*Correspondence: Ahmed M. Saveer, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Box 102, SE-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden e-mail: [email protected] Mate recognition is crucial for reproductive isolation and for maintaining species integrity. Chemosensory-mediated sexual communication with pheromones is an essential component of mate recognition in moths. Confronted with sex pheromone stimuli released fr...

The common cutworm, Spodoptera litura, has become a major pest of soybean (Glycine max) throughout its Indian range. With a changing climate, there is the potential for this insect to become an increasingly severe pest in certain regions due to increased habitat suitability. To examine this possibility, we developed temperature-based phenology model for S. litura, by constructing thermal reacti...

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) of insects play crucial roles in the metabolism of endogenous and dietary compounds. Tobacco cutworm moth (Spodoptera litura), an important agricultural pest, causes severe yield losses in many crops. In this study, we identified CYP9A40, a novel P450 gene of S. litura, and investigated its expression profile and potential role in detoxification of plant a...

Herbivory-induced responses in plants can both negatively affect subsequently colonizing herbivores and mitigate the effect of herbivory on the host. However, it is still less known whether plants exhibit specific responses to specialist and generalist herbivores in non-secondary metabolite traits and how specificity to specialists and generalists differs between invasive and native plant popul...

The effects of extracts of sesame, Sesamum indicum L. (Liamiales: Pedaliaceae), and whole leaves of some selected cultivars of sesame were tested using a natural host Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Indices taken using the immature stages include; diet utilization, growth and development and induction of detoxification enzymes. The results indicate that S. litura generally sele...

Effects of four host plants, tobacco, Chinese cabbage, cowpea and sweet potato, on larval and pupal development and survival, and longevity and fecundity of adults of Spodoptera litura (F) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), were studied under laboratory conditions (26 degrees C, 60-80% RH), as was the utilization of the four host plants and adaptation on tobacco. All of the biological parameters include...

Larvae of the polyphagous tobacco cutworm moth, Spodoptera litura (S. litura), encounter potentially toxic allelochemicals in food. It is therefore important for S. litura to produce detoxification enzymes such as cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s). In this study, we have identified two novel cytochrome P450 genes of S. litura, named CYP321A7 and CYP321A9. Phylogenetic analysis indicated th...

In response to attack by bacterial pathogens, soybean (Gylcine max) leaves accumulate isoflavone aglucones, isoflavone glucosides, and glyceollins. In contrast to pathogens, the dynamics of related insect-inducible metabolites in soybean leaves remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the biochemical responses of soybean leaves to Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) herbivory...

Field tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of Spodoptera litura (Fab.) nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPVS) alone and in combination with endosulfan and neemarin (neem seed kernel extract) against S. litura in cabbage. Treatment with NPV-S (500 LE/ha) + Endosulfan (625 ml/ha) was better in reducing the larval population and increasing yield than other treatments. However, considering cost b...

Study of lifecycle patterns and rhythms is important to understand the ecology and evolution of insects. The tobacco cutworm Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a serious polyphagous pest in Asia, Oceania and the Indian subcontinent. The laboratory investigations of development patterns and circadian rhythms described in this paper have shown that the development duration from egg to...