Abstract
Bioenergetica, efficiencies of energy transfer and growth of Spodoptera litura larvae reared on mulberry, cabbage, castor and wild hempweed leaves were determined using calorimetrie procedures. Energy contents (J mg-1 ash-free tissue) of castor leaves were higher than those of cabbage, mulberry and wild hempweed. Fresh leaves had slightly higher energy contents than those left over. The rates of ingestion and egestion of food energy increased linearly with the age of larvae. Energy consumption decreased exponentially with larval age, and this decreasing trend showed an intermediate rise at the fifth instar. Assimilation efficiencies were highest and lowest for the first and sixth instar larvae respectively. Efficiencies of gross and net larval production showed linear increases with instar stage, except at the fifth instar which showed dramatic declines in conversion of ingested and assimilated energy into insect biomass. Efficiencies of gross and net productions during early first to third instars were low, but those during the sixth instar were high. The pathways of energy transfer indicated that an average of 58.5% of the total energy ingested was lost directly through faeces, respiration and exuviae, while about 42.2% of the total energy ingested was actually converted into growth of an S. litura larva.
Résumé
La bioénergétique, les efficiences de transfert d’énergie et la croissance des larves de Spodoptera litura élevées sur des feuilles de mûrier, de choux, de ricin et de chanvre sauvage respectivement ont été determinées par des procédés calorimétriques. Les teneurs en énergie (J mg1 du tissu sans cendre) des feuilles du ricin étaient supérieres à celles du choux, du mûrier et du chanvre sauvage. Les feuilles offertes à l’état frais avaient des teneurs en énergie légèrement supérieures à celles des reliquats. Les taux d’énergie d’ingestion et d’éjection de nourriture augmentait linéairement avec l’âge des larves. L’énergie de consommation décroissait exponentiellent avec l’âge des larves et cette tendence de décroissance présentait une augmentation intermédiare au cinquième stade. Les efficiences d’assimilation avaient les valeurs les plus élevées au premier stade et les plus basses au sixième stade. Les efficiences de production brute et nette du stade larvaire présentaient des taux de croissance linéaires avec le stade, sauf le cinquième stade avec des baisses formidables dans la conversion d’énergie ingérée et assimillée en biomasse de l’insect. Les efficiences de production brute et nette étaient basses du premier au troisième stade mais elles étaient élevées au cours du sixième stade. Les voies de transfert d’énergie ont montré qu’en moyenne 58.5% de l’énergie totale ingérée était directent perdue en fèces, en respiration et en exuvies; cependant environ 42.2% de l’énergie total ingérée était convertie en croissance chez une larve de S. litura.
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Banerjee, T.C., Ray, D. Bioenergetics and Growth of the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera litura (F.) Larvae Reared on Four Host Plants. Int J Trop Insect Sci 16, 317–324 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400017343
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400017343
Key Words
- fall armyworm
- host plant
- Spodoptera litura
- bioenergetics
- energy utilisation efficiency
- energy transfer
- growth