Differential Effects of Some Insect Growth Regulators on the Reproductive Potential of Lepidopteran Pest, Spodoptera littoralis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Applied Entomology and Zoology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, El-Shatby, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

2 Cotton Pesticides Evaluation Department, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, El-Sabhia, Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the lethal and sublethal effects of novaluron, methoxyfenozide and
chromafenozide on the fecundity and fertility of Spodoptera littoralis adults when applied on the newly molted 6
th instar
larvae. The effect of least concentration (LC10) of tested IGRs on testes weight (mg), eupyrene and apyrene sperm numbers of
treated male (48h-old) were also carried out. Different abnormalities of adults, deformed ovaries and testes of the treated S.
littoralis females and males were clarified. There was no significant difference between the toxicity of the three IGR
compounds with LC50 values 9.6, 7.6 and 11.8 mg L
-1
, respectively, after 96 hrs post-treatment. Methoxyfenozide at LC50
value caused highly significant decrease in the average number of eggs laid per female (fecundity) and the percentages of
hatched eggs (fertility) followed by novaluron and chromafenozide compared with LC25 and LC10 values. The hatchability
percentages were 2.6, 7.8 and 15.2 % after the mating of treated female (TF) × treated male (TM), treated female (TF) ×
untreated male (UTM) and untreated female (UTF) × treated male (TM), respectively, for the treatment with LC50 value of
methoxyfenozide. While, the hatchability percentages were 9.0, 17.4 and 26.8 % for LC50 value of novaluron and 45.8, 50.5
and 58.3 % for LC50 value of chromafenozide after the same previous mating possibilities, respectively, compared to 97.3 %
in the control. The LC10 values of novaluron, methoxyfenozide and chromafenozide appeared to be dramatic when reducing
the average number of eupyrene sperm to be 13074 (61.2%), 9335.67 (72.3%) and 19017.08 (43.55%), respectively, when
compared to 33691.81 eupyrene sperm in the control. Furthermore, the LC10 of three tested IGRs decreased the average
number of apyrene sperm by 1089257 (13.7%), 1005230.80 (20.37%), 1154880.35 (8.5%), respectively, when compared to
1262480.7 apyrene sperm in the control. Finally, the obtained results emphasized that novaluron, methoxyfenozide and
chromafenozide are promising insecticides and suitable for IPM programs directed against lepidopteran pests.

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