Temperature-Dependent Development of Eggs, Larvae, and Pupae of the Oriental Fruit Moth Grapholita molesta

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of temperature on the development of immature stages of Grapholita molesta at five constant temperatures between 14 °C and 26 °C under a photoperiodic condition of 16L8D. The lower threshold temperature for development (LT) and the thermal constant (K) were 10.4 °C and 59.3 DD for eggs, 7.9 °C and 215.1 DD for larvae, and 9.6 °C and 167.7 DD for pupae, respectively. For total immature development (oviposition to adult emergence), LT and K were estimated to be 9.1 °C and 436.8 DD. Because egg development is relatively fast in G. molesta and insecticide is not effective after neonate larval entry into fruits, the interval between insecticide sprays needs to be short, especially in high temperature conditions in the summer. It is preferable to adopt a mating disruption strategy to control G. molesta to avoid increasing the number of sprays.