The effect of maternal age on the embryonic development of pepper weevil

The pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii cano) is a devastating pest that inflicts severe damage to pepper crops, leading to substantial economic losses. Understanding the factors influencing its reproductive success, particularly the effect of age on embryonic development, is crucial for understanding population dynamics of pepper weevil. This study aimed to investigate the impact of parent pepper weevil age on the embryonic development of its eggs. Pepper weevil-infested fruits were harvested from pepper fields and subsequently transferred into an insect box to facilitate the emergence of adult pepper weevils. The emerged pepper weevil adults were then categorized into three distinct age cohorts.: young (10 days old), middle-aged (20 days old), and old (40 days old) individuals. Eggs laid by each age group were carefully collected by using pepper-leaf balls, and incubated under controlled laboratory conditions (28+1.5^oC). Embryonic development was observed every 5 hours using a VHX digital microscope (200-500X magnification) and captured different developmental changes (blastoderm, germ band, gastrulation, segmentation, appendages formation) in a time-lapse format until hatching. The percentages of hatched eggs and survival rate were recorded. The results showed that the age of the pepper weevil affected the embryonic development of the egg. Eggs from the youngest group had the highest hatching rate, shortest incubation period, and the oldest group had the lowest hatching rate, longest incubation period. These findings suggest that parental age has an impact on the embryonic development of the egg and should be considered when studying the reproductive biology of this insect pest.