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Tobacco armyworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab), a polyphagous insect, is an important pest of groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L). It is one of the insect pests which had developed resistance to insecticides. Currently there are no cultivars of groundnut which express high level of resistance to S. litura. Wild species of groundnut, which show high levels of resistance, have been identified. Arachis kempff-mercadoi is one such wild species, which is reported to be resistant to S. litura, and indicated that in wild species three flavonoids chlorogenic acid, quercetin and rutin are involved in the components of resistance. In the present study, although these flavonoids had an effect on larval mortality, statistical analysis revealed that quercetin had a major effect due to high correlation of quercetin with chlorogenic acid and rutin. Interspecific derivatives were obtained as a result of crossing cultivated groundnut with A. kempff-mercadoi. In vitro studies showed high percentage of neonate larval mortality when fed on the foliage of interspecific derivatives, majority of interspecific derivatives were detrimental to larval development and had considerable effect on its subsequent progeny. Resistant derivatives were found to have high levels of flavonoids and antibiosis mechanism prevented larval growth. Susceptible derivatives and the female parent, A. hypogaea have low levels of flavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]