The influence of an extratropical cyclone on the first generation of Mythimna separata (Walker) migration: A case study in 2015
Author of the article:XIONG Kai1** CAO Shu-Pei1 CHEN Fa-Jun1 HU Ben-Jin2 LI Ai-Guo3 ZHANG Hai-Yan3 ZHAI Bao-Ping1***
Author's Workplace：1. College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; 2. Institute of Plant Protection, AnHui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, China; 3. Jiangyan Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, Jiangyan 225529, China
Key Words：first generation armyworm, extratropical cyclone, high altitude trap lamp, migration path
Abstract： [Objectives] To investigate the degree to which the migration of first generation armyworm, Mythimna separata, populations are affected by the extraordinary wind fields generated by frequent extratropical cyclones in the period from mid-May to mid-June in China. Determining how extratropical cyclones influence the migration of first generation armyworms is an important prerequisite for predicting outbreaks of the second generation. [Methods] High altitude light traps and elaborate wind-temperature field data (simulated by a WRF model) were used to monitor the population dynamics of first generation armyworm moths flying past Jiangyan, Jin’an and Ningjin (in Jiangsu, Anhui and Shangdong Provinces, respectively) and determine how extratropical cyclones affected the migration in 2015. [Results] Owing to the high frequency of anticyclones in East Asia in May, 2015, first generation armyworms mainly migrated southwest and southeast. A northeast cyclonic vortex and Mongolian cyclone in early June, 2015 may have been responsible for outbreaks of first generation armyworms in northeast China that caused significant damage to crop production there. [Conclusion] Extratropical cyclones are an important cause of large-scale outbreaks of second generation armyworms in China at the end of spring and the beginning of summer.