Diapause development in early and late emerging phenotypes of Delia floralis

The turnip fly, Delia floralis Fallén (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) is an important insect pest of brassica vegetable crops in the holarctic region. Different populations have strongly varying temperature requirements for fly emergence, a challenge for accurate prediction of activity. This study focused on diapause development in one early and one late emerging phenotype. The physiological state after various treatments was deduced from emergence data. Our results showed a slow diapause progression at chilling conditions for both populations and diapause ended about 7 months after pupae were formed for the early population. For the late population held at 4°C diapause did not end, no matter how long the duration of chilling. These pupae required a period with elevated temperatures above 6°C to continue development. At constant non-chilling conditions (18°C) from the time pupae were formed both populations completed diapause most rapidly. These results indicate that chilling delayed, rather than accelerated development and was not a prerequisite for diapause development. For post-diapause, results indicated a linear relationship between rate of development and temperature within the range of 6-18°C and a theoretical base temperature for development of about 2°C for both populations. In conclusion, D. floralis pupae are in diapause throughout a long winter period, and delayed emergence of the late population appears to be caused by prolonged diapause regulated by a developmental temperature threshold. The study has added information on the biology of turnip fly populations, a prerequisite for improved pest control.