Biology of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fed on different food sources

Abstract

In order to measure the impact of a number of plants on the development of Spodoptera frugiperda, we carried out a comparative study on the biology of the fall armyworm using various food sources (millet, maize, sorghum, peanut, cowpea and artificial diet). When fed with cowpea and peanuts leaves, larval development was longer (21.46 ± 0.42 and 18.93 ± 0.18 days respectively). In contrast, adult stage duration became shorter when the larvae were fed with maize leaves and peanut (2.86 ± 0.21 and 3.33 ± 0.21, respectively). Similarly, the pupal development was longer when the larvae fed on peanut leaves and artificial diet (9.26 ± 0.11 and 9.40 ± 0.16 days, respectively), compared to the pupae whose larvae fed on maize, millet, sorghum and cowpea (8.46 ± 0.13; 8.40 ± 0.13; 8.13 ± 0.9; 8.93 ± 0.20 days, respectively). As for the adult stage, the duration is shorter when the larvae are fed with cowpea leaves (2.86 ± 0.21 days) and Peanut (3.33 ± 0.21days)