Impact of Commercial Insecticides on the Nutritional Indexes of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae under Laboratory Conditions
Amany Ramadan Ebeid
Pests and Plant Protection Department, Agricultural and Biological Researches Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohamed Ahmed Gesraha
*
Pests and Plant Protection Department, Agricultural and Biological Researches Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Spodoptera frugiperda, or fall armyworm, is a significant agricultural pest worldwide, in Africa, it poses a significant threat to food security. This study assessed the nutritional indices values (NIVs) of its larvae after exposure to three insecticides: Chlorfenapyr, Diflubenzuron, and Indoxacarb, under laboratory conditions. Results showed that all insecticides significantly affected larval nutrition. Diflubenzuron led to high consumption index values and approximate digestibility but had lower food conversion efficiency. Indoxacarb resulted in the lowest consumption index. Chlorfenapyr was identified as the most effective insecticide, with the lowest nutritional indices and the highest larval mortality (58.33%). It is recommended for use in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs to control S. frugiperda populations.
Keywords: Spodoptera frugiperda, Chlorfenapyr, Diflubenzuron, Indoxacarb, nutritional indexes