Effects of plant chemicals on the Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner): A multi-generation study

Abstract

We studied the effects of feeding on different cotton cultivars with different gossypol contents on the development, reproduction and food plant utilization of three successive generations of Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). Significantly higher larval survival rates were observed in three successive generations of H. armigera fed on cotton cultivar “ZMS13”compared with cultivars “M9101” and “HZ401”. There was a significant decrease in fecundity in the first generation compared with the second and third generations of cotton bollworms fed on “M9101” and “ZMS13”. Cotton bollworm generation significantly influenced mean relative growth rate, relative growth rate and relative consumption rate. The relative growth rate significantly decreased in three successive generations of H. armigera fed on the high-gossypol cultivar “M9101” compared with those fed on low-gossypol cultivar “ZMS13”. However, a significantly higher relative growth rate was recorded in the third generation than in the first generation fed on “M9101”. Measurements of development and food utilization at the individual and population levels over more than one generation ought to provide a more meaningful prediction of long-term and population dynamics of the cotton bollworm.