Off-season survival and life history of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) on various host plants

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 13721 - 13
• Main Authors: Rajesh Chowdary, L., Suneel Kumar, G. V., Bharathi, S., Sarada, O., Nagaraju, Yalavarthi, Manikyanahalli Chandrashekara, Keerthi, Naga Harish, Giri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 14-06-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/158; 631/601; 631/601/1466; Animals; Cicer - parasitology; Corn; Crops; Crops, Agricultural - parasitology; Demographic parameters; Development period; Developmental stages; Growing season; Growth index; Helianthus; Host plants; Humanities and Social Sciences; India; Larva - growth & development; Larvae; Legumes; Life cycle; Life expectancy; Life history; Life history studies; Life span; multidisciplinary; Off-season survival; Pest outbreaks; Pests; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seasons; Spodoptera - growth & development; Spodoptera - physiology; Spodoptera exigua; Survival; Vigna - growth & development; Vigna - parasitology; Zea mays - parasitology; India; Life cycle; Development period; Growth index; Off-season survival; Host plants; Demographic parameters; Spodoptera exigua
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64639-8

The beet armyworm,
Spodoptera exigua
(Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has become a significant pest of chickpea in recent years. The polyphagous nature allows it to survive on various hosts during the off-season, creating a great menace to the crop in the following season. To assess the incidence and document the alternate hosts of
S. exigua
, a rapid roving survey was conducted in 11 chickpea-growing areas of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Additionally, the life history traits of
S. exigua
were studied on major alternate host plants under laboratory conditions (27 ± 1 °C and 70 ± 2% RH) to understand the survival, life expectancy and potential contribution to future populations. The results show that, among the different crops surveyed, the maximum larval incidence was noticed in maize (1.93 larvae/plant), cowpea (1.73 larvae/plant), and sunflower (1.68 larvae/plant) during the off-season. Life history studies of
S. exigua
showed that highest larval survival percentage was observed on chickpea (83.6%), while the lowest was on maize (44.5%). The mean developmental time for larvae was longest on maize (27.1 days) and shortest on chickpea (14.9 days). Larvae did not develop beyond the third instar when fed with chilli. The growth index statistics showed chickpea (9.2) was the most suitable host plant, whereas maize (0.9) was the least suitable host. The age-stage-specific survival rate (S
xj
) varied across developmental stages, and the survival curves overlapped, indicating different growth rates among individuals. The life expectancy (e
xj
) at age zero was highest on groundnut (37.06 days). The intrinsic rate of increase (r) of
S. exigua
was lowest on maize (0.10 ± 0.0013) and highest on chickpea (0.22 ± 0.0010). Similarly, the net reproductive rate (R
0
) was highest on chickpea (846.39 ± 18.22) and lowest on maize (59.50 ± 2.06). The population doubled every 3.08 ± 0.011 days on chickpea compared to 7.22 ± 0.80 days on maize. The study conclusively indicates that chickpea and sunflower, primarily cultivated during the rabi season in India, are the most preferred hosts for
S. exigua
. In contrast, maize and cotton, mainly grown during the kharif season, are less preferred and merely support the pest's survival. Consequently,
S. exigua
switches hosts between different crops growing seasons, so effective management of
S. exigua
during the kharif season can help prevent pest outbreaks during the rabi season.