Abstract
Understanding the population growth patterns of Spodoptera exigua on alternate host plants can provide valuable information for developing an effective pest management program. In this study, using age-specific lifetable indices, we evaluated the role of alternate crops commonly found in cotton agroecosystem of Pakistan to better understand population dynamics of S. exigua. The longest larval and pupal periods (16.35 and 9.95 days, respectively) were observed on spinach, while the shortest periods were recorded on okra (13 days) and cauliflower (8.4 days), respectively. Relatively more female moths (61%) were produced on spinach with low rm (0.095) and λ (1.0997) while highest rm (0.120) and λ (1.1278) was on cotton. In conclusion, S. exigua use spinach for initial population build-up in the field, adopting an aggressive reproductive strategy, while castor may be utilized for dispersal as more males eclosed and dispersed to mate in the fields.
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