Habituação, indução de preferência e condicionamento pré-imaginal de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) previamente alimentada em diferentes genótipos de feijão-caupi (Vigna unguiculata [L] Walp.)

Abstract

Insect learning plays a fundamental role in their survival, as it exerts a great influence on decision making. The occurrence of the phenomenon of non-associative learning occurs regardless of the stage of development of the insect, and may be related to polyphagous practice. Due to some behavioral aspects of frugiperda species, it is possible to determine whether habituation, preference induction and pre-imaginal conditioning occur in different cowpea genotypes with levels of pest resistance. The biological variables were: larvae and pupae weight and emergence of. The occurrence of habit and induction of preference were determined with tests of food preference through foliar larvae of S. frugiperda that fed for 24h, and pre-imaginal conditioning was evaluated based on tests of oviposition of the pest, evaluating the number of eggs in experiments that lasted 72h. The Creole variety Nioaque was the most resistant to the attack of the pest, while the commercial cultivars Fradinho and BRS Tumucumaque were classified as susceptible to S. frugiperda; and the cultivar Miranda was considered highly susceptible to pest attack, in both experiments with field and laboratory caterpillars. The laboratory insects preferred if, in the experiment with choice, of the previously bred grains that were bred, regardless of the level of resistance, and field resistance of the habituation phenomenon. Insects fed on BRS Tumucumaque and Miranda cultivars showed preference induction in the larval stage. The presence of pre-imaginal conditioning was observed in the cultivars Fradinho, BRS Tumucumaque and Miranda, in both experiments. The results obtained in this work did not show consistency in the determination of learning for the variety, thus making it more difficult to evolve resistance. As too many cultivars, insects show non-associative learning, preference induction or pre-imaginal conditioning, and can be used as bait plants, very useful in MIP.