Factors affecting photoreactivation in UVB-irradiated herbivorous spider mite (Tetranychus urticae)

Ambient ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation causes lethal damage to spider mites, and the extent of photochemical effects is determined by cumulative irradiance in the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. However, the LD50 values obtained using a UVB lamp were much lower than those elicited by solar UVB radiation. As solar radiation includes intense visible light and UVA, we assumed that a photoreactivation mechanism would play a role to survive under solar radiation. We assessed the capacity for photoreactivation in T. urticae eggs and larvae, and found that the efficacy of photoreactivation was determined by the cumulative irradiance of visible light (VIS) after exposure to UVB radiation. The wavelength range effective for photoreactivation went from UVA to green. Next, we found that an increased time lag between UVB and VIS radiation reduced the photoreactivation efficacy in eggs. In contrast, a time lag ≤4 h did not affect that in larvae. We discussed the possibility that the timing of photoreactivation occurs related with phase-specific UVB vulnerability and outbreak symptoms due to UVB-induced DNA damage. Our results suggest that T. urticae depends on a photoreactivation mechanism, and that the photoreactivation efficiency probably caused the divergence in UVB impact between UV lamp and solar radiation.