Cold hardiness and sugar content in photo‐insensitive individuals of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera

Abstract A proportion of Helicoverpa armigera collected from fields in Okayama Prefecture (Western Japan; 34.6°N, 134.1°E) does not enter diapause when reared under a short days at 20 °C during the larval stages. However, diapause in such photo‐insensitive individuals can be induced when they are reared at moderately low temperatures, such as 15 °C, regardless of photoperiod. To determine whether such photo‐insensitive individuals can survive overwintering in fields, the present study compares the cold hardiness and sugar content between nondiapausing and diapausing pupae of photo‐insensitive individuals selected over several generations at 20 °C under a short day photoperiod (LD 10 : 14 h). Diapausing and nondiapausing pupae are obtained under the short days by rearing at 15 and 20 °C, respectively, during larval and pupal stages. These pupae are stepwise acclimated at a reduction of 5 °C every 5 days to 0 °C. Maximum survival periods of nondiapausing and diapausing pupae at 0 °C are approximately 30 and 90 days, respectively. Trehalose content in diapausing pupae increases, reaches a maximum level (1.95 mg 100 mg^?1 in males and 2.1 mg 100 mg^?1 in females) 28 days after exposure to 0 °C and then decreases. On the other hand, glucose content in diapausing pupae increases (maximum level: 0.32 mg 100 mg^?1 in males and 0.21 mg 100 mg^?1 in females) with decreasing trehalose content 42 days after exposure to 0°C. The decrease in trehalose content and the increase in glucose content may be linked to termination of diapause in H. armigera. These results suggest that, in Japan, the photo‐insensitive individuals can only survive in the mild winters of southern regions, and not in the severe winters of northern regions.