Relative Feeding Potential and Biology of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Fed on Different Host Plants

Ullah, M.I., M. Arshad, W. Ahmed, N. Altaf, A. Arroj and M. Afzal. 2023. Relative Feeding Potential and Biology of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Fed on Different Host Plants. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 41(1): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-41.1.001007 Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous insect pest causing major losses of corn crop in Pakistan. Biology and feeding potential of S. frugiperda was evaluated on three economically important crops including maize, Zea maize L. (Poaceae); sorghum, Sorghum bicolor L. (Poaceae); and cabbage, Brassica oleracea L. (Cruciferae) under laboratory conditions. The findings of this study showed that relative consumption rate (RCR) of S. frugiperda was 3.61 mg/mg/day, relative growth rate (RGR) was 0.78 mg/mg/day, the efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) was 31.6%, and approximate digestibility (AD) was 56.46% feeding on maize leaves and was higher compared to other host plants. However, RCR (0.687 mg/mg/day), RGR (0.29 mg/mg/day), ECI (17.5%) and AD (33.96%) values were lower when larvae fed on cabbage leaves. Similarly, large larval instars completed their development faster when they fed on maize leaves. The larval mortality rate was also lower (13.3%) when they fed on maize leaves as compared to sorghum (20.0%) and cabbage (36.7%). Overall, it is concluded that the maize crop was the most suitable host plant for S. frugiperda as the growth and development of the insect was higher compared to other host plants in this study. But in the absence of a favored host i.e. maize, it can feed and develop on other hosts such as sorghum and cabbage. Information on the biology and feeding indices of pests could be very useful in developing integrated pest management tactics and improving crop production. Keywords: Spodoptera frugiperda, biology, nutritional indices, insect-plant interaction