Abstract: This study is aimed to address the degrade of quality during continuous rearing and improve the large-scale reproduction efficiency of the stinkbug Arma chinensis. The 4^th instar nymphs that had been reared continuously for 10 generations indoors were revitalized in gauze cages at semi natural conditions in the field. Biological characteristics, such as longevity of male and female adults, reproductive capacity, F1 generation development duration and survival rate, were measured in pairs of rejuvenated and/or non-rejuvenated stinkbugs (♀_outdoor× ♂_outdoor, ♀_outdoor× ♂_indoor, ♂_outdoor× ♀_indoor, ♀_indoor× ♂_indoor). Revitalization did not significantly affect the longevity of male and female adults, while significantly influenced the fertility and adaptability of F1 generation. ♀_indoor× ♂_outdoor group possessed the highest number of eggs, the shortest preoviposition period and the longest oviposition period. Compared with ♀_indoor× ♂_outdoorand ♀_indoor× ♂_indoor, ♀_outdoor× ♂_outdoor and ♀_outdoor× ♂_indoor groups had reduced fertility and prolonged preoviposition period. There was no significant difference between the number of females and males in the ♀_indoor× ♂_indoor group, while the number of females in the ♀_indoor× ♂_indoor group was higher than that in the other groups (♀_outdoor × ♂_outdoor, ♀_outdoor× ♂_indoor, ♀_indoor× ♂_outdoor). Compared with the ♀_indoor× ♂_indoor group, the development period from egg to adult in the ♀_outdoor ×♂_outdoorgroup was significantly prolonged, and the survival rate of adult was reduced in F1 generation. This study shows that reproductive capacity of A. chinensis is improved when the stinkbug nymphs are rejuvenated in gauze cages at semi natural conditions in the field, while F1 generation of non-rejuvenating stinkbugs has strong adaptability.

Key words: Arma chinensis, artificial propagation, field rejuvenation, population rejuvenation