Impact of different natural hosts and meridic diet on fatty acid profiling of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) vis-à-vis reproductive physiology
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Date
2024-12
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Publisher
Triveni Enterprises
Abstract
Aim: This study was undertaken to document the influence of natural hosts and meridic diet on fatty acid profiling vis-a-vis reproductive physiology of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius). Methodology: S. litura were larvae fed on various hosts (castor, cauliflower, cabbage and tomato) and meridic diet. After emergence, the adults were frozen in liquid nitrogen. Fatty acid analysis was conducted by Fatty Acid Methyl Esters through gas chromatography (MIDI Sherlock, 2006). Results: One-way ANOVA and Principal component analysis (PCA) of fatty acid biomarkers from emerged adults showed that the insects reared on meridic diet had the highest percent of linoleic acid (18:2) and oleic acid (18:1) fatty acids, which are mainly responsible for insect reproduction. Interestingly, reproduction related fatty acids were distributed proportionally in case of adults emerged from meridic diet fed larvae. Interpretation: Fatty acid profile can be used as a surrogate marker to assess the reproductive fitness of insects. The study also concluded that the meridic diet would be an alternate choice in the absence of natural hosts for mass rearing of S. litura throughout the year.
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Keywords
Fatty acid, Meridic diet, Oleicacid, Principal component analysis, Spodoptera litura
Citation
Kumar H., Sagar D., Keerthi M.C., Sharma M., Singh S., Subramanian S. . Impact of different natural hosts and meridic diet on fatty acid profiling of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) vis-à-vis reproductive physiology. Journal of Environmental Biology. 2024 Dec; 45(6): 714-722