Seasonal changes in glycerol content and cold hardiness in two ecotypes of the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, exposed to the environment in the Shonai district, Japan.

The rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, is divided into at least two ecotypes in Japan, the Shonai ecotype (SN) which is distributed in the northern part of Japan, and the Saigoku ecotype (SG) which is distributed in the southwestern region. Cold hardiness is positively correlated with the level of glycerol in both ecotypes. To investigate whether ecological distribution affects glycerol accumulation and cold hardiness development in these two ecotypes, overwintering larvae of the SN and SG ecotypes were concurrently exposed to the Shonai district. Obvious differences in the progress of glycerol accumulation and cold hardiness development in SN and SG larvae were found in early winter in the Shonai district. The levels of glycerol content and cold hardiness were low in October and high in January in both ecotypes, but those levels were different within this period (November and December) between ecotypes; the levels in SN larvae quickly reached their maximum, whereas, in SG larvae levels increased slowly. Under controlled conditions, the effect of the period of acclimation at 10 degrees C and subsequent low-temperature (5 degrees C) exposure on glycerol accumulation was investigated. These results indicated that glycerol accumulation in SN was stimulated by the progression of diapause termination, whereas a higher cumulative effect on glycerol production in SG was found when diapause was in a deep state.