Artificial selection for responsiveness to photoperiodic change alters the response to stationary photoperiods in maternal induction of egg diapause in the rice leaf bug Trigonotylus caelestialium

Abstract

Female adults of the rice leaf bug Trigonotylus caelestialium (Kirkaldy) (Heteroptera: Miridae) produce non-diapause eggs under long-day conditions, whereas they produce diapause eggs under short-day conditions. These egg-production modes change following a photoperiodic change from long-day to short-day conditions or vice versa, with individual variations in responsiveness shown in the time from the photoperiodic change to the mode change. Strains of this insect with higher or lower responsiveness to photoperiodic change were established after several generations of selection, indicating that the individual variation has a genetic basis. The selected strains that were more responsive and less responsive to one photoperiodic change were found to be less responsive and more responsive to the opposite photoperiodic change, respectively, indicating a significant negative correlation between responsiveness to reciprocal photoperiodic changes. The selected strains also had a significantly different incidence of diapause-egg producers in stationary photoperiods compared to a non-selected strain, showing that selections for responsiveness to photoperiodic change were essentially the same as selections for a higher or lower incidence of diapause-egg producers. These results indicate that responsiveness to photoperiodic change is one aspect of the tendency to produce diapause or non-diapause eggs.