scholarly journals Detecting the Conspecific: Herbivory-Induced Olfactory Cues in the Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
David A. Ingber ◽  
Shawn A. Christensen ◽  
Hans T. Alborn ◽  
Ivan Hiltpold

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), is a polyphagous pest whose larval feeding threatens several economically important crops worldwide with especially severe damage to corn (Zea mays L.). Field-derived resistance to several conventional pesticides and Bt toxins have threatened the efficacy of current management strategies, necessitating the development of alternative pest management methods and technologies. One possible avenue is the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other secondary metabolites that are produced and sequestered by plants as a response to larval feeding. The effects of conspecific larval feeding on fall armyworm oviposition preferences and larval fitness were examined using two-choice oviposition experiments, larval feeding trials, targeted metabolomics, and VOC analyses. There was a significant preference for oviposition on corn plants that lacked larval feeding damage, and larvae fed tissue from damaged plants exhibited reduced weights and head capsule widths. All larval feeding promoted significantly increased metabolite and VOC concentrations compared to corn plants without any feeding. Metabolite differences were driven primarily by linoleic acid (which is directly toxic to fall armyworm) and tricarboxylic acids. Several VOCs with significantly increased concentrations in damaged corn plants were known oviposition deterrents that warrant further investigation in an integrated pest management context.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ramzan ◽  

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda is considered an important noctuid moth pest of agricultural crops all over the world and recently become an invasive pest in Pakistan. The crops belonging to Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae families are highly affected with this pest. The description of host plants is very important in understanding the biology, ecology and application of most effective techniques against the pest. By keeping in view, the importance of this pest, the current study was conducted to evaluate the most preferable host plant such as maize, potato, cabbage, cotton and lehli for this pest in the study area. The results showed that cabbage and maize were the most suitable hosts for larval feeding. The incubation period was recorded 2.00 and 2.12 days on cabbage and maize, respectively. The developmental period of larvae was found longer on cabbage as compared to maize. Potato, cotton and lehli were not found suitable for pest rearing. The study concluded that maize and cabbage are the most suitable hosts for S. frugiperda larvae under natural and controlled conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Jingfei Guo ◽  
Zupeng Gao ◽  
Kanglai He ◽  
Shuxiong Bai ◽  
...  

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphggous and widespread insect pest. In the study, the biological characteristics and nutritional indices of S. frugiperda fed on six crops, namely corn, sorghum, wheat, soybean, peanut, and cotton, were investigated under laboratory conditions. These crops are cultivated mainly in the mid-high latitude of China. Results showed that S. frugiperda was able to develop and reproduce on all six tested plants. Larvae reared on corn exhibited a significant shorter larval and pupal duration, higher pupal weight, and higher fecundity, which were 16.2 d, 8.9 d, 0.248 g, and 979.4 eggs per female, respectively. The host plant significantly affected relative growth, consumption, and metabolic rates, as well as other nutritional indices. Biology and nutritional indexes suggested that corn was the most suitable host. Besides, peanut, sorghum, and wheat have also been shown to be the suitable hosts for S. frugiperda. Although cotton and soybean were found to be less adequate, high larval and pupal survivors recorded on cotton and soybean leaves have indicated that damage may occur in these plants. This work reveals the damage risk of potential hosts of S. frugiperda, lays the foundation for the design of pest management strategies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (09) ◽  
pp. 1176-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Felipe de Castro Lourenço ◽  
◽  
Alexandre José Rosa ◽  
Ana Paula Silva Siqueira ◽  
Lucas da Silva Araujo ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254328
Author(s):  
Akindele Oluwole Ogunfunmilayo ◽  
Shakiru Adewale Kazeem ◽  
Joy Ejemen Idoko ◽  
Raphael Abiodun Adebayo ◽  
Elizabeth Yetunde Fayemi ◽  
...  

Fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda), an exotic moth which recently invaded Africa, is a highly destructive pest of cereals especially maize a highly valued staple crop in Nigeria. The use of natural enemies such as predators or parasitoids for FAW control is more economically viable and environmentally safer than currently recommended synthetic insecticides. Natural enemies to combat the pest have not yet been reported in Nigeria. An exploration for the pests’ natural enemies was undertaken by collecting FAW eggs and larvae from maize fields. These were reared in the laboratory for emergence, identification and efficacy as natural enemies. This yielded Euplectrus laphygmae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae); Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and Trombidium sp. (Acari.: Trombidiidae). Cotesia or Apanteles spp. were inferred to occur since Stictopisthus sp. (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), a secondary parasitoid, that attacks cocoons of Microgasterinae (e.g. Cotesia, Apanteles etc.) also emerged. Species of yet-to-be identified predators were also observed in various niches of maize plants. A positive relationship was found between FAW instar and the number of E. laphygmae eggs/instar ranging, on average, from 1.5 on second instar to 5.5 on fourth instars hosts. Parasitism rate of T. remus on FAW eggs was 100%. Parasitic mite infestation resulted in increasing paleness, reduced feeding, growth and movement as well as death of FAW 1st instars. Thus, the occurrence of FAW natural enemies in Nigeria calls for advocacy campaign to incorporate their use into integrated pest management strategies that attract and allow natural enemies to thrive for FAW management.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 806
Author(s):  
Qilin Ren ◽  
Muhammad Haseeb ◽  
Jingyu Fan ◽  
Pengxiang Wu ◽  
Tianqi Tian ◽  
...  

Functional responses of the fall armyworm (FAW) larvae at each stage, and their intraspecific competition associated with cannibalism, provide insights into developing pest management strategies for the FAW. To help use insecticides more sparingly, the functional response and intraspecific competition of the FAW larvae were evaluated under the laboratory conditions. The results showed that all stages of the FAW larvae displayed a type II functional response to diet. Based on Holling’s disc equation, the search rate (a) and handling time (Th) of sixth instar larvae (a = 0.493; Th = 0.37 min) were the highest, and the shortest of all larval stages, respectively. Intraspecific competition curves fitted the data for fourth to sixth larval stages of the FAW, and the coefficient of intraspecific competition (m) assessed by the intraspecific competition equation were highest for fifth instar larvae (m = 0.48). The present study indicates that 5th and 6th instar larvae can cause the most plant damage (accounted for 88.9% of larval consumption), and these stages should be the focus of any pest management strategy. Intraspecific competition, especially cannibalism, impacts the feeding patterns of the FAW larvae and needs close attention. Understanding the functional response and intraspecific competition of the FAW larvae contributes greatly to practical applications of insecticides, increasing the effectiveness of chemical sprays and decreasing ecological damage.


HortScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 1811-1816
Author(s):  
Gurjit Singh ◽  
Shimat V. Joseph ◽  
Brian Schwartz

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important pest of warm-season turfgrass species, including bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.). Bermudagrass is a popular turfgrass that is widely planted on golf courses, athletic grounds, and ornamental landscapes across the country and throughout the world. Spodoptera frugiperda infestation is often sporadic; however, when it does occur, damage can be severe. Host plant resistance against S. frugiperda can be a valuable tool for reducing or preventing the use of insecticides. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine resistance against S. frugiperda in a few promising bermudagrasses. Fourteen experimental bermudagrass genotypes plus two control cultivars, ‘Zeon’ zoysiagrass (resistant control) and ‘TifTuf’ bermudagrass (susceptible control), were evaluated against S. frugiperda to determine host plant resistance in the laboratory. The results showed that the resistant control, ‘Zeon’ zoysiagrass, was more resistant than the other genotypes to S. frugiperda larvae. To determine the response of the experimental lines to S. frugiperda as compared with that of the controls, three indices were developed based on survival, development, and overall susceptibility. According to the susceptibility index, ‘13-T-1032’, ‘T-822’, ‘11-T-510’, ‘12-T-192’, ‘11-T-56’, ‘09-T-31’, ‘11-T-483’, and ‘13-T-1067’ were the top-ranked bermudagrasses. Among these, the responses of ‘13-T-1032’, ‘T-822’, ‘11-T-510’, ‘11-T-56’, ‘09-T-31’, and ‘11-T-483’ were comparable to that of ‘TifTuf’, and antibiosis was the underlying mechanism of resistance. Additionally, larval length, head capsule width, and weight were negatively associated with the days of pupation and adult emergence and positively associated with pupal length, thorax width, and weight. These results will help refine future breeding and with investigations of resistance against the fall armyworm.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 494f-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M. Johnson ◽  
Greg D. Hoyt

An experiment was established to determine the effect of different tillage practices, vegetable crop rotations, and pest management strategies on crop yield, plant diseases, pest and beneficial arthropods, weed species changes over time, and soil environmental consequences. This poster describes nitrogen movement from the various treatments over a 3-year rotation. The treatments are: 1) conventional tillage with chemically based IPM; 2) conventional tillage with biologically based IPM; 3) conservation tillage with chemically based IPM; 4) conservation tillage with biologically based IPM; and 5) conventional tillage with no fertilizer or pest management. Mid-season soil analyses with depth showed chemical-fertilized plowed and conservation-tilled treatments with more soil available nitrogen at most depths compared to the biological-based IPM systems (soybean meal was used as a nitrogen source). However, the biological-based systems did supply enough soil nitrogen to produce similar yield results as the chemical-based systems. Less soil nitrate was measured in the 30- to 90-cm depths at harvest from the biological-based systems than chemical-based systems. Conservation-tilled systems had greater nitrate with depth compared to conventional-tilled systems.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Aline Moreira Dias ◽  
Miguel Borges ◽  
Maria Carolina Blassioli Moraes ◽  
Matheus Lorran Figueira Coelho ◽  
Andrej Čokl ◽  
...  

Stink bugs are major pests in diverse crops around the world. Pest management strategies based on insect behavioral manipulation could help to develop biorational management strategies of stink bugs. Insect mating disruption using vibratory signals is an approach with high potential for pest management. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of conspecific female rival signals on the mating behavior and copulation of three stink bug species to establish their potential for mating disruption. Previously recorded female rival signals were played back to bean plants where pairs of the Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros, and two green stink bugs, Chinavia ubica and Chinavia impicticornis were placed. Vibratory communication and mating behavior were recorded for each pair throughout the experimental time (20 min). Female rival signals show a disrupting effect on the reproductive behavior of three conspecific investigated stink bug species. This effect was more clearly expressed in E. heros and C. ubica than in C. impicticornis. The likelihood of copulating in pairs placed on control plants, without rival signals, increased 29.41 times in E. heros, 4.6 times in C. ubica and 1.71 times in C. impicticornis. However, in the last case, the effect of female rivalry signals in copulation was not significant. The effect of mating disruption of female rival signals of the three stink bug species may originate from the observed reduction in specific vibratory communication signals emitted, which influences the duet formation and further development of different phases of mating behavior. Our results suggest that female rival signals have potential for application in manipulation and disruption of mating behavior of stink bugs. Further work needs to focus on the effects of female rival signals used in long duration experiments and also their interactions with chemical communication of stink bugs.


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