Advances and Challenges for the Management of Lepidopteran Pests—2nd Edition

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Pest and Disease Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 6332

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Protection, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Interests: plant protection; pest management; biocontrol; agricultural entomology; insect resistance; insect pests of crops
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the first Special Issue “Advances and Challenges for the Management of Lepidopteran Pests” of Agronomy, the editorial office would like to launch a second edition of this Special Issue. The subject, the editorial team, and the submission process will remain the same.

The management of lepidopteran pests has been a constant challenge in several agricultural crops in different countries. It is known that innovative solutions for the control of lepidopteran pests have been or are being developed by several public and private companies. These innovations have changed the approach to monitoring, managing, and controlling lepidopteran pests in various agricultural crops. Given this perspective, the publication of discoveries and innovations is essential for scientific advancement in the management of these pests. Therefore, we invite researchers from public and private companies to contribute to this Special Issue.

With this Special Issue of Agronomy, we seek studies that represent innovative advances in the management of lepidopteran pests in the most diverse crops, as well as reviews that offer original perspectives on advances in the control of lepidopteran pests that attack agricultural crops.

Dr. Oderlei Bernardi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • pest management of Lepidoptera insects
  • innovations on monitoring, control and management
  • intelligent mornitoring
  • behavioural control
  • chemical control
  • biological control
  • physical control
  • IPM
  • IRM
  • OGMs

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2092 KiB  
Article
The Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda Found on Rice Oryza sativa L. in China: Their Host Strain, Oviposition Preference and Survival Rate on Rice and Maize
by Pingping Liu, Liu Zhang, Xiaoming Pu, Dayuan Sun, Huifang Shen, Qiyun Yang and Jingxin Zhang
Agronomy 2024, 14(10), 2344; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102344 - 11 Oct 2024
Viewed by 775
Abstract
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a serious pest that threatens a range of important crops worldwide. It originated in America and rapidly dispersed throughout Africa and Asia in 2018. There are two subtypes, corn-strain (C-strain) and rice-strain (R-strain), that have [...] Read more.
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a serious pest that threatens a range of important crops worldwide. It originated in America and rapidly dispersed throughout Africa and Asia in 2018. There are two subtypes, corn-strain (C-strain) and rice-strain (R-strain), that have different host plant preferences, and the individuals damaging maize in China were identified as C-strain. In the present study, we found FAW individuals damaging rice plants in the field of Guangdong Province, China. FAW larvae and male adults were collected, and the majority of FAWs were characterized as CO I R-strain Tpi C-strain, which is similar to the FAWs damaging maize in China. The FAW adults preferred laying eggs on maize plants more than on rice plants. Compared to those that were fed maize leaves, the FAW larvae were unable to survive when fed 4-week-old rice plants, whereas they could complete their life cycle on 2-week-old rice plants, for which the total survival rate was 8%. The pre-adult- and pupal-stage durations were prolonged, and the fecundity of adult females decreased. Thus, the FAWs found in paddy fields showed better fitness on maize than on rice in the laboratory. Owing to their low survival rate on rice plants, they were unlikely to damage paddy fields in large areas, but populations of FAWs in paddy fields should be monitored. Full article
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11 pages, 288 KiB  
Article
The Biological Activity of an SfMNPV-Based Biopesticide on a Resistant Strain of Spodoptera frugiperda Developing on Transgenic Corn Expressing Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 + Cry1F Insecticidal Protein
by Fernanda Carla Santos Geisler, Liliane Nachtigall Martins, Inessa Emanuelle da Fonseca Machado, Lara Fernandes Matozo, Willian Furtado Lucena, Vanessa Nogueira Soares, Juliano de Bastos Pazini, Ana Paula Schneid Afonso Schneid da Rosa and Daniel Bernardi
Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1632; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081632 - 25 Jul 2024
Viewed by 990
Abstract
Insecticides based on baculoviruses have become an alternative for pest control in different agricultural crops. The aim of this study was to assess the biological activity of the bioinsecticide Cartugen (SfMNPV: Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus) on larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. [...] Read more.
Insecticides based on baculoviruses have become an alternative for pest control in different agricultural crops. The aim of this study was to assess the biological activity of the bioinsecticide Cartugen (SfMNPV: Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus) on larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistant to Bt corn expressing the insecticidal proteins Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2+Cry1F. In addition, we assessed the efficiency of SfMNPV on S. frugiperda control in the field from natural infestation of the pest during two agricultural seasons. The results showed that no larvae survived 10 days after being inoculated with Bt and non-Bt corn leaves contaminated with 1.50 × 1010 occlusion bodies (OBs)/L (equivalent to the recommended dose of the product). However, when using doses equivalent to 50% (7.50 × 109 OBs/L) and 25% (3.75 × 109 OBs/L), the larval mortality ranged from 21.12% to 46.55%, respectively. Although larvae resistant to the Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2+Cry1F proteins, when exposed to 50% of the SfMNPV dose (7.50 × 109 OBs/L), showed reductions in larval weight (52 to 67% reduction), pupal weight (32 to 59% reduction), and total fecundity (67 to 86% reduction) compared to the control. Furthermore, doses above 25% (3.75 × 109 OBs/L−1) caused a population decrease in the growth of the species in both Bt and non-Bt corn according to the fertility life table. In the field, at 7 and 10 DAA (days after application), corn plants sprayed with SfMNPV (1.50 × 1010 OBs/L) showed reductions in leaf damage according to the Davis scale. However, from 14 to 21 DAA, there was an increase in leaf damage in corn leaves from both treatments, with or without the application of SfMNPV. This shows that SfMNPV may be an important strategy in the integrated management and resistance management of S. frugiperda. Full article
12 pages, 297 KiB  
Article
Initial Evaluation of the Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium robertsii, and the Entomopathogenic Nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Individually and in Combination against the Noxious Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
by Waleed S. Alwaneen, Muhammad Tahir, Pasco B. Avery, Waqas Wakil, Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Nikoleta Eleftheriadou, Maria C. Boukouvala, Khawaja G. Rasool, Mureed Husain and Abdulrahman S. Aldawood
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1395; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071395 - 27 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1174
Abstract
The Old-World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a significant threat to crops worldwide and has become resistant to traditional synthetic insecticides. The present study investigated the pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Metarhizium robertsii (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) strain WG-04 or Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: [...] Read more.
The Old-World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a significant threat to crops worldwide and has become resistant to traditional synthetic insecticides. The present study investigated the pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Metarhizium robertsii (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) strain WG-04 or Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) strain WG-10, and an entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) species Heterorhabditis bacteriophora against the second and fourth instar larvae of H. armigera. Both fungal species and H. bacteriophora were evaluated, singly or in combination. After 24 and 48 h post-application of the fungal spores (106 spores/mL), H. bacteriophora was introduced at a rate of 50 infective juveniles/mL, and mortality was observed at 3-, 5-, and 7-days post-treatment. Adult emergence, egg hatching, and percentage pupation were recorded. The integration of both types of biocontrol agents exhibited additive and synergistic interactions in larval stages, and enhanced mortality was recorded when EPF was used in combination with the nematodes. In the individual application of all three biocontrol agents alone, the order of efficacy was H. bacteriophora > B. bassiana > M. robertsii; however, in joint treatments, the increase in mortality and decrease in percentage egg hatching, pupation, and adult emergence was determined to be directly linked to the exposure period of the H. bacteriophora. The results of this study suggest that combining H. bacteriophora with EPF could provide a solid foundation for an economically viable method for managing H. armigera larvae in chickpea fields. Full article
19 pages, 4072 KiB  
Article
The Effectiveness of Mixed Food Attractant for Managing Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) in Peanut Fields
by Liying Wang, Limei He, Tongwei Wang, Tao Xiao, Zongfeng Zou, Meng Wang, Xiaoling Cai, Bingtao Yao, Yu Yang and Kongming Wu
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050986 - 8 May 2024
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
Peanut is one of the widely cultivated oil-bearing and nut crops worldwide, so its stable production is crucial for oil supply and nuts, as well as socioeconomic development. Noctuid pests, such as Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), are the major pests [...] Read more.
Peanut is one of the widely cultivated oil-bearing and nut crops worldwide, so its stable production is crucial for oil supply and nuts, as well as socioeconomic development. Noctuid pests, such as Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), are the major pests in peanut. With growing resistance to chemical pesticides, there is an urgent need for advanced biocontrol solutions for peanut productions. We evaluated the control effect of Bioattract®, combined with the insecticide Coragen, a ‘mixed food attractant’, on noctuid pests through large-scale applications in four main peanut-producing provinces, Henan, Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning, of China from 2019 to 2023 in succession. The main types of insects attracted and killed by the mixed food attractant were noctuid pests, of which H. armigera, A. ipsilon and other pests were 84.2%, 10.4% and 5.4%, respectively. The female/male ratio of H. armigera was 1.04. In the mixed food attractant treatment fields, the average adjusted decrease rates of H. armigera were 68.74% ± 1.43% for the eggs and 66.84% ± 1.59% for the larvae; meanwhile, those of A. ipsilon were 59.24% ± 1.56% for the eggs and 51.06% ± 1.89% for the larvae. In addition, the damage rate of the new leaves of the peanut plants in the mixed food attractant treatment fields was significantly lower than that in the control fields, with an adjusted declined rate of 78.26% ± 0.80%. Compared with using conventional chemicals, applying biological food attractants could reduce costs by USD 43.85 ± 1.14 per hectare. These findings provide a basis for the large-scale promotion and application of Bioattract® for peanut pest management. Full article
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Review

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24 pages, 932 KiB  
Review
Molecular Diagnostics for Monitoring Insecticide Resistance in Lepidopteran Pests
by Camila Ivo C. Vilarinho Fernandes Junqueira, Eliza F. de Melo Bellard do Nascimento, Leonardo A. Vidal, Erick S. Lustosa de Queiroz and Erika V. Saliba Albuquerque
Agronomy 2024, 14(11), 2553; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112553 - 31 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1451
Abstract
Chemical control methods to prevent crop damage have long been directly implicated in the selection of lepidoptera insect populations resistant to insecticides. More recently, new products featuring different modes of action (MoA), developed to mitigate the negative effects of control management on both [...] Read more.
Chemical control methods to prevent crop damage have long been directly implicated in the selection of lepidoptera insect populations resistant to insecticides. More recently, new products featuring different modes of action (MoA), developed to mitigate the negative effects of control management on both producers and the environment, are rapidly losing efficacy due to the emergence of resistant insects. Among these, certain resistances are associated with molecular changes in the genomes of pest insects that are valuable for developing molecular markers for diagnostic tools, particularly the point mutations. Molecular diagnosis represents an innovative solution for insecticide resistance management (IRM) practices, allowing for the effective monitoring of insecticide resistance. This approach facilitates decision making by enabling the timely alternation between different modes of action (MoAs). In this context, this review focuses on the major lepidopteran pests that affect globally significant crops, discussing the impacts of insecticide resistance. It gathers literature on diagnostic methods; provides a comparative overview of the advantages of different techniques in terms of efficiency, cost, precision, sensitivity, and applicability; and highlights several novel diagnostic tools. Additionally, this review explores the coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella, as an applied model to illustrate potential approaches for more effective and sustainable control strategies. Full article
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