1. Influence of food quantity, larval density and size of rearing container on intra-instar cannibalism in fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
- Author
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Ojumoola, Olusegun Adebayo and Omoloye, Adebayo Amos
- Subjects
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FALL armyworm , *NOCTUIDAE , *CANNIBALISM , *LEPIDOPTERA , *POPULATION density , *CONTAINERS - Abstract
The rearing of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda larvae in cohorts is usually associated with high levels of cannibalism-induced mortalities especially in the later instar larvae. To avoid this problem, rearing is done using an individual-based method that often requires relatively more man-hours, man power and laboratory space. To substantially reduce cannibalism-induced mortalities in cohort-based laboratory cultures of S. frugiperda, the primary factors influencing intra-instar cannibalism must be properly elucidated. In this study, the effect of food quantity, number of larvae reared (larval population density) and size of rearing container on cannibalism-induced mortalities was investigated at the fifth, early sixth and late sixth (fully mature) instar stages of S. frugiperda. Results showed that at each instar stage, larval population density rather than food quantity, significantly (p < 0.0001) influenced cannibalism-induced mortalities. In addition, no significant interactions (p > 0.11) were observed between both factors. At the late sixth instar, the highest cannibalism-induced mortality (74.67%) occurred when 15-larvae fed only two grams of food were reared together. However, when food quantity increased to five grams, observed mortality was 52.00%. While higher mortalities were generally observed in small rearing containers, the size of larval-rearing container was not a significant (p = 0.01) factor influencing cannibalism-induced mortalities at the three instar stages. The foregoing suggests that while food quantity may not be the most important factor influencing intra-instar cannibalism in S. frugiperda, it nonetheless plays a synergistic role with the number of larvae being reared, and is more important than the size of rearing container. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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