Abstract
Nutritional indices of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on different host plants including chickpea (cultivars Arman, Hashem, Azad, and Binivich), common bean (cultivar Khomein), white kidney bean (cultivar Dehghan), red kidney bean (cultivar Goli), cowpea (cultivar Mashhad), tomato (cultivar Meshkin) and potato (cultivars Agria and Satina) were studied under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% RH, 16:8 L:D). Third instar larvae reared on potato Agria showed the highest efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) and efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) (50.800 é 0.104% and 13.630 ± 0.016%, respectively). Approximate digestibility (AD) values of the fourth instar larvae were highest (92.651 ± 0.004%) and lowest (57.140 — 0.049%) on chickpea Azad and potato Agria, respectively. The fifth instar larvae fed on tomato Meshkin and white kidney bean Dehghan had the highest consumption index (CI) (3.717 ± 0.091) and relative consumption rate (RCR) (1.620 ± 0.074), respectively. Whole larval instars showed the highest ECI and ECD values on potatoes Satina (14.640 ± 0.014%) and Agria (21.380 ± 0.015%), respectively, and the lowest of both values on tomato Meshkin (ECI: 5.748 ± 0.002% and ECD: 7.341 ± 0.002%). The results of nutritional indices and the cluster analysis indicated that tomato Meshkin was an unsuitable host for feeding of H. armigera.
Highlights
The gram or noctuid pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a voracious feeder pest that infests over 100 plant species including widespread and economically important crops such as cotton, maize, tobacco, pigeonpea, chickpea, and tomato (Talekar et al 2006)
The preference of H. armigera to feed on the harvestable parts of host plants, along with its high polyphagy and mobility, broad geographical variety, migratory potential, facultative diapause, high fecundity, and tendency to develop resistance to insecticides lead to its status as an important crop pest (Fitt 1989; Zalucki 1991; Anonymous 2000)
The significant differences in the ability of insect larvae to utilize different host plants efficiently suggest some intrinsic variations among the plant species
Summary
The gram or noctuid pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a voracious feeder pest that infests over 100 plant species including widespread and economically important crops such as cotton, maize, tobacco, pigeonpea, chickpea, and tomato (Talekar et al 2006). The preference of H. armigera to feed on the harvestable parts of host plants, along with its high polyphagy and mobility, broad geographical variety, migratory potential, facultative diapause, high fecundity, and tendency to develop resistance to insecticides lead to its status as an important crop pest (Fitt 1989; Zalucki 1991; Anonymous 2000). Increases in intensive crop production technologies and concomitant insecticide resistance due to use of broad spectrum insecticides, as well as continuous accessibility of preferred food plants have favored H. armigera to become a major pest of crops (Fitt et al 1995; Naseri et al 2009; Fathipour and Naseri 2011). Different nutritive values of host plants may influence the rate of development of H. armigera larvae, affecting the population dynamics of this pest (Ruan and Wu 2001). The quality and quantity of food consumed may increasingly affect growth, development, and reproduction of insects (Scriber and Slansky 1981)
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