Non-oviposition and non-feeding preference of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) for peanut cultivars.

This study aimed to select peanut cultivars resistant to Spodoptera frugiperda, selecting non-oviposition and non-feeding preference in choice and no-choice tests. Peanut cultivars with upright growth habit (IAC 5, IAC 8112, IAC 22 and IAC Tatu ST) and runner growth habit (IAC 503, IAC 505, IAC 147, IAC 125, IAC Caiapo and IAC Runner 886) were evaluated. Tests of non-oviposition preference were conducted with newly emerged adults. Adults were fed a 10% honey solution, remaining in cages for 4 days until the start of the evaluations. The evaluations consisted of quantifying the number of eggs and egg masses, followed by calculating the number of eggs per egg mass. To perform non-feeding preference tests, leaf discs from different peanut cultivars were placed in disposable Petri dishes followed by releasing of a third-instar caterpillar for each cultivar. The attractiveness at 1, 5; 10, 15, 30, 60, 120, 360, 720 and 1,440 minutes was evaluated by counting the caterpillars that were feeding on cultivars. The leaf area consumed was evaluated at the end of the experiment for each cultivar. In the tests of non-oviposition and non-feeding preference, with choice or no-choice, none of the cultivars of the upright growth and runner growth habit influenced the oviposition or food of S. frugiperda. Thus, the peanut cultivars showed no resistance of the non-feeding and non-oviposition types.