Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Changes in quality of host plants under elevated CO2 (eCO2) conditions likely in future can affect the survival, growth and development, and population dynamics of insect herbivores. The present study aimed to examine the growth and development of leaf feeding Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) reared on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown under elevated CO2 condition in open top chambers at Main Agricultural Research Station (MARS), University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India. Significantly lower leaf nitrogen, higher carbon, higher relative proportion of carbon to nitrogen and higher phenols and tannins observed in the groundnut foliage grown under elevated CO2 levels. This alteration in food quality significantly affected the growth parameters of S. litura in the form of increased food consumption, gain in larval weight and more faecal matter production due to extended larval duration, pupal duration. This resulted in reduced fecundity, particularly in the population raised under elevated CO2 conditions compared to ambient condition. Further physiological parameters were recorded revealed increased approximate digestibility and relative consumption rate by the larva under elevated CO2 condition coupled with reduced efficiency of conversion of ingested food and digested food. As a result, the relative growth rate was decreased under elevated CO2 conditions. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that elevated CO2 concentrations altered the quality of groundnut foliage and has the negative effect on the growth and development of S. litura.
Institution: University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2736205542