This study investigated the adverse effects of sound treatment on physiological processes of the American leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii, during several developmental stages. Larval feeding activity was analyzed by measuring feeding tunnel length. It was significantly suppressed by sound treatment (5,000 Hz, 95 dB). Sound treatment delayed the pupal period at 315 - 5,000 Hz and prevented adult emergence at 1,000 - 5,000 Hz. Female oviposition was also inhibited by the stress sound treatments. However, phototactic adult movement was not affected by sound treatment. Pupae treated with 5,000 Hz showed marked changes in protein pattems analyzed by two dimensional electrophoresis. MALDI-TOF analysis of specific protein spots indicated that trafficking protein particle complex I, triosephosphate isomerase, hypothetical protein TcasGA2_TC013388, polycystin-2, paraneoplastic neuronal antigen MAl, and tropomyosin I (isoform M) were predicted in the control insects and disappeared in the insects treated with sound. By contrast, DOCK9, cytoskeletal keratin II, and F0F1-ATP synthase beta subunit were predicted only in the sound-treated insects. Furthermore, stress sound significantly increased the susceptibility of L. trifolii to insecticides. These results suggest that physiological processes of L. trifolii are altered by sound stress, which may be exploited to develop a novel physical control tactic against L. trifolii.

This study analyzed effects of different sound treatments in frequencies and intensities on digestion and immune physiological processes of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua larvae. Without effect on egg hatch, sound treatments with 100-5,000 ㎐ at 95 ㏈ suppressed feeding behavior and inhibited a digestive enzyme activity. In addition, two dimensional electrophoresis of midgut luminal proteins indicated a marked difference of the sound-treated larvae. In response to 5,000 ㎐ at 95 ㏈, larvae showed a significant decrease in hemocyte nodule formation against fungal challenge along with significant suppression in phospholipase A₂ activity in hemocyte and plasma. With increase of sound frequencies, the treated larvae showed an enhanced susceptibility to insecticides. Such sound frequency effect was significantly modulated with different sound intensities. These results suggest that sound treatment may give adverse stress to physiological processes of S. exigua larvae and may be applied to a nonchemical insect pest control.