Assessing the impact of altering temperatures on food consumption and nutritional indices of P. gossypiella in Bt cotton

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Harshavardhan, Amandeep Kaur, Vijay Kumar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4221538/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The study on ‘Influence of temperature on food consumption and nutritional indices of pink bollworm in Bt cotton’ was studied at various alternate temperatures (20:30, 24:30, 28:30, 20:35, 24:35, 28:35, 20:40, 24:40 and 28:40 o C) in Integrated Pest Management Laboratory, Department of Entomology, PAU, Ludhiana during 2022-23 cotton growing season. The experiment was conducted on the second, third and fourth larval instars of pink bollworm and the results revealed that the maximum amount of food consumed was recorded at the temperature combination of 28:35 o C for all the larval instars. The nutritional indices like Consumption index (CI), Relative Growth Rate (RGR), Approximate digestibility (AD) and Efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) of second, third and fourth larval instars shown highest values at altering temperature combination of 28:35 o C. The food consumption increased from second to third larval instar and it gradually decreased from third instar to fourth instar. Pink bollworm Food consumption Consumption index Relative Growth Rate Approximate digestibility Efficiency of conversion of ingested food Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction Cotton ( Gossipium spp.) which is popularly known as ‘King of Fibres’ is one of the most valuable fibre crops in the world and it is grown in both tropical and warm temperate regions (Wendel and Cronn 2003 ). China holds the world’s first position in cotton production, while India stands as the second-largest producer, having an estimated production of 343.74 lakh bales in the year 2022-23 (Anonymous, 2023 ). India is the only country around the globe where all four cultivated species (namely Gossypium arboreum, G. herbaceum, G. hirsutum and G. barbadense ) are commercially cultivated (Deshmukh et al 2016). In Punjab, cotton ranks as the second most significant kharif crop after rice. In the 2021-22 season, cotton was cultivated in approximately 3.25 lakh hectares, which represents an increase of around 75 thousand hectares from the previous 2020-21 cropping season. This expansion in cotton cultivation led to a production of 21.86 lakh quintals of cotton in the 2021-22 season (Anonymous 2022 ). Bt cotton is a genetically modified cotton plant that has been created by inserting one or more genes from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis . These genes encode insecticidal proteins, and as a result, genetically modified Bt cotton plants produce one or more toxins. These toxins are produced to protect the cotton plant from insect damage. (Integration of Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Crops within IPM Programs, 2008 ). In 2002, Bt cotton hybrid (Bollgard) introduced into India which leads to drastic reduction in the incidence of bollworms (Manjunath 2004 ). Nearly after a decade, pink bollworm (PBW), Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has emerged as a major pest in cotton growing areas of Central and Southern India, with reports of the insect feeding and surviving on single gene Bt cotton (Bollgard I) in Gujarat and dual gene Bt cotton (Bollgard II) in Gujarat (Dhurua et al 2011). It has recently become a menace to cotton production in Southern and Central regions of India, where the pest has evolved resistance to Cry1Ac and Cry 2Ab expressing cotton, as well as showing insecticide resistance, and infesting late-season cotton (Naik et al 2018 ). The amount and quality of food consumed during the larval stage influences growth rate, development time, body weight, and survival, as well as fecundity, longevity, movement, and the ability of adults to compete with other organisms. The feeding behaviour of the insects also changes with the changing temperatures. Material and Methods Experiments to investigate the effects of alternating temperatures (maximum and minimum) on the food consumption and nutritional indices of P. gossypiella on Bt cotton were conducted during the 2022-23 crop seasons. The study involved a set of temperature treatments, each with specific minimum and maximum temperature conditions. These treatments, labelled as T1 to T9, included various combinations of temperatures such as T1- 20:30 o C, T2- 24:30 o C, T3- 28:30 o C, T4- 20:35 o C, T5- 24:35 o C, T6- 28:35 o C, T7- 20:40 o C, T8- 24:40 o C, and T9- 28:40 o C. Each treatment was replicated three times and maintained for a duration of 14:10 hours in an incubator. The relative humidity was consistently maintained at 65 ± 5 percent throughout the duration of the experiment. Cotton plants were raised and culture of P. gossypiella was collected from cotton belt districts of Punjab, India and was reared separately under ambient conditions. After adult emergence, the male and female were paired for egg laying and second instars larvae were used for experiment. Larvae was kept separately in sample vial (25 ml capacity) where 20 second instar larvae at each temperature combinations and seeds of 10–15 daysold cotton bolls were provided as food (Fig. 1 b). Fresh food was provided daily, and the excreta along with any uneaten food were removed on a daily basis. Additionally, a separate group of larvae was maintained. If any of the experimental larvae died, it was replaced with one from the maintenance group to ensure a consistent number of larvae in each replication. A control was maintained where the cotton seeds were weighed and placed in a jar, and their weight was checked again after 24 hours to determine the moisture loss from the food provided to the larvae. Observations to be Recorded The observations were recorded dailyfrom second instar larvae to pupal stage. Various observation recorded includeweight of fresh food (gram), weight of uneaten food (gram), weight of faeces (mg), fresh weight of the surviving larvae (mg), duration of feeding period (days). The indices of growth werecalculated as per the formulae given below: Consumption index (CI) = F/TA Relative Growth Rate (RGR) = G/TA Approximate Digestibility (AD) = F-f/F x 100 Efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) = G/F x100 Where F: Fresh weight of food ingested T: Duration of feeding period A: Fresh weight of the insect G: Fresh weight gain of the insect during feeding period f: Fresh weight of faeces Results The study revealed that the food consumption of second, third and fourth larval instars of P. gossypiella were highest in Treatment-6 (28:35 o C) with 54.66 ± 1.29 (df = 18, F value = 3.37, p value = 0.01), 65.47 ± 2.20 (df = 18, F value = 2.51, p value = 0.05) and 62.65 ± 2.21 (df = 18, F value = 2.75, p value = 0.03) mg, respectively. The lowest food consumption was reported in Treatment-7 (20:40 o C) with 48.23 ± 2.23 (df = 18, F value = 3.37, p value = 0.01), 61.69 ± 0.40 (df = 18, F value = 2.51, p value = 0.05) and 58.48 ± 0.04 (df = 18, F value = 2.75, p value = 0.03) mg, respectively (Table 1 ). The consumption index (CI) of second, third and fourth larval instars was highest in Treatment-6 (28:35 o C) with a value of 11.42 ± 0.34 (df = 18, F value = 42.42, p value = 0.00), 10.53 ± 0.43 (df = 18, F value = 27.68, p value = 0.00) and 8.19 ± 0.26 (df = 18, F value = 20.32, p value = 0.00), respectively (Fig. 2 ). Whereas, the lowest values were recorded in Treatment-7 (20:40 o C) with 6.25 ± 0.22 (df = 18, F value = 42.42, p value = 0.00), 5.65 ± 0.17 (df = 18, F value = 27.68, p value = 0.00) and 5.40 ± 0.06 (df = 18, F value = 20.32, p value = 0.00), respectively. The relative growth rate (RGR) of second, third and fourth larval instars was significantly higher in Treatment-6 (28:35 o C) with RGR values of 1.57 ± 0.13 (df = 18, F value = 728, p value = 0.00 ), 1.18 ± 0.12 (df = 18, F value = 2.55, p value = 0.04) and 0.93 ± 0.06 (df = 18, F value = 16.16, p value = 0.00 ), respectively and the lowest in Treatment-7 (20:40 o C) with 0.80 ± 0.06 (df = 18, F value = 7.28, p value = 0.00 ), 0.67 ± 0.12 (df = 18, F value = 2.55, p value = 0.04 ) and 0.59 ± 0.01 (df = 18, F value = 16.16, p value = 0.00 ), respectively (Fig. 3 ). Sudanshu et al (2010) found the highest value of relative growth rate of 2nd instar larva of Anthraea mylitta (Linn.) and it decreased in the later stages. The values of approximate digestibility (AD) of second, third and fourth larval instars was highest in Treatment-6 (28:35 o C) with 97.62 ± 0.07 (df = 18, F value = 21.35, p value = 0.00), 97.24 ± 0.01(df = 18, F value = 38.77, p value = 0.00) and 96.44 ± 0.02 (df = 18, F value = 30.08, p value = 0.00) per cent, respectively and lowest in Treatment-7 (20:40 o C) with the value of 96.70 ± 0.02 (df = 18, F value = 21.35, p value = 0.00), 96.39 ± 0.01 (df = 18, F value = 38.77, p value = 0.00) and 95.88 ± 0.03 (df = 18, F value = 30.08, p value = 0.00) per cent, respectively (Table 2 ). The efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) values of second, third and fourth larval instars were highest in Treatment-6 (28:35 o C) with a value of 13.26 ± 0.40 (df = 18, F value = 5.85, p value = 0.00), 16.00 ± 0.32 (df = 18, F value = 3.43, p value = 0.01) and 11.68 ± 0.21 (df = 18, F value = 3.10, p value = 0.02) per cent, respectively, whereas lowest was recorded in Treatment-7 (20:40 o C) with a value of 10.34 ± 0.17 (df = 18, F value = 5.85, p value = 0.00), 12.48 ± 0.61 (df = 18, F value = 3.43, p value = 0.01) and 9.21 ± 0.53 (df = 18, F value = 3.10, p value = 0.02) per cent, respectively (Fig. 4 ). Discussion The findings suggested by Pandey et al ( 2015 ) states that the mean food consumption of H. armigera increased by 12.78 per cent and 32.64 per cent at an increase in temperatures by 3°C and 6°C, respectively. Additionally, Akbar et al ( 2015 ) reported that H. armigera caused more substantial crop damage due to increased food consumption resulting from increased temperature from 15 o C to 35 o C. These factors influenced larval metabolism by enhancing the activity of carbohydrases (amylase and cellulase), midgut proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin), as well as mitochondrial enzymes. Karmakar et al (2017) reported that at lower temperatures, such as 20°C, food consumption was reduced, indicating the significance of temperature in the nutritional dynamics of this insect species. Furthermore, Levesque et al (2002) reported in Malacosoma disstria that, at higher temperatures (24 and 30°C), a notable increase in the food consumption was observed when compared to the lower temperatures. The findings of Dalal et al (2016) reported that the consumption index of H. armigera rose from 0.93 ± 0.02 at 25:10 o C to 1.49 ± 0.01 at 30:16 o C. Hemati et al ( 2012 ) reported that the consumption index was 3.71 ± 0.09 for 5th instar larva at 25 ± 1°C and 65 ± 5% RH when fed on tomato diet. Similarly, Sharma et al (2018b) stated that with the increase in temperature by 5°C resulted in 50.83 per cent increase in CI in S. litura . The nutritional indices data of the larval instars of P. gossypiella exhibit inconsistency. Sharma et al ( 2018a ) reported that consumption index increased from 0.76 to 0.78 when the temperature was increased from 25:11°C to 25:14°C. Dalal et al (2016) concluded that the increased Relative Growth Rate (RGR) of H. armigera larvae was due to rise in alternating temperature from 25:10 o C to 30:10 o C where the RGR of total larval period differed from 0.13 at 25:10 o C to 0.17 at 30:10 o C. Sharma et al ( 2018a ) reported that the relative growth rate was recorded as 0.15 at 25:11°C and it increased to 0.27 at 25:14°C. Evans ( 1939 ) found that the decline in approximate digestibility could be attributed to the fact that insects, being small organisms, consume minute portions of food, creating a substantial surface area for the digestion process. Furthermore, as they mature, their food preferences also change, contributing to the observed variations in digestibility. Kaushal and Vats (1983) who reported that the highest values of approximate digestibility (AD) were observed for the first instar larvae of Pieris brassicae (Linn.), while the lowest values were recorded for the fourth instar larvae. Additionally, Sangha (2011) from Punjab, reported the highest approximate digestibility in third instar of Clostera fulgurita (Walk.) with 55.28 per cent, followed by fourth and fifth instar with 52.48 and 48.05 per cent, respectively. Hemati et al ( 2012 ) reported the decrease in approximate digestibility from third to fifth instar larvae of H. armigera when reared on cowpea diet where the approximate digestibility values were 86.69, 76.31 and 72.84 per cent for third, fourth and fifth larval instars, respectively at 25 ± 1°C. Hemati et al ( 2012 ) who reported that an increase in ECI from the third to the fourth instar of H. armigera , followed by a decrease from the fourth to the fifth instar and recorded the values of ECI as 7.23, 13.95 and 8.02 per cent for third, fourth and fifth larval instars, respectively, when reared on chick pea diet at 25 ± 1°C. Additionally, Nath et al ( 2015 ) from Uttarakhand, reported that the efficiency of conversion of ingested food increased from first to third instar larva of Antheraea proylei (Jolly) and it declined from third to last instar stages. The fifth instar larva of H. armigera undergoes physiological modifications within its nervous system, leading to the cessation of feeding, triggering wandering behaviour, and prompting metabolic alterations within the fat body. These physiological and behavioural shifts account for the variations in nutritional responses and the efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) between larval instars (Nation, 2001 ). The variance arises due to the shifting nutritional demands of the insect throughout its developmental stages. Such alterations generally lead to modifications in food consumption and feeding behaviour, a phenomenon well-documented to cause such disparities (Browne 1995 ). The fifth instar larva of H. armigera undergoes physiological modifications within its nervous system, leading to the cessation of feeding, triggering wandering behaviour, and prompting metabolic alterations within the fat body. These physiological and behavioural shifts account for the variations in nutritional responses (Nation, 2001 ). Conclusions It can be concluded that the food consumption by the P. gossypiella and the nutritional indices increases with the increase in temperature till 28:35 o C and with the further increase in temperature, it reduces gradually and was highest in third larval instar and reduces when the larva enters into the fourth instar stage. This variance arises due to the shifting nutritional demands of the insect throughout its developmental stages. Such alterations generally lead to modifications in food consumption and feeding behaviour, a phenomenon well-documented to cause such disparities and it can be supported by observing the fifth instar larva of H. armigera , whereit undergoes physiological modifications within its nervous system, leading to the cessation of feeding, triggering wandering behaviour, and prompting metabolic alterations within the fat body. These physiological and behavioural shifts account for the variations in nutritional responses. This new generated information about the food consumption and nutritional indices of P. gossypiella in Bt cotton will help the researcher to find the optimum temperature combination if prevail can cause huge loss to the farmer community. Declarations Acknowledgements Authors are thankful to the Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana for providing necessary facilities for carrying out the study. Authors contribution: Vijay Kumar and Amandeep Kaur: Design of the research, collection of pink bollworms Harshavardhan: Conducted field and laboratory experiments, data analysis, and interpretation. Harshavardhan, Amandeep Kaur and Vijay Kumar: Interpretation and wrote the manuscript Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. References Akbar, S.M., Pavani, T., Nagaraja, T.G. & Sharma, H.C. (2015). Influence of CO2and Temperature on Metabolism and Development of Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera). Environmental Entomology , 45(1), 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvv144. Anonymous (2022) CCI – Cotton Corporation of India – https://cotcorp.org.in. Anonymous (2023) Ministry of textiles- https://texmin.nic.in/sites/default/files/Annexure-VII-Note%20on%20Cotton%20Sector.pdf. Browne, L.B. (1995). Ontogenic changes in feeding behavior. In: Springer eBooks. 307–342. Dalal, P.K. & Arora. R. (2016). Impact of temperature on food consumption and nutritional indices of tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera). Journal of Agrometeorology , 18(1), 62–67. https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v18i1.901. Deshmukh, A.S. & Mohanty, A. (2016). Cotton mechanisation in India and across globe: a review. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science Engineering and Technology, 3(1), 2393–9877. Dhurua, S., Gujar & G.T. (2011). Field‐evolved resistance to Bt toxin Cry1Ac in the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), from India. Pest Management Science, 67(8), 898–903. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.2127. Evans, A.C. (1939). THE UTILISATION OF FOOD BY CERTAIN LEPIDOPTEROUS LARVAE. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 89(2),13–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1939.tb00256.x. Hemati, S.A., Naseri, B., & Ganbalani, G.N. (2012). Effect of Different Host Plants on Nutritional Indices of the Pod Borer, Helicoverpa armigera . Journal of Insect Science , 12(55),1–15. https://doi.org/10.1673/031.012.5501. Karmakar, P. & Pal, S. (2017). 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Tables Table 1 Effect of alternating temperatures on Food consumption of P. gossypiella in Bt cotton during 2022 Sr.No Temperature ( o C) Food consumption (mg) (Mean ± SE) 2nd instar 3rd instar 4th instar T1 20:30 50.28 ± 0.89 bc 62.41 ± 0.29 bc 59.28 ± 0.11 bc T2 24:30 51.17 ± 0.59 abc 63.31 ± 0.03 abc 60.39 ± 0.28 abc T3 28:30 53.69 ± 1.38 ab 64.96 ± 0.31 ab 61.70 ± 0.42 ab T4 20:35 52.21 ± 0.50 abc 63.78 ± 0.07 abc 60.13 ± 0.29 abc T5 24:35 54.37 ± 1.17 a 64.29 ± 0.07 abc 60.63 ± 0.10 abc T6 28:35 54.66 ± 1.29 a 65.47 ± 2.20 a 62.65 ± 2.21 a T7 20:40* 48.23 ± 2.23 c 61.69 ± 0.40 c 58.48 ± 0.04 c T8 24:40* 49.45 ± 1.31 c 62.90 ± 0.21 abc 59.65 ± 0.02 bc T9 28:40* 51.79 ± 0.15 abc 64.50 ± 0.46 ab 61.11 ± 0.04 ab CD (p = 0.05) 3.61 2.33 2.28 Mean of three replications; *Maximum temperature for 10 hours; Alphabets followed by superscript indicate significant differences at as per Tukey’s HSD test; Relative humidity = 65±5 per cent Table 2 Effect of alternating temperatures on Approximate Digestibility (AD) of second, third and fourth instar larva of P. gossypiella in Bt cotton during 2022 Sr.No Temperatures ( o C) Approximate Digestibility (%) (Mean ± SE) 2nd instar 3rd instar 4th instar T1 20:30 96.80 ± 0.02 cd 96.74 ± 0.07 e 95.99 ± 0.01 de T2 24:30 97.45 ± 0.04 ab 97.03 ± 0.03 bcd 96.24 ± 0.06 bc T3 28:30 97.58 ± 0.09 a 97.13 ± 0.02 ab 96.28 ± 0.01 abc T4 20:35 97.09 ± 0.03 bc 96.87 ± 0.03 de 96.04 ± 0.04 de T5 24:35 97.47 ± 0.14 ab 97.10 ± 0.04 abc 96.39 ± 0.02 ab T6 28:35 97.62 ± 0.07 a 97.24 ± 0.01 a 96.44 ± 0.02 a T7 20:40* 96.70 ± 0.02 d 96.39 ± 0.01 f 95.88 ± 0.03 e T8 24:40* 96.86 ± 0.07 cd 96.84 ± 0.04 de 96.12 ± 0.04 cd T9 28:40* 97.10 ± 0.10 bc 96.93 ± 0.04 cde 96.21 ± 0.01 c CD (p = 0.05) 0.23 0.12 0.10 Mean of three replications; *Maximum temperature for 10 hours; Data followed by superscript indicate significant differences at as per Tukey’s HSD test; Relative humidity = 65±5 per cent Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4221538","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":288596107,"identity":"68fb6b85-c28f-46ea-91e2-0273b4ff8550","order_by":0,"name":"P. 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University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amandeep","middleName":"","lastName":"Kaur","suffix":""},{"id":288596109,"identity":"0ee501a2-6456-4c10-a492-7f4a551777e8","order_by":2,"name":"Vijay Kumar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Punjab Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vijay","middleName":"","lastName":"Kumar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-04-05 08:12:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4221538/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4221538/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":54587107,"identity":"0bd20943-4ec8-4ccc-a810-2d905091fb85","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-04-12 16:03:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":488385,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1a) Life cycle of \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePectinophora gossypiella \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eshowing egg, larval, pupal and adult stages\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1b) Food material provided for food consumption parameter and nutritional indices\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4221538/v1/2c8aaf1b3c6fdd0c0395fec3.jpg"},{"id":54587109,"identity":"dcaf2eb0-01a2-4824-9f59-a9bf06fa8f0a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-04-12 16:03:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":265092,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEffect of alternating temperatures on Consumption index of \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP. gossypiella \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ein Bt cotton\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4221538/v1/121fa0b9d912764f587421c7.jpg"},{"id":54587106,"identity":"28e926bb-69b0-44a5-882e-9ef3692508b0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-04-12 16:03:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":208530,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEffect of alternating temperatures on Relative growth rate of \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP. gossypiella \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ein Bt cotton\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4221538/v1/302d4289411394a3ef2d0c1f.jpg"},{"id":54587412,"identity":"e7127d66-958c-4000-bb09-55a04b36608e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-04-12 16:11:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":302747,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEffect of alternating temperatures on Efficiency of conversion of ingested food of \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP. gossypiella \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ein Bt cotton\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4221538/v1/719adb806ec89cfcd0acf8b8.jpg"},{"id":55441832,"identity":"2001bc52-fd2b-4268-92da-a9aa6f1d15fe","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-04-27 22:04:04","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":832079,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4221538/v1/1da4c1a8-b94a-4bff-b3ad-882a04a2b65b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Assessing the impact of altering temperatures on food consumption and nutritional indices of P. gossypiella in Bt cotton","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eCotton (\u003cem\u003eGossipium\u003c/em\u003e spp.) which is popularly known as \u0026lsquo;King of Fibres\u0026rsquo; is one of the most valuable fibre crops in the world and it is grown in both tropical and warm temperate regions (Wendel and Cronn \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). China holds the world\u0026rsquo;s first position in cotton production, while India stands as the second-largest producer, having an estimated production of 343.74 lakh bales in the year 2022-23 (Anonymous, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). India is the only country around the globe where all four cultivated species (namely \u003cem\u003eGossypium arboreum, G. herbaceum, G. hirsutum\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eG. barbadense\u003c/em\u003e) are commercially cultivated (Deshmukh \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e 2016). In Punjab, cotton ranks as the second most significant kharif crop after rice. In the 2021-22 season, cotton was cultivated in approximately 3.25 lakh hectares, which represents an increase of around 75 thousand hectares from the previous 2020-21 cropping season. This expansion in cotton cultivation led to a production of 21.86 lakh quintals of cotton in the 2021-22 season (Anonymous \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Bt cotton is a genetically modified cotton plant that has been created by inserting one or more genes from the common soil bacterium \u003cem\u003eBacillus thuringiensis\u003c/em\u003e. These genes encode insecticidal proteins, and as a result, genetically modified Bt cotton plants produce one or more toxins. These toxins are produced to protect the cotton plant from insect damage. (Integration of Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Crops within IPM Programs, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). In 2002, Bt cotton hybrid (Bollgard) introduced into India which leads to drastic reduction in the incidence of bollworms (Manjunath \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). Nearly after a decade, pink bollworm (PBW), \u003cem\u003ePectinophora gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has emerged as a major pest in cotton growing areas of Central and Southern India, with reports of the insect feeding and surviving on single gene Bt cotton (Bollgard I) in Gujarat and dual gene Bt cotton (Bollgard II) in Gujarat (Dhurua \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e 2011). It has recently become a menace to cotton production in Southern and Central regions of India, where the pest has evolved resistance to Cry1Ac and Cry 2Ab expressing cotton, as well as showing insecticide resistance, and infesting late-season cotton (Naik et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The amount and quality of food consumed during the larval stage influences growth rate, development time, body weight, and survival, as well as fecundity, longevity, movement, and the ability of adults to compete with other organisms. The feeding behaviour of the insects also changes with the changing temperatures.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eExperiments to investigate the effects of alternating temperatures (maximum and minimum) on the food consumption and nutritional indices of \u003cem\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e on Bt cotton were conducted during the 2022-23 crop seasons. The study involved a set of temperature treatments, each with specific minimum and maximum temperature conditions. These treatments, labelled as T1 to T9, included various combinations of temperatures such as T1- 20:30\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T2- 24:30\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T3- 28:30\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T4- 20:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T5- 24:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T6- 28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T7- 20:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, T8- 24:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, and T9- 28:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. Each treatment was replicated three times and maintained for a duration of 14:10 hours in an incubator. The relative humidity was consistently maintained at 65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5 percent throughout the duration of the experiment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCotton plants were raised and culture of P. \u003cem\u003egossypiella\u003c/em\u003e was collected from cotton belt districts of Punjab, India and was reared separately under ambient conditions. After adult emergence, the male and female were paired for egg laying and second instars larvae were used for experiment. Larvae was kept separately in sample vial (25 ml capacity) where 20 second instar larvae at each temperature combinations and seeds of 10\u0026ndash;15 daysold cotton bolls were provided as food (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eb). Fresh food was provided daily, and the excreta along with any uneaten food were removed on a daily basis. Additionally, a separate group of larvae was maintained. If any of the experimental larvae died, it was replaced with one from the maintenance group to ensure a consistent number of larvae in each replication. A control was maintained where the cotton seeds were weighed and placed in a jar, and their weight was checked again after 24 hours to determine the moisture loss from the food provided to the larvae.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eObservations to be Recorded\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe observations were recorded dailyfrom second instar larvae to pupal stage. Various observation recorded includeweight of fresh food (gram), weight of uneaten food (gram), weight of faeces (mg), fresh weight of the surviving larvae (mg), duration of feeding period (days).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe indices of growth werecalculated as per the formulae given below:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col style=\"list-style-type: lower-roman;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsumption index (CI)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;F/TA\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelative Growth Rate (RGR)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;G/TA\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApproximate Digestibility (AD)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;F-f/F x 100\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEfficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;G/F x100\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eF: Fresh weight of food ingested\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eT: Duration of feeding period\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: Fresh weight of the insect\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eG: Fresh weight gain of the insect during feeding period\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ef: Fresh weight of faeces\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study revealed that the food consumption of second, third and fourth larval instars of \u003cem\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e were highest in Treatment-6 (28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with 54.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.29 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.37, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.01), 65.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.20 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.51, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05) and 62.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.21 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.75, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.03) mg, respectively. The lowest food consumption was reported in Treatment-7 (20:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with 48.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.23 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.37, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.01), 61.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.40 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.51, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05) and 58.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.75, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.03) mg, respectively (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe consumption index (CI) of second, third and fourth larval instars was highest in Treatment-6 (28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with a value of 11.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.34 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;42.42, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), 10.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.43 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;27.68, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00) and 8.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.26 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20.32, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), respectively (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Whereas, the lowest values were recorded in Treatment-7 (20:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with 6.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.22 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;42.42, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), 5.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;27.68, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00) and 5.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20.32, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe relative growth rate (RGR) of second, third and fourth larval instars was significantly higher in Treatment-6 (28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with RGR values of 1.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;728, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00 ), 1.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.55, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.04) and 0.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;16.16, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00 ), respectively and the lowest in Treatment-7 (20:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with 0.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7.28, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00 ), 0.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.55, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.04 ) and 0.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;16.16, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00 ), respectively (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Sudanshu \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2010) found the highest value of relative growth rate of 2nd instar larva of \u003cem\u003eAnthraea mylitta\u003c/em\u003e (Linn.) and it decreased in the later stages.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe values of approximate digestibility (AD) of second, third and fourth larval instars was highest in Treatment-6 (28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with 97.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;21.35, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), 97.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01(df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;38.77, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00) and 96.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30.08, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00) per cent, respectively and lowest in Treatment-7 (20:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with the value of 96.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;21.35, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), 96.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;38.77, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00) and 95.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30.08, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00) per cent, respectively (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) values of second, third and fourth larval instars were highest in Treatment-6 (28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with a value of 13.26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.40 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.85, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), 16.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.32 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.43, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.01) and 11.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.21 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.10, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.02) per cent, respectively, whereas lowest was recorded in Treatment-7 (20:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) with a value of 10.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.85, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.00), 12.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.61 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.43, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.01) and 9.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.53 (df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18, F value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.10, p value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.02) per cent, respectively (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings suggested by Pandey et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) states that the mean food consumption of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e increased by 12.78 per cent and 32.64 per cent at an increase in temperatures by 3\u0026deg;C and 6\u0026deg;C, respectively. Additionally, Akbar et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) reported that \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e caused more substantial crop damage due to increased food consumption resulting from increased temperature from 15\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC to 35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. These factors influenced larval metabolism by enhancing the activity of carbohydrases (amylase and cellulase), midgut proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin), as well as mitochondrial enzymes. Karmakar \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2017) reported that at lower temperatures, such as 20\u0026deg;C, food consumption was reduced, indicating the significance of temperature in the nutritional dynamics of this insect species. Furthermore, Levesque \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2002) reported in \u003cem\u003eMalacosoma disstria\u003c/em\u003e that, at higher temperatures (24 and 30\u0026deg;C), a notable increase in the food consumption was observed when compared to the lower temperatures.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of Dalal \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2016) reported that the consumption index of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e rose from 0.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02 at 25:10\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC to 1.49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 at 30:16\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. Hemati et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the consumption index was 3.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09 for 5th instar larva at 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026deg;C and 65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5% RH when fed on tomato diet. Similarly, Sharma \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2018b) stated that with the increase in temperature by 5\u0026deg;C resulted in 50.83 per cent increase in CI in \u003cem\u003eS. litura\u003c/em\u003e. The nutritional indices data of the larval instars of \u003cem\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e exhibit inconsistency. Sharma et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018a\u003c/span\u003e) reported that consumption index increased from 0.76 to 0.78 when the temperature was increased from 25:11\u0026deg;C to 25:14\u0026deg;C.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDalal \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2016) concluded that the increased Relative Growth Rate (RGR) of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e larvae was due to rise in alternating temperature from 25:10\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC to 30:10\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC where the RGR of total larval period differed from 0.13 at 25:10\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC to 0.17 at 30:10\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. Sharma et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018a\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the relative growth rate was recorded as 0.15 at 25:11\u0026deg;C and it increased to 0.27 at 25:14\u0026deg;C.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvans (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1939\u003c/span\u003e) found that the decline in approximate digestibility could be attributed to the fact that insects, being small organisms, consume minute portions of food, creating a substantial surface area for the digestion process. Furthermore, as they mature, their food preferences also change, contributing to the observed variations in digestibility. Kaushal and Vats (1983) who reported that the highest values of approximate digestibility (AD) were observed for the first instar larvae of \u003cem\u003ePieris brassicae\u003c/em\u003e (Linn.), while the lowest values were recorded for the fourth instar larvae. Additionally, Sangha (2011) from Punjab, reported the highest approximate digestibility in third instar of \u003cem\u003eClostera fulgurita\u003c/em\u003e (Walk.) with 55.28 per cent, followed by fourth and fifth instar with 52.48 and 48.05 per cent, respectively. Hemati et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) reported the decrease in approximate digestibility from third to fifth instar larvae of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e when reared on cowpea diet where the approximate digestibility values were 86.69, 76.31 and 72.84 per cent for third, fourth and fifth larval instars, respectively at 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026deg;C.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHemati et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) who reported that an increase in ECI from the third to the fourth instar of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e, followed by a decrease from the fourth to the fifth instar and recorded the values of ECI as 7.23, 13.95 and 8.02 per cent for third, fourth and fifth larval instars, respectively, when reared on chick pea diet at 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026deg;C. Additionally, Nath et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) from Uttarakhand, reported that the efficiency of conversion of ingested food increased from first to third instar larva of \u003cem\u003eAntheraea proylei\u003c/em\u003e (Jolly) and it declined from third to last instar stages. The fifth instar larva of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e undergoes physiological modifications within its nervous system, leading to the cessation of feeding, triggering wandering behaviour, and prompting metabolic alterations within the fat body. These physiological and behavioural shifts account for the variations in nutritional responses and the efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) between larval instars (Nation, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The variance arises due to the shifting nutritional demands of the insect throughout its developmental stages. Such alterations generally lead to modifications in food consumption and feeding behaviour, a phenomenon well-documented to cause such disparities (Browne \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e). The fifth instar larva of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e undergoes physiological modifications within its nervous system, leading to the cessation of feeding, triggering wandering behaviour, and prompting metabolic alterations within the fat body. These physiological and behavioural shifts account for the variations in nutritional responses (Nation, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eIt can be concluded that the food consumption by the \u003cem\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e and the nutritional indices increases with the increase in temperature till 28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC and with the further increase in temperature, it reduces gradually and was highest in third larval instar and reduces when the larva enters into the fourth instar stage. This variance arises due to the shifting nutritional demands of the insect throughout its developmental stages. Such alterations generally lead to modifications in food consumption and feeding behaviour, a phenomenon well-documented to cause such disparities and it can be supported by observing the fifth instar larva of \u003cem\u003eH. armigera\u003c/em\u003e, whereit undergoes physiological modifications within its nervous system, leading to the cessation of feeding, triggering wandering behaviour, and prompting metabolic alterations within the fat body. These physiological and behavioural shifts account for the variations in nutritional responses. This new generated information about the food consumption and nutritional indices of \u003cem\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e in Bt cotton will help the researcher to find the optimum temperature combination if prevail can cause huge loss to the farmer community.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthors are thankful to the Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana for providing necessary facilities for carrying out the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors contribution:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVijay Kumar and Amandeep Kaur: Design of the research, collection of pink bollworms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarshavardhan: Conducted field and laboratory experiments, data analysis, and interpretation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarshavardhan, Amandeep Kaur and Vijay Kumar: Interpretation and wrote the manuscript\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interest\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAkbar, S.M., Pavani, T., Nagaraja, T.G. \u0026amp; Sharma, H.C. (2015). Influence of CO2and Temperature on Metabolism and Development of \u003cem\u003eHelicoverpa armigera\u003c/em\u003e (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera). \u003cem\u003eEnvironmental Entomology\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e45(1), 229\u0026ndash;236. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvv144.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAnonymous (2022) CCI \u0026ndash; Cotton Corporation of India \u0026ndash; https://cotcorp.org.in.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAnonymous (2023) Ministry of textiles- https://texmin.nic.in/sites/default/files/Annexure-VII-Note%20on%20Cotton%20Sector.pdf.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBrowne, L.B. (1995). Ontogenic changes in feeding behavior. In: Springer eBooks. 307\u0026ndash;342.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDalal, P.K. \u0026amp; Arora. R. (2016). Impact of temperature on food consumption and nutritional indices of tomato fruit borer, \u003cem\u003eHelicoverpa armigera\u003c/em\u003e (H\u0026uuml;bner) (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera). \u003cem\u003eJournal of Agrometeorology\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e18(1), 62\u0026ndash;67. https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v18i1.901.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDeshmukh, A.S. \u0026amp; Mohanty, A. (2016). Cotton mechanisation in India and across globe: a review. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Advanced Research in Science Engineering and Technology,\u003c/em\u003e 3(1), 2393\u0026ndash;9877.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDhurua, S., Gujar \u0026amp; G.T. (2011). Field‐evolved resistance to Bt toxin Cry1Ac in the pink bollworm, \u003cem\u003ePectinophora gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), from India. \u003cem\u003ePest Management Science,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e67(8), 898\u0026ndash;903. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.2127.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eEvans, A.C. (1939). THE UTILISATION OF FOOD BY CERTAIN LEPIDOPTEROUS LARVAE. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 89(2),13\u0026ndash;22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1939.tb00256.x.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHemati, S.A., Naseri, B., \u0026amp; Ganbalani, G.N. (2012). Effect of Different Host Plants on Nutritional Indices of the Pod Borer, \u003cem\u003eHelicoverpa armigera\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Insect Science\u003c/em\u003e, 12(55),1\u0026ndash;15. https://doi.org/10.1673/031.012.5501.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKarmakar, P. \u0026amp; Pal, S. (2017). Influence of temperature on food consumption and utilization parameters of the common cutworm, \u003cem\u003eSpodoptera litura\u003c/em\u003e (Fab) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). \u003cem\u003eJournal of Entomology and Zoology Studies\u003c/em\u003e, 5, 92\u0026ndash;95.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eL\u0026eacute;vesque, K., Fortin, M. \u0026amp; Mauffette, Y. (2002). Temperature and food quality effects on growth, consumption and post-ingestive utilization efficiencies of the forest tent caterpillar \u003cem\u003eMalacosoma disstria\u003c/em\u003e (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research, 92(2),127\u0026ndash;136. https://doi.org/10.1079/ber2002153.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eIntegration of Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Crops within IPM Programs. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8373-0.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eManjunath, T.M. (2004). Bt cotton in India: The technology wins as the controversy wanes. In \u003cem\u003e63rd Plenary Meeting of International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) Meeting, Mumbai\u003c/em\u003e (Vol. 28, pp. 1-9).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNaik, V.C.B., Kumbhare, S. \u0026amp; Kranthi, S. (2018). Field‐evolved resistance of pink bollworm, \u003cem\u003ePectinophora gossypiella\u003c/em\u003e (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), to transgenic \u003cem\u003eBacillus thuringiensis\u003c/em\u003e (Bt) cotton expressing crystal 1Ac (Cry1Ac) and Cry2Ab in India. \u003cem\u003ePest Management Science\u003c/em\u003e, 74(11), 2544\u0026ndash;2554. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5038.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNath, P., Joshi, P.C., Kumar, S., Kumar, V., Mansotra, D.K. \u0026amp; Joshi, M.C. (2015). Consumption and utilization of food by different instars of oak tasar worm \u003cem\u003eAntheraea proylei\u003c/em\u003e (Jolly) fed on \u003cem\u003eQuercus lucotricophora\u003c/em\u003e plant. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies\u003c/em\u003e, 3(2),109\u0026ndash;12.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNation, J.L. (2001). \u003cem\u003eInsect Physiology and Biochemistry.\u003c/em\u003e CRC Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePandey, S., Sharma, S. \u0026amp; Sandhu, S.S. (2015). Development and food consumption of some lepidopteran pests under increased temperature conditions. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Agrometeorology\u003c/em\u003e, 17(1), 36\u0026ndash;42. https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v17i1.973.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSharma, S., Kooner, R., Sandhu, S.S. \u0026amp; Arora, R. (2018a). Impact of elevated temperature and carbon dioxide on insect performance indices of \u003cem\u003eSpodoptera litura\u003c/em\u003e Fabricius. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Entomological Research\u003c/em\u003e, 42(3), 315\u0026ndash;24.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSharma, S. \u0026amp; Brar, T.S. (2018b). Effects of elevated temperature and carbon dioxide on food consumption and growh of \u003cem\u003eSpodoptera litura\u003c/em\u003e Fabricius on cauliflower. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Agrometeorology\u003c/em\u003e, 20(4), 305\u0026ndash;310. https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v20i4.571.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSudhansu, S.R. (2010). Food utilization efficiency in \u003cem\u003eAntheraea mylitta\u003c/em\u003e fed on \u003cem\u003eTerminalia Arjuna\u003c/em\u003e leaves. \u003cem\u003eAcademic Journal of Entomology\u003c/em\u003e, 3(1),23.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWendel, J.F. \u0026amp; Cronn, R.C. (2003). Polyploidy and the evolutionary history of cotton. \u003cem\u003eAdvances in Agronomy\u003c/em\u003e, 78, 139-186.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eEffect of alternating temperatures on Food consumption of \u003cspan class=\"Italic\"\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/span\u003e in Bt cotton during 2022\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth rowspan=\"2\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eSr.No\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth rowspan=\"2\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eTemperature (\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth colspan=\"3\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eFood consumption (mg)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e(Mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SE)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e2nd instar\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e3rd instar\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e4th instar\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e20:30\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e50.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.89\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e62.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.29\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e59.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.11\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e24:30\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e51.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.59\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e63.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e60.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.28\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT3\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e28:30\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e53.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.38\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e64.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.31\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e61.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT4\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e20:35\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e52.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.50\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e63.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e60.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.29\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT5\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e24:35\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e54.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.17\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e64.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e60.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT6\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e28:35\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e54.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.29\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e65.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.20\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e62.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.21\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT7\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e20:40*\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e48.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.23\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e61.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.40\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e58.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT8\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e24:40*\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e49.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.31\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e62.90\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.21\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e59.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT9\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e28:40*\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e51.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e64.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.46\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e61.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003eCD (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003e3.61\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003e2.33\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003e2.28\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean of three replications; *Maximum temperature for 10 hours; Alphabets followed by superscript indicate significant differences at as per Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD test; Relative humidity = 65\u0026plusmn;5 per cent\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003ctable id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eEffect of alternating temperatures on Approximate Digestibility (AD) of second, third and fourth instar larva of \u003cspan class=\"Italic\"\u003eP. gossypiella\u003c/span\u003e in Bt cotton during 2022\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth rowspan=\"2\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eSr.No\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth rowspan=\"2\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eTemperatures (\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth colspan=\"3\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eApproximate Digestibility (%)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e(Mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SE)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e2nd instar\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e3rd instar\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e4th instar\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e20:30\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e95.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e24:30\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ebcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT3\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e28:30\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT4\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e20:35\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT5\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e24:35\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT6\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e28:35\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT7\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e20:40*\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e95.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT8\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e24:40*\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07 \u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003eT9\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e28:40*\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e97.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10 \u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ecde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e96.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003eCD (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003e0.23\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003e0.12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"SimplePara\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Bold\"\u003e0.10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMean of three replications; *Maximum temperature for 10 hours; Data followed by superscript indicate significant differences at as per Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD test; Relative humidity = 65\u0026plusmn;5 per cent\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Pink bollworm, Food consumption, Consumption index, Relative Growth Rate, Approximate digestibility, Efficiency of conversion of ingested food","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4221538/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4221538/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe study on \u0026lsquo;Influence of temperature on food consumption and nutritional indices of pink bollworm in Bt cotton\u0026rsquo; was studied at various alternate temperatures (20:30, 24:30, 28:30, 20:35, 24:35, 28:35, 20:40, 24:40 and 28:40\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC) in Integrated Pest Management Laboratory, Department of Entomology, PAU, Ludhiana during 2022-23 cotton growing season. The experiment was conducted on the second, third and fourth larval instars of pink bollworm and the results revealed that the maximum amount of food consumed was recorded at the temperature combination of 28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC for all the larval instars. The nutritional indices like Consumption index (CI), Relative Growth Rate (RGR), Approximate digestibility (AD) and Efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) of second, third and fourth larval instars shown highest values at altering temperature combination of 28:35\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. The food consumption increased from second to third larval instar and it gradually decreased from third instar to fourth instar.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessing the impact of altering temperatures on food consumption and nutritional indices of P. gossypiella in Bt cotton","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-04-12 16:03:34","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4221538/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a969569c-866f-40bd-a9ce-abfc54528201","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 12th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-04-27T21:55:52+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-04-12 16:03:34","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4221538","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4221538","identity":"rs-4221538","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"_2-kVJe1T_tPrBINL-cwx","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}