J. N. Prithiva <br/><br/>
Standardisation of artificial diet for fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) mass culturing to accomplish research needs of management strategies 

<br/><br/> Standardising artificial diets for mass-rearing insects<br/>in laboratory is crucial for deepening our understanding<br/>of insect biology, behaviour and nutritional needs, which<br/>are pre-requiste for developing effective integrated<br/>pest management strategies. The present study was focused on formulating an optimal artificial diet for the<br/>invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda by evaluating various<br/>diet ingredients and their impact on insect development.<br/>Out of 32 diet compositions tested, 16 diets supported<br/>developments to the adult stage and these 16 diets were<br/>further evaluated to identify the best-suited diet. Among<br/>these, a diet based on lab lab beans emerged as the<br/>most effective for rearing fall armyworm in the laboratory. Larvae fed with a diet of lab lab beans soaked<br/>and supplemented with maize leaf powder, excluding<br/>Wesson’s salt, achieved the highest larval weight<br/>(0.3807 g on the 7th day after hatching), the shortest<br/>larval duration (14.47 days), the highest pupal weight<br/>(0.2520 g), the shortest pupal duration (10.03 days) and<br/>the highest adult emergence rate (94.50%). These results were comparable to the diet of soaked lab lab<br/>beans without maize leaf powder and Wesson’s salt,<br/>which recorded a larval weight of 0.2343 g, a larval<br/>duration of 15.50 days a pupal weight of 0.2107 g, a<br/>pupal duration of 10.25 days, and an adult emergence<br/>rate of 93.00. The addition of Wesson’s salt did not<br/>significantly enhance growth parameters. Although the<br/>diet including maize leaf powder supported the highest<br/>adult emergence, its cost and the difficulty of sourcing<br/>pesticide-free maize leaf powder make it impractical.<br/>Therefore, the diet without maize leaf powder has been<br/>standardized as the most efficient and reliable method<br/>for producing a large and continuous supply of insects<br/>for research purposes. This optimized diet not only ensures the robust growth and development of S. frugiperda but also provides a cost-effective and practical<br/>solution for laboratory rearing, significantly advancing<br/>research capabilities in pest management. 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Facted Index Terms: </label><br/>Artificial diet<br/> fall armyworm<br/>Spodoptera frugiperda<br/>mass culturing