GROWTH PARAMETER INDICES OF CUT WORM LARVA Spodoptera litura (Fab.) ON VARIOUS HOST PLANTS

J. ALFRED DANIEL¹*, K. SAMIAYYAN^2
1Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
²Agricultural College and Research Institute, Thanjavur, 614902, Tamil Nadu, India
* Corresponding Author : danieljalfred@gmail.com

Received : 24-05-2017     Accepted : 31-05-2017     Published : 24-06-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 29       Pages : 4372 - 4376
Int J Agr Sci 9.29 (2017):4372-4376

Keywords : Host plants, Food, Consumption, Utilization, S. litura
Academic Editor : Dr J. Stanley
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Author are Thankful to Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India for the financial grants through Maulana Azad National Fellowship.
Author Contribution : Both the authors contributed equally

An experiment was conducted to find the effect of five host plants viz., chickpea, castor, chillies, mulberry and parthenium, on the consumption, growth, digestibility and conversion efficiency of ingested and digested food of Spodoptera litura (Fab.) larva at the Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2012. Among the plants tested, food consumption and excretion was found high in castor. Average consumption index of S. litura grown in chickpea, mulberry, parthenium, chillies and castor were found to be 3.889, 3.343, 3.262, 2.825 and 3.079 respectively. Higher growth rate was found when larva was fed with chickpea (0.474) and the least being 0.450 in castor. Early instar larva fed with chickpea was found to have higher digestibility (90.811) and it was least in weed plant, parthenium (88.110). Late instar larva of S. litura fed with chick pea was found to convert 7.452% of ingested food into its body mass whereas it was only 5.087% when fed in castor. The efficiency of conversion of digested food of S. litura larva fed with chickpea was least at early instars (12.450) whereas it was the highest during the late instars (7.994). Chickpea with highest average consumption index, growth rate and digestibility was found to be the best host plant. Further, efficiency of conversion of ingested and digested food of late instar larva was also found high in chickpea.

1. Balasubramanian G., Chelliah S. and Balasubramanian M. (1984) Indian J. Agric. Sci., 54, 1075-1080.
2. Zhang B.C. (1994) Index of economically important Lepidoptera. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
3. Pogue M.G. (2003) World Spodoptera database (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Systematics and Entomology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD.
4. Rao A.B., Rajasekhar P., Rao G.R. and Rao V.S. (2006) Ann. of Pl. Protec. Sci., 14, 86-89.
5. Gao C.X., Bei Y.W., Chen T.H. and Gu X.H. 2004. Acta. Agric. Zhejiangen, 16, 332-335.
6. Qin H.G., Ye Z.X., Huang S.J., Ding S.J. and Luo J. (2004) Chinese J. Eco-Agric., 12(2): 40-42.
7. Dhir B.C., Mohapatra H.K. and Senapati B. (1992) Indian J. Plant Protect., 20(7-10), 215-217.
8. Armes N. J., Wightman J. A., Jadhav D. R. and Rao G. V. (1997). Pest. Sci., 50(3), 240-248.
9. Patel I.S., Shah A.H. and Rote N.B. (1987) Gujarat Agric. Univ. Res. J., 12(2), 57-58.
10. Patel I.S., Rote N.B., Shah A.H., Patel U.G. and Patel B.K. (1986) Gujarat Agric. Univ. Res. J., 11, 67-68.
11. Ahmad M., Arif M.I. and Ahmad M. (2007) Crop Protect., 26, 809-817.
12. Zhu S.D., Lu Z.Q., Chen L.F., Yu W. and Zhang S.J. (2000) Chinese J. Appl. Ecolo., 11, 111-114.
13. Zhu J.H., Zhang F.P. and Ren H.G. (2005) Chinese Bull. Entomol., 42, 643-646.
14. Bae S.D and Park K.B. (1999) Korean J. Appl. Entomol., 38: 23-28.
15. Bae S.D., Park K.B., and Oh Y.J. (1997) Korean J. Appl. Entomol., 36: 48-54.
16. Etman A. and Hooper G.H.S. (1979) J. Aus. Entomol. Soc., 18, 363- 372.
17. Holloway J.D. (1989) Malayan Nature J., 42, 57-226.
18. Garad G.P., Shivpuje P.R. and Bilapate G.G. (1985) Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., 94(1), 49-56.
19. Xue M., Pang Y.H., Wang H.T., Li Q.L. and Liu T.X. (2010) J. Insect Sci., 10, 1-14.
20. Shahout H.A., Xu J.X., Yao X.M. and Jia Q.D. (2011) Asian J. Agric. Sci., 3(4), 291-300.
21. Waldbauer G.P. (1968) Adv. Insect Physiol., 5, 229-288.
22. Sharma H.C and Norris D.M. (1991) Environ. Entomol., 20,1589-1594.
23. Shobana K., Murugan K. and Naresh Kumar A. (2010) J. Insect Physiol., 56(9), 1065-1070.
24. Ramalho F.S., Azeredo T.L., Fernandes F.S., Nascimento J.L., Malaquias J.B., Nascimento A.R.B., Silva C.A.D. and Zanuncio J.C. (2011) J. Pest Sci., 84(2), 199-205.
25. Ghumare S.S and Mukherjee S.N. (2003) Indian J. Experim. Biol., 41, 895-899.
26. Sahayaraj K. (1998) Curr. Sci., 74(6), 523-526.
27. Dhandapani N. and Jayaraj S. (1989) J. Biol. Control, 3(1), 47-49.
28. Vos J.G.M. and Frinking H.D. (1998) J. Plant Protec. Trop., 11(1), 53-71.
29. Manjula K., Nagalingam B. and Rao P.A. (2003) Anna. Pl. Protec. Sci., 11(2), 224-227.