Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition
BACKGROUND: The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis, a key vector of corn stunt disease, poses a major threat to corn production across the Americas. In subtropical South America, females overwinter as active adults despite the absence of host plants. This study explored, for the first time, the reprodu...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Wiley
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24199 https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.70227 https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70227 |
| _version_ | 1855487277045645312 |
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| author | Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro Bezdjian, Laura Patricia Van Nieuwenhove, Carina Paola Coll Aráoz, María Victoria Casuso, Violeta Macarena Virla, Eduardo Gabriel |
| author_browse | Bezdjian, Laura Patricia Casuso, Violeta Macarena Coll Aráoz, María Victoria Van Nieuwenhove, Carina Paola Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro Virla, Eduardo Gabriel |
| author_facet | Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro Bezdjian, Laura Patricia Van Nieuwenhove, Carina Paola Coll Aráoz, María Victoria Casuso, Violeta Macarena Virla, Eduardo Gabriel |
| author_sort | Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | BACKGROUND: The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis, a key vector of corn stunt disease, poses a major threat to corn production across the Americas. In subtropical South America, females overwinter as active adults despite the absence of host plants. This study explored, for the first time, the reproductive status and adaptive strategies of D. maidis females overwintering in Tucumán, Argentina.
RESULTS: In field, seasonal polyphenism was evident, with melanized females predominating in winter, likely enhancing cold tolerance. Females survive winter with inactive but fertilized ovaries, indicating a state of reproductive quiescence. Ovarian activation and egg-laying are triggered by host plant availability rather than environmental cues such as temperature or photoperiod. Nonetheless, temperature and photoperiod significantly influence the polyphenism of first-generation offspring – longer days and higher temperatures yield larger, lighter individuals, while colder, shorter days produce smaller, darker ones. Additionally, oviposition occurs almost exclusively during daylight hours.
CONCLUSION: The observed female-biased sex ratio and polyphenic variations suggest a combination of physiological and behavioral adaptations for winter survival. In overwintering females of the vector, access to corn plants is the key trigger for ovarian activation and the initiation of egg-laying. Despite not quantifying sperm load, overwintered females maintained > 80% fertility for over 2 weeks without male presence once corn was accessible. These findings underscore the importance of managing volunteer corn and standardizing early sowing to mitigate early infestations and economic losses due to D. maidis outbreaks in late-planted corn fields. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA24199 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| publisherStr | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA241992025-10-17T12:20:40Z Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro Bezdjian, Laura Patricia Van Nieuwenhove, Carina Paola Coll Aráoz, María Victoria Casuso, Violeta Macarena Virla, Eduardo Gabriel Dalbulus maidis Plant Pests Overwintering Polyphenism Reproductive Behaviour Oviposition Plagas de Plantas Invernación Polifenismo Comportamiento Reproductivo Oviposición Argentina Chicharrita del Maíz BACKGROUND: The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis, a key vector of corn stunt disease, poses a major threat to corn production across the Americas. In subtropical South America, females overwinter as active adults despite the absence of host plants. This study explored, for the first time, the reproductive status and adaptive strategies of D. maidis females overwintering in Tucumán, Argentina. RESULTS: In field, seasonal polyphenism was evident, with melanized females predominating in winter, likely enhancing cold tolerance. Females survive winter with inactive but fertilized ovaries, indicating a state of reproductive quiescence. Ovarian activation and egg-laying are triggered by host plant availability rather than environmental cues such as temperature or photoperiod. Nonetheless, temperature and photoperiod significantly influence the polyphenism of first-generation offspring – longer days and higher temperatures yield larger, lighter individuals, while colder, shorter days produce smaller, darker ones. Additionally, oviposition occurs almost exclusively during daylight hours. CONCLUSION: The observed female-biased sex ratio and polyphenic variations suggest a combination of physiological and behavioral adaptations for winter survival. In overwintering females of the vector, access to corn plants is the key trigger for ovarian activation and the initiation of egg-laying. Despite not quantifying sperm load, overwintered females maintained > 80% fertility for over 2 weeks without male presence once corn was accessible. These findings underscore the importance of managing volunteer corn and standardizing early sowing to mitigate early infestations and economic losses due to D. maidis outbreaks in late-planted corn fields. EEA Las Breñas Fil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido A. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Entomología; Argentina Fil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CCT NOA Sur; Argentina Fil: Bezdjian, Laura P. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Entomología; Argentina Fil: Van Nieuwenhove, Carina Paola. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Morfología Animal; Argentina Fil: Van Nieuwenhove, Carina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos. Laboratorio de Ecofisiología Tecnológica; Argentina Fil: Coll Aráoz, María V. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML; Argentina Fil: Casuso, Violeta Macarena. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Las Breñas; Argentina Fil: Virla, Eduardo Gabriel. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Entomología; Argentina Fil: Virla, Eduardo Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CCT NOA Sur; Argentina 2025-10-17T12:17:36Z 2025-10-17T12:17:36Z 2025-09 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24199 https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.70227 1526-498X 1526-4998 https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70227 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Wiley Pest Management Science : 1-11 (First published: 12 September 2025) |
| spellingShingle | Dalbulus maidis Plant Pests Overwintering Polyphenism Reproductive Behaviour Oviposition Plagas de Plantas Invernación Polifenismo Comportamiento Reproductivo Oviposición Argentina Chicharrita del Maíz Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro Bezdjian, Laura Patricia Van Nieuwenhove, Carina Paola Coll Aráoz, María Victoria Casuso, Violeta Macarena Virla, Eduardo Gabriel Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition |
| title | Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition |
| title_full | Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition |
| title_fullStr | Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition |
| title_short | Reproductive strategy of overwintering Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in subtropical areas: neither temperature nor photoperiod, only corn triggers oviposition |
| title_sort | reproductive strategy of overwintering dalbulus maidis hemiptera cicadellidae in subtropical areas neither temperature nor photoperiod only corn triggers oviposition |
| topic | Dalbulus maidis Plant Pests Overwintering Polyphenism Reproductive Behaviour Oviposition Plagas de Plantas Invernación Polifenismo Comportamiento Reproductivo Oviposición Argentina Chicharrita del Maíz |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24199 https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.70227 https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70227 |
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