Growth Inhibitory Activities and Feeding Deterrence of Solanaceae-Based Derivatives on Fall Armyworm

Abstract

Spodoptera frugiperda is a pest of worldwide importance, responsible for significant economic losses, mainly in maize crops. The use of botanical derivatives emerges as a promising alternative to control this insect pest. In this work, we evaluated the effect of ethanolic extracts (EE) and semi-purified fractions of Acnistus arborescens and Datura stramonium (Solanaceae) on the biological development of S. frugiperda and the effects of the semi-purified fractions on feeding behavior of 4th instar caterpillars. Crude extracts and fractions caused lethal and sublethal effects, namely increasing both duration of larval and pupal stages as well as deformities in adults, and decreasing weight of pupae. In turn, the effects on feeding deterrence were more pronounced in treatments with A. arborescens fractions. Our results highlight the potential of EE from solanaceous species as a source of allelochemicals that can be used in the integrated management of S. frugiperda.