Differential insecticidal properties of Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus isolates against corn-strain and rice-strain fall armyworm, and genomic analysis of three isolates

AbstractThe fall armyworm (FAW), an invasive pest of maize, is an emerging threat in Southern Asia after America and Europe. Recently, this notorious pest has also been found in different areas of Pakistan. To assess its presence in Pakistan, a survey was carried out in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during May–October 2019. We observed the highest incidence of FAW in Sindh with maximum impact in districts Tando-Allahyar and Hyderabad. These samples were identified as Spodoptera frugiperda on the morphological and taxonomical bases. However, morphological identification of this pest is very difficult at early larval instars. Here, we use the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene region for the precise identification of larva of this invasive pest at species level. Two different regions of COI gene (COI-5′ and COI-3′) were used as molecular markers for the identification of this species. DNA sequence similarity searches of the obtained COI gene sequences (NCBI GenBank Accession Nos. MW241537, MW241538, MW349515, MW349516, MW349493 and MW349494) revealed that genetically it is more than 99% identical to S. frugiperda. The phylogenetic analysis indicated it as the rice-strain (R-strain). Both 3′- and 5′-fragment tree topologies showed that the collected samples of the FAW species belong to the R-strain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report providing molecular evidence for the existence of R-strain of S. frugiperda that was found feeding on maize crop in Sindh, Pakistan, using COI gene sequences as a marker.

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Molecular and Biological Characterization of Spodoptera frugiperda Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Field Isolate and Genotypes from China

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11110777 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 777

Author(s):

Chengfeng Lei ◽

Jian Yang ◽

Jia Wang ◽

Jia Hu ◽

Xiulian Sun

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Field Isolate ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus ◽

Cloning Method ◽

Occlusion Bodies ◽

Colombian Isolate

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a new invading pest in China. The baculovirus Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) is a pathogenic agent of the fall armyworm and a potential agent for its control in integrated pest management strategies. In this work, we analyze the molecular and biological characteristics of an SfMNPV isolate collected from maize in China (SfMNPV-Hub). Two genotypes were further isolated from SfMNPV-Hub by an in vivo cloning method. The PstI profile of one genotype (SfHub-A) was similar to genotype A of the SfMNPV Colombian isolate, and the other (SfHub-E) was similar to genotype E of the Colombian isolate. The bioactivity of SfHub-A against second-instar S. frugiperda larvae was not significantly different from that of SfMNPV-Hub, whereas SfHub-E was 2.7–5.5 fold less potent than SfMNPV-Hub. The speed of kill of SfHub-E was quicker than SfMNPV-Hub, while SfHub-A acted slower than SfMNPV-Hub. Occlusion body (OB) production of SfHub-A in an S. frugiperda cadaver was significantly higher than that of SfMNPV-Hub, while SfHub-E yielded far fewer occlusion bodies (OBs) in the host larvae. These results provide basic information for developing a virus-based pesticide against the invading pest S. frugiperda.

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Diversity of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda and their gut bacterial community in Kenya

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.8701 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e8701 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Joseph Gichuhi ◽

Subramanian Sevgan ◽

Fathiya Khamis ◽

Johnnie Van den Berg ◽

Hannalene du Plessis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Bacterial Phyla ◽

Metarhizium Rileyi ◽

Rice Strain ◽

Fungal Entomopathogen ◽

Bacterial Groups

Background The invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a polyphagous pest that causes widespread damage particularly to maize and sorghum in Africa. The microbiome associated with S. frugiperda could play a role in the insects’ success and adaptability. However, bacterial communities in S. frugiperda remain poorly studied. Methods We investigated the composition, abundance and diversity of microbiomes associated with larval and adult specimens of S. frugiperda collected from four maize growing regions in Kenya through high throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The population structure of S. frugiperda in Kenya was assessed through amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Results We identified Proteobacteria and Firmicutes as the most dominant bacterial phyla and lesser proportions of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. We also observed differences in bacterial microbiome diversity between larvae and adults that are a likely indication that some prominent larval bacterial groups are lost during metamorphosis. However, several bacterial groups were found in both adults and larvae suggesting that they are transmitted across developmental stages. Reads corresponding to several known entomopathogenic bacterial clades as well as the fungal entomopathogen, Metarhizium rileyi, were observed. Mitochondrial DNA haplotyping of the S. frugiperda population in Kenya indicated the presence of both “Rice” and “Corn” strains, with a higher prevalence of the “Rice” strain.

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Transcriptional differences between the two host strains of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

10.1101/263186 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marion Orsucci ◽

Yves Moné ◽

Philippe Audiot ◽

Sylvie Gimenez ◽

Sandra Nhim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Diet Preference ◽

Rice Strain ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact ◽

Lepidoptera Noctuidae

AbstractSpodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm (FAW), is an important agricultural pest in the Americas and an emerging pest in sub-Saharan Africa, India, East-Asia and Australia, causing damage to major crops such as corn, sorghum and soybean. While FAW larvae are considered polyphagous, differences in diet preference have been described between two genetic variants: the corn strain (sf-C) and the rice strain (sf-R). These two strains are sometimes considered as distinct species, raising the hypothesis that ost plant specialization might have driven their divergence. To test this hypothesis, we irst performed controlled reciprocal transplant (RT) experiments to address the impact of plant diet on several traits linked to the fitness of the sf-C and sf-R strains. The phenotypical data suggest that sf-C is specialized to corn. We then used RNA-Se to identify constitutive transcriptional differences between strains, regardless of diet, in laboratory as well as in natural populations. We found that variations in mitochon rial transcription levels are among the most substantial and consistent differences between the two strains. Since mitochondrial genotypes also vary between the strains, we believe the mitochondria may have a significant role in driving strain divergence.

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Diversity of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda and their gut bacterial community in Kenya

10.1101/664987 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joseph Gichuhi ◽

Sevgan Subramanian ◽

Fathiya M. Khamis ◽

Johnnie Van den Berg ◽

Hannalene du Plessis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Metarhizium Rileyi ◽

Rice Strain ◽

Bacterial Microbiome ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Bacterial Groups

AbstractThe invasive fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a polyphagous pest that causes widespread damage particularly to maize and sorghum in Africa. The microbiome associated with S. frugiperda could play a role in their success and adaptability. However, these bacterial communities remain poorly studied, especially for S. frugiperda in Africa. We investigated the composition, abundance and diversity of microbiomes associated with larval and adult specimens of S. frugiperda collected from four maize growing regions in Kenya through high throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We identified Proteobacteria and Firmicutes as the most dominant phyla and lesser proportions of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. We also observed differences in bacterial microbiome diversity between larvae and adults that are a likely indication that some prominent larval bacterial groups are lost during metamorphosis. Several bacterial groups were found in both adults and larvae suggesting that they are transmitted across developmental stages. Reads corresponding to several known entomopathogenic bacterial clades as well as the non-bacterial entomopathogen, Metarhizium rileyi (Farl.) Kepler, Rehner & Humber (2014), were observed. Mitochondrial DNA haplotyping of the S. frugiperda population in Kenya indicated the presence of both ‘Rice’ and ‘Corn’ strains, with a higher prevalence of the ‘Rice’ strain. Insights into the microbiota may ultimately provide alternative avenues for controlling of this pest.

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Chromosome level draft genomes of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), an alien invasive pest in China

10.1101/671560 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Huan Liu ◽

Tianming Lan ◽

Dongming Fang ◽

Furong Gui ◽

Hongli Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Gene Families ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Glutathione S Transferase ◽

Male Genome ◽

Genome Features ◽

Rice Strain

AbstractThe fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a severely destructive pest native to the Americas, but has now become an alien invasive pest in China, and causes significant economic loss. Therefore, in order to make effective management strategies, it is highly essential to understand genomic architecture and its genetic background. In this study, we assembled two chromosome scale genomes of the fall armyworm, representing one male and one female individual procured from Yunnan province of China. The genome sizes were identified as 542.42 Mb with N50 of 14.16 Mb, and 530.77 Mb with N50 of 14.89 Mb for the male and female FAW, respectively. We predicted about 22,201 genes in the male genome. We found the expansion of cytochrome P450 and glutathione s-transferase gene families, which are functionally related to the intensified detoxification and pesticides tolerance. Further population analyses of corn strain (C strain) and rice strain (R strain) revealed that the Chinese fall armyworm was most likely invaded from Africa. These strain information, genome features and possible invasion source described in this study will be extremely important for making effective strategies to manage the fall armyworms.

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Genome Sequence of a Spodoptera frugiperda Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Isolated from Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Nigeria, West Africa

Microbiology Resource Announcements ◽

10.1128/mra.00565-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (34) ◽

Author(s):

Jörg T. Wennmann ◽

Ghislain T. Tepa-Yotto ◽

Johannes A. Jehle ◽

Georg Goergen

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Gc Content ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Open Reading Frames ◽

Entire Genome ◽

Content Type ◽

Entire Genome Sequence ◽

Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus

We report the entire genome sequence of an isolate of Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus from Nigeria, West Africa. The genome is 132,710 bp long and contains 144 open reading frames. The GC content is 40.3% and, based on baculovirus species demarcation criteria, the isolate belongs to the species Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus .

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Genetic Relationship of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) Populations that Invaded Africa and Asia

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12050439 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 439

Author(s):

Rajendra Acharya ◽

Ashraf Akintayo Akintola ◽

Matabaro Joseph Malekera ◽

Patrick Kamulegeya ◽

Keneth Benedictor Nyakunga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Mitochondrial Gene ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Western Hemisphere ◽

Z Chromosome ◽

Essential Information ◽

Linked Gene ◽

Rice Strain ◽

Relationship Of ◽

Fourth Exon

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is an important agricultural pest native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere, and has invaded Africa and further spread into most countries of Asia within two years. Here, we analyzed the genetic variation of invaded populations by comparing the nucleotide sequences of two genes: the nuclear Z-chromosome linked gene triose phosphate isomerase (Tpi) and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) of 27 specimens collected in Africa (DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) and Asia (Bangladesh, Korea, Nepal, and Vietnam). The results revealed that 25 specimens were from a heterogeneous hybrid (Tpi-corn strain and COI-rice strain; Tpi-C/COI-R) of the corn strain male and rice strain female, but two specimens were from a homogenous corn strain (Tpi-corn strain and COI-corn strain; Tpi-C/COI-C). The further analysis of the fourth exon and the fourth intron sequences of the Tpi gene identified at least four subgroups of the corn strain. These four genetic subgroups were identified in Africa and Asia, suggesting no significant genetic change due to the rapid migration within two years. Our study provides essential information for understanding the genetic diversity of fall armyworm in new habitats.

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