Abstract

Understanding the population growth patterns of Spodoptera exigua on alternate host plants can provide valuable information for developing an effective pest management program. In this study, using age-specific lifetable indices, we evaluated the role of alternate crops commonly found in cotton agroecosystem of Pakistan to better understand population dynamics of S. exigua. The longest larval and pupal periods (16.35 and 9.95 days, respectively) were observed on spinach, while the shortest periods were recorded on okra (13 days) and cauliflower (8.4 days), respectively. Relatively more female moths (61%) were produced on spinach with low r_m (0.095) and λ (1.0997) while highest r_m (0.120) and λ (1.1278) was on cotton. In conclusion, S. exigua use spinach for initial population build-up in the field, adopting an aggressive reproductive strategy, while castor may be utilized for dispersal as more males eclosed and dispersed to mate in the fields.

摘要

了解Spodoptera exigua在替代寄主植物上的种群增长模式可以为制定有效的害虫管理计划提供有价值的信息。在这项研究中，我们使用特定年龄的生命表指数评估了巴基斯坦棉花农业生态系统中常见的替代作物的作用，以更好地了解S. exigua 的种群动态。 在菠菜上观察到的幼虫和蛹期最长（分别为16.35天和9.95天），而在秋葵（13 天）和花椰菜（8.4 天）上分别记录到最短。在低r _m (0.095) 和 λ (1.0997) 而最高r _{m 的}菠菜上产生相对较多的雌性蛾 (61%)(0.120) 和 λ (1.1278) 在棉花上。总之，S. exigua使用菠菜在田间进行初始种群积累，采用积极的繁殖策略，而蓖麻可用于驱散，因为更多的雄性在田间封闭和分散以交配。