História de vida de Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E.Smith) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae) em diferentes hospedeiros

Abstract

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lep.: Noctuidae), is a cosmopolitan pest attacking several important plants. This work investigated the host selection and the life history characteristics for S. frugiperda fed corn, millet, cotton and soybean plants. Selection of hosts for oviposition was studied in plastic greenhouse using the host plants cultivated in micro-parcels with five plants each. The host colonization by S. frugiperda larvae was also studied in micro-parcels, in the field, and development and reproduction in the laboratory. Females of S. frugiperda did not select a specific host for laying eggs among the studied hosts regardless their phenology: before or after setting the reproductive structures. The success of colonization by neonate larvae, measured based on the number of surviving larvae and their weight after 10 days from releasing, showed no difference among the hosts for larval weight, but greater number of larvae was found on millet. Female moths from larvae fed cotton in the field were less fecund (1144.7 eggs) and lower longevity (13.3 days). The overall results fromfertility life table parameters estimated for individuals reared during the larval stage in the field highlighted the millet as the host more favorable to S. frugiperda. The study in the laboratory using leaves of each host, and the combination of leaf and boll of cotton as diet for S. frugiperda yielded low success of boll colonization by neonate larvae compared to only leaf. S. frugiperdafed cotton bolls exhibited longer larval, pupal and adult stages, and lower egg production. However, larvae fed leaf plus cotton bolls exhibited similar performance to corn and cotton leaves. Based on the results, the millet currently used in the crop systems with soybean, corn or cotton, is a potential host for S. frugiperda while, cotton was intermediate diet compared to corn and soybean