000			02589nam a2200121 4500
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100			_aJ. N. Prithiva
245			_aStandardisation of artificial diet for fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) mass culturing to accomplish research needs of management strategies
520			_aStandardising artificial diets for mass-rearing insects in laboratory is crucial for deepening our understanding of insect biology, behaviour and nutritional needs, which are pre-requiste for developing effective integrated pest management strategies. The present study was focused on formulating an optimal artificial diet for the invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda by evaluating various diet ingredients and their impact on insect development. Out of 32 diet compositions tested, 16 diets supported developments to the adult stage and these 16 diets were further evaluated to identify the best-suited diet. Among these, a diet based on lab lab beans emerged as the most effective for rearing fall armyworm in the laboratory. Larvae fed with a diet of lab lab beans soaked and supplemented with maize leaf powder, excluding Wesson’s salt, achieved the highest larval weight (0.3807 g on the 7th day after hatching), the shortest larval duration (14.47 days), the highest pupal weight (0.2520 g), the shortest pupal duration (10.03 days) and the highest adult emergence rate (94.50%). These results were comparable to the diet of soaked lab lab beans without maize leaf powder and Wesson’s salt, which recorded a larval weight of 0.2343 g, a larval duration of 15.50 days a pupal weight of 0.2107 g, a pupal duration of 10.25 days, and an adult emergence rate of 93.00. The addition of Wesson’s salt did not significantly enhance growth parameters. Although the diet including maize leaf powder supported the highest adult emergence, its cost and the difficulty of sourcing pesticide-free maize leaf powder make it impractical. Therefore, the diet without maize leaf powder has been standardized as the most efficient and reliable method for producing a large and continuous supply of insects 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 solution for laboratory rearing, significantly advancing research capabilities in pest management.
654			_aArtificial diet _a fall armyworm _aSpodoptera frugiperda _amass culturing
773	0		_0125299 _9112523 _tCurrent Science _x 0011-3891
942			_cJA
999			_c131807 _d131807