Life table study of the cotton leafworm, spodoptera littoralis (boisd.)(lepidoptera: noctuidae) on five host plants [electronic resource].

Includes bibliographical references.

The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) is an important pest on cotton and feeds on other host plants. In this study, development rate, age-specific survival and age-specific fecundity of cotton leafworm larvae reared on five host plants, (cotton, tomato, cabbage, zorbeyhh and mulberry) under laboratory conditions were studied for two successive generations. Results revealed that the cotton leafworm larvae survived on four host plants, but young larvae failed to survive on the fifth host (Mulberry). Thus, in both generations, the four host plants could be arranged according to their suitability for insect development in the following descending order cotton, tomato, cabbage and zorbeyhh. The least percentages of natural mortality were 9.02, 8.0, 7.44 and 1.02% when larvae were fed on cotton leaves for AM, RM, IM and MSR% mortality, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest mortality rates were 77.46, 32.30, 25.84 and 18.56% for AM, RM, IM and MSR% mortality, respectively, when larvae were fed on zorbeyhh leaves. At the same time, cotton leaves harbored the highest net reproductive rate (Ro) 593.38 females/female, while, the shortest reproductive rate was 21.8 females/female obtained when larvae were fed on zorbeyhh leaves.

Summary in Arabic.

1