Development of Spodoptera frugiperda on different hosts ... - UFRPE

244 Barros et al.
larva. According to Meyer et al. (2004) young cotton bolls
before seed maturation do not contain gossypol, as the
seeds have not yet developed. Thus, FAW moths colonizing
cotton fields in early stages <strong>of</strong> boll development will
find suitable food for their larvae that survive and move to
the s<strong>of</strong>t bolls.
Although low performance is found for FAW larvae
infesting cotton plants in the blooming stage, development
and survival were sufficient to permit the population to
increase after completing two immature generations, only
one <strong>of</strong> which occurred when bolls were abundant. It is also
important to note that few bolls were available during the
infestation at Blooming 1 compared to the infestation at
Boll Stage or at Blooming 2. At the Blooming 2 stage, a second
immature generation occurred during the predominance
<strong>of</strong> s<strong>of</strong>t boll production by the plants.
Our results indicate that successful control <strong>of</strong> FAW in
the Brazilian Cerrado will depend on tracking the populations
across crop systems during and across seasons considering
the species <strong>of</strong> plants used for double cropping and
for cover crops in no-tillage planting systems. The use <strong>of</strong>
millet as a cover crop will <strong>of</strong>fer an excellent winter host for
FAW to build populations when not limited by winter
temperatures, from which FAW can colonize the major
summer crops such as corn, soybean, and cotton that compose
the Cerrado landscape. The timing <strong>of</strong> early maturation
<strong>of</strong> corn and soybean ( 90–110 days) overlaps with
the most favorable stage <strong>of</strong> cotton (pre-maturation boll
stage) for FAW. The need for area-wide and crop-system
management to deal with FAW is not a new concept
(Sparks, 1986). Polyphagous, mobile species all impose
similar needs to address management across landscapes.
This has been addressed for Helicoverpa armigera Hübner
in China and Australia (Wu, 2007; Herde, 2009), and
recently for plant bugs in the USA (Abel et al., 2007).
The slow development <strong>of</strong> FAW feeding only on cotton
leaves suggests that the outbreaks <strong>of</strong> FAW in cotton at the
boll stage will result from one to two previous generations
within cotton fields if only cotton is the source host. Otherwise,
the outbreak can be in advance from mass migration
<strong>of</strong> adults from nearby hosts during the maturation <strong>of</strong> other
crops and weeds that dominate the Cerrado landscape
(e.g., corn, soybean, and pasture). Egg production by FAW
was high irrespective <strong>of</strong> host used previously (Table 2),
which helps to compensate for low survival <strong>of</strong> young larvae
and, hence, the relatively high numbers <strong>of</strong> surviving larvae
are able to cause significant damage to available bolls. Possible
mass migration <strong>of</strong> adults seems to be an interesting
hypothesis testable by tracking larval population in the
crops and adult migration among the crops. Although
corn is considered the preferred host, FAW infests a large
number <strong>of</strong> cultivated and uncultivated plants that are
common in the Cerrado. These host plants can sustain
FAW populations and function as a reservoir between seasons.
Moreover, millet used as a winter cover crop provides
a highly suitable host for FAW, superior to corn based on
our results. Thus, FAW can find suitable developmental
hosts year-round in the Cerrado if temperature does not
impose developmental or survival limitations.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support given, in the form <strong>of</strong>
research grants provided to the authors, by the agencies
FACEPE (Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia do
Estado de Pernambuco) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional
de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), and
research funds provided by FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos
e Projetos).
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