Supercooling Capacity of the Sweet Potato Leaf Folder, Brachmia macroscopa Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)
Xia-Lin Zheng1, Pan Wang2, Jun-Yan Liu1, Yu-Jing Zhang1, Jun Li1 and Wen Lu1,*
1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agric-Environment and Agric-Products Safety, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
2Institute of Vegetable Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Science and Technology, Wuhan 430345, China
Xia-Lin Zheng and Pan Wang contributed equally to this work.
* Corresponding author: luwenlwen@163.com
ABSTRACT
The supercooling point is a good predictor of cold hardiness. In this study, supercooling capacity of Brachmia macroscopa was determined. The 4th instar larvae, pupae and adults survived in January, in which their supercooling points were -12.79 ± 0.67 °C, -19.92 ± 0.66 °C and -21.23 ± 0.99 °C, respectively. Body water contents of these stages in B. macroscopa have no negative or positive correlation with the supercooling points. Supercooling points of these stages are lower than the air temperature during the winter, which suggested that these stages are the potential overwintering stages of this species in Wuhan City.