Effect of resistance elicitors on the biology and feeding preference of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E.Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in corn

Abstract

This study searches for efficient and low environmental impact alternatives to control Spodoptera frugiperda. Application of elicitors capable of inducing resistance in plants has already been highlighted. The elicitors trigger the plant's defense capacity against attack of herbivores and phytopathogenic organisms. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of resistance elicitors on some biological aspects and food preference of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) in corn in laboratory conditions. The treatments consisted of: Control (distilled water); Biofertilizer (25 mL L-1); Acibenzolar-S-methyl-ASM (2 mg mL-1); Potassium silicate (10 mL L-1) and T5: Potassium silicate (10 mL L-1) + ASM (2 mg mL-1). The treatments were foliar application of elicitors with adjustable jet pressure sprayer to the whole plant with an amount of 20 mL of the solution per plant. The larval phase (weight at 7 and 14 days, duration and viability); pupal phase (weight after 24 h, duration and viability) and adult phase (number of eggs / female, number of eggs/posture/female and longevity of adults) were evaluated. Free-choice and no-choice food preference test experiments were also carried out on 1st and 3rd instar caterpillars, after which the leaves collected at 5 and 10 days after spraying. The results showed that Acibenzolar-S-methyl induces resistance in corn plants when applied either alone or together with potassium silicate. Therefore, it adversely affects development of S. frugiperda. The leaves treated with Potassium Silicate + ASM were less preferred and consumed by 1st and 3rd instar caterpillars in free-choice food preference test.

Silicon-based induced resistance in maize against fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)]

“…Additional studies (mainly of aphids) have also suggested that Si reduces insect fecundity [ 41 ]. Results of the current study are well supported by the findings of Mondego et al [ 28 ], who reported that treatments consisted of K 2 SiO 3 resulted in a prolonged developmental period (12.26) of fall armyworm adults compared to control. Similarly, Abbasi et al [ 36 ] observed the extended longevity of B .…”

“…Results of this study are in line with the findings of Mondego et al [28], who reported that when fall armyworm larvae fed with Si treated plants, their viability percentage was decreased (64%) as compared to control (92%). He further stated that K 2 SiO 3 negatively affected the viability of fall armyworm when applied alone and with another growth inhibitor.…”

“…Massey and Hartley [ 16 ] observed a decrease in larval weight of Spodoptera exempta fed on Si-treated plants, which decreased the efficacy of larvae in converting ingested food into live biomass. Mondego et al [ 28 ] reported that maize leaves treated with K 2 SiO 3 had the lowest weight gain for male and female pupae of fall armyworm, significantly different from the control. In this study, the effectiveness of spraying SiO 2 and K 2 SiO 3 on the leaf surface may be due to the anti-nutrition effect observed in the larval stage of fall armyworm, which directly affects the weight of pupae.…”

Influence of Potassium Silicate on the Survival, Development and Reproduction of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

“…The obtained results elucidated that K2SiO3 at lowest concentration prevented aphids' individuals to reach the adult stage by inhibiting the completion of their life cycle. The use of silicon-induced plant resistance as a tactic for protecting plants against insects has been displayed in reducing the feeding time of the aphid, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) in wheat plants (Costa et al, 2011), changed in oviposition preference (Peixoto et al, 2011), reduced the palatability of sunflower leaves to attack of caterpillar, Chlosyne lacinia saundersi (Assis et al, 2013), decreased fecundity (Alvarenga et al, 2017), on the biology and feeding preference of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Mondego et al, 2018), reduced growth and the development of pests (Frew et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2018) and inhibited larval performance and their insecticide tolerance (Wang et al, 2020).…”

Influence of Si in maize plants in Kenyan populations of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…In maize, where FAW causes more damage than other crops (Cruz et al, 1999;Sarmento et al, 2002), these beneficial effects of Si against FAW are less evident. For example, Goussain et al (2002) found that leaves from Si-treated maize plants increased FAW larval mortality, cannibalism and wear on the larval mandibles, but Alvarenga et al (2017) and Mondego et al (2018) observed no significant effect on the larval survival and weight. Nevertheless, Mondego et al (2018) found that Si negatively affected food preference and foliar consumption of 1st and 3rd instar FAW larvae under choice conditions.…”