid cold hardening (RCH) condition. RCH treatment not only increased survival of workers at cold temperatures, but also decreased supercooling point (SCP) and freezing point (FP). RCH group increased the survival rate by 44% at 10℃ compared with Non-RCH group. SCP and FP were depressed from -10.0 to -14.2℃ and from -11.3 to -15.3℃, respectively, after RCH treatment. Cold temperature increased expression level of cold- and stress-related genes such as glycerol kinase and heat shock protein. These results indicate unacclimated cold tolerance of S. japonica and its acclimation to low temperature by RCH.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.409-422
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• 2022

Two dominant thrips in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) cultivating in greenhouses are Frankliniella occidentalis and F. intonsa in Korea. This study investigated their overwintering physiology. These two thrips were freeze-susceptible and suppressed the body freezing temperature by lowering supercooling point (SCP) down to -15~-27℃. However, these SCPs varied among species and developmental stages. SCPs of F. occidentalis were -25.7±0.5℃ for adults, -17.2±0.3℃ for pupae, and -15.0±0.4℃ for larvae. SCPs of F. intonsa were -24.0±1.0℃ for adults, -27.0±0.5℃ for pupae, -17.2±0.8℃ for larvae. Cold injuries of both species occurred at low temperature treatments above SCPs. Thrips mortality increased as the treatment temperature decreased and its exposure period increased. F. occidentalis exhibited higher cold tolerance than F. intonsa. In both species, adults were more cold-tolerant than larvae. Two thrips species exhibited a rapid cold hardening because a pre-exposure to 0℃ for 2 h significantly enhanced the cold tolerance to a lethal cold temperature treatment at -10℃ for 2 h. In addition, a sequential exposure of the thrips to decreasing temperatures made them to be acclimated to low temperatures. To investigate the overwintering sites of the two species, winter monitoring of the thrips was performed at the greenhouses. During winter season (November~February), adults of the two species were not captured in outside of the greenhouses. However, F. occidentalis adults were captured to the traps and observed in weeds within the greenhouses. F. occidentalis adults were also emerged from soil samples obtained from the greenhouses during the winter season. F. intonsa adults did not come out from the soil samples at November and December, but emerged from the soil samples obtained after January. To determine the adult emergence due to diapause development, two thrips species were reared under different photoperiods. Adult development occurred in all photoperiod treatments in F. occidentalis, but did not in F. intonsa especially under short periods. Tomato spotted wilt virus, which is transmitted by these two species, was detected in the weeds infested by the thrips during the winter season. These results suggest that F. occidentalis develops on weeds in the greenhouses while F. intonsa undergoes a diapause in the soil during winter.