Adaptability and damage capacity of Spodoptera frugiperda J.E Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on various Gramineae: a laboratory study

Abstract

Spodoptera frugiferda is a pest that initially attacks corn plants in tropical and subtropical regions such as America. At the beginning of 2019, the S. frugiperda entered Indonesia and was first found to attack corn plants in Sumatra. In the same year 2019, the pest was also found attacking corn plants in Bali. Until now, the presence of these pests has spread to various parts of the world and is not limited to corn plants but also to other Graminae plants. This study aims to determine the type of alternative host plant S. frugiperda in other graminae families. This study used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) using six 5 types of host plants as treatments and five replications. Research on the adaptation of S. frugiperda to host plants was carried out in the laboratory, while observations of the level of damage to plants were carried out using the scoring method based on the percentage of attack area on the leaves. The results showed that S. frugiperda was only able to adapt to the four host plants tested, namely hybrid corn, sorghum and local rice, while hybrid rice and rice varieties of Ciherang were not selected, which was indicated by their preference for not choosing these plants as spawning sites. S. frugiperda showed the best selectivity level for hybrid maize as host. In general, the characteristics of the damage caused by S. frugiperda were almost the same in each of the test plants. The highest level of damage was found during the fourth observation on Hybrid Corn in the heavy category. Attacks and leaf damage were not found in Hybrid Rice and Ciherang Rice Varieties. The findings of this study are useful in predicting population dynamics of S. frugiperda especially in areas cultivating Graminae crops, to develop sustainable integrated pest management strategies for this pest.