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Influence of Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) on the Developmental Cycle and Damage Potential of the Beet Armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

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Abstract

Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), one of the short-chain replacement perfluoroalkyl substances, has been shown to accumulate in plants. The potential of PFBA to modulate the developmental cycle of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, a polyphagous pest, was investigated. Second-instar larvae were fed with PFBA-spiked artificial diets and leaves from soybean plants grown with PFBA-spiked irrigation water. Spiked PFBA concentrations were 200 μg/kg for the artificial diet, whereas 405 to 15,190 ng/kg accumulated in the soybean leaves. The larvae fed with the PFBA-spiked diet showed a significant increase in weight gain compared with the controls over a 7-day exposure period. A similar weight gain trend was observed with larvae fed with the PFBA-containing soybean leaves, with the dose–response data fitting into a Brain-Cousens hormesis model with a 57% stimulation over controls. The artificial diet treatments showed 66.7% metamorphosed larva to pupa at 9 days after exposure (dpe) compared with 33.3% of the controls. The adult emergence at 16-dpe followed a similar trend with 57.7% and 33.3%, respectively, for the exposed and control groups. The duration of transition from larvae to adults was more symmetrical and 0.5 day faster for the exposed groups over controls. The beet armyworm caused more damage on leaves from the PFBA exposed plants in a nonmonotonic dose–response manner. The results suggest PFBA may have a stimulatory impact on some hormonal signaling pathways at low doses.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Columbia, MD, for providing the instrumentation for the PFBA analysis. The authors also recognize the funding from Title III and the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) to support graduate students involved in this research. The authors thank Dr. Enosakhare G. Okungbowa for his contributions to the modeling computations.

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  1. Department of Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 11868 College Backbone Rd, Princess Anne, MD, USA

    Eguono W. Omagamre, Simon A. Zebelo & Joseph S. Pitula

  2. Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 11868 College Backbone Rd, Princess Anne, MD, USA

    Feyisanmi Ojo & Simon A. Zebelo

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  1. Eguono W. Omagamre
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Correspondence to Simon A. Zebelo.

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Omagamre, E.W., Ojo, F., Zebelo, S.A. et al. Influence of Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) on the Developmental Cycle and Damage Potential of the Beet Armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 79, 500–507 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-020-00780-5

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