Effect of delayed mating on reproductive biology of the Oriental fruit moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Abstract

AbstractThe effect of delayed mating on the reproductive biology of females of the Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck), was studied in the laboratory. Expected reproduction, defined as t-th day survival rate × percent successful mating × total viable eggs, was reduced by 13, 36, and 74%, respectively, after a 2-, 5-, and 10-d delay in pairing with a male compared with females that were paired with a male on their day of emergence. Female fertility (percentage of females laying fertile eggs), fecundity (total number of eggs laid), egg fertility (percentage of eggs developing to black head stage), and egg hatch (percentage of eggs hatching) were reduced by delays in mating. The pre-oviposition period of females mated within 24 h of emergence was longer than that of females mated 2, 5, or 10 d after emergence. The duration of the oviposition period declined with delays in mating. Female longevity increased with delays in mating and was greatest in virgin females. The number of eggs laid per day was similar in females paired with a male 2, 5, and 10 d after their emergence. Commencing 2 d after pairing, females paired on their day of emergence exhibited a daily oviposition rate similar to that of females paired 2–10 d after emergence. These observations suggest that the successful control of the Oriental fruit moth using sex-pheromone-mediated orientation disruption (mating disruption) is more likely accomplished by preventing mating than by delaying mating.