The Effect of Temperatures and Hosts on the Life Cycle of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

The interactions between ambient temperatures and host plants are central to the population dynamics of invasive animal species. Despite significant research into the effects of temperatures, the performance of invasive species is also influenced by host plants. The effects of different temperatures (20, 25, and 30 °C) and host plants (maize, sorghum, and coix seed) were tested on the mortality, development, reproduction, and population parameters of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), using an age-stage, two-sex life table. The results support the hypothesis that temperature and the species of the host plant significantly influences the performance of FAW. Feeding on maize at 30 °C resulted in a lower mortality rate, a shorter developmental time and longevity, a higher fecundity, intrinsic rate of natural increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and net reproductive rate (R0). However, at 20 °C, the host plant could eliminate temperature-mediated synergism in FAW performance, which did not reach statistical significance at 20 °C. Similar results induced by a relatively low temperature (20 °C) on different host plants were also found in the age-stage specific survival curves (sxj), fecundity (mx), maternity (lxmx), and reproductive value (vxj) curves of FAW. Consequently, we also need to pay more attention to FAW outbreaks on different host plants mediated by relatively low temperatures.

Effect of Temperature on Development and Life Table Parameters of Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…S. frugiperda exhibited a higher R0 at 27 °C than at 23°C. Similarly, Chen YC et. al., (2022), found that increased temperature led to significant effects on the population parameters (R0, rm and e rm ) of S. frugiperda.…”

Assessing the risk of establishment and transient populations of Spodoptera frugiperda in Europe

“…If relevant, the model might be easily extended to include the influence of other environmental variables, such as relative humidity. The model does not consider the influence of different host plant species on the life-history (Chen et al 2022), the dynamics, and the distribution of S. frugiperda (Baloch et al 2020). Another source of uncertainty not considered in the model is represented by variability in the physiological responses associated with different strains of the species that might reach Europe (Sarr et al 2021).…”

Sublethal Effects of Emamectin Benzoate on Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…FAW larval populations were collected from the corn fields of Luoertang Village (27 • 46 44" N, 107 • 40 41" E), Yanchang Town, Fenggang County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China. Larvae were fed with fresh corn leaves and reared in a climatic chamber with temperature set at 25 ± 2 • C, relative humidity of 70 ± 5%, and photoperiod of 14 light:10 dark as described by Chen et al [26]. Emamectin benzoate technical material (TC), with a purity of 70%, was purchased from Guangxi Tianyuan Biochemical Co., Ltd. (Nanning, China).…”