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Effects on oviposition behaviour and larval development of Spodoptera littoralis by herbivore‐induced changes in cotton plants
Author(s) -
Anderson P.,
Alborn H.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1046/j.1570-7458.1999.00523.x
Subject(s) - biology , spodoptera littoralis , noctuidae , lepidoptera genitalia , larva , instar , herbivore , pupa , botany , pest analysis , malvaceae , horticulture , spodoptera , biochemistry , gene , recombinant dna
Herbivore feeding induces chemical defence responses in plants. In this study we investigate how herbivore‐induced changes in cotton plants, Gossypium hirsutum L., influence the oviposition behaviour and larval development of Spodoptera littoralis Boisd. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In two‐choice experiments female moths preferred to oviposit on small plants (3–4 leaves) that had been fed on by 3rd to 4th instar larvae (72%) over non‐damaged control plants. However, when using larger plants (8 to 10 true leaves) the preference was reversed, with only 31% of the eggs deposited on the induced plants. The same trend was found with plants that had been given a similar level of damage by 6th instar larvae. However, the difference between the treatments was in both cases smaller with only 60% of the eggs deposited on the preferred plant treatment. If cotton plants subjected to artificial damage were compared with undamaged plants, none of the treatments were preferred for oviposition. No significant difference was found in larval weight, pupal weight, survival, or development time, between larvae reared their entire development on leaves from induced or from non‐induced plants.