The Effects of Three Phenolic Substances on the Growth and Digestive Physiology of the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The spread of invasive pests can exacerbate the threat of pest stress to agricultural production. Screening natural antifeedants from the secondary metabolites of plants may provide efficient alternative control methods for the integrated management of invasive pests. Therefore, in this study, the three phenolic substances were evenly mixed with the artificial diet at mass ratios of 1:200 and 1:40, respectively. The treatment groups were labeled as follows: vanillic acid (Va1: 1:200, Va2: 1:40), sinapic acid (Si1: 1:200, Si2: 1:40), and syringic acid (Sy1: 1:200, Sy2: 1:40). Subsequently, the feed intake, body weight, protein content, and digestive enzyme activity of the S. frugiperda feeding were measured. This research was extended to the pupal and adult stages, focusing on pupation rate, pupal weight, adult emergence rate, and adult longevity. The results showed that the food intake and body weight of the 4th-6th instars of S. frugiperda decreased significantly after feeding on the different ratios of phenolic substances. Although the protein accumulation of the 4th-5th-instar larvae was inhibited, the protein content of the 6th-instar larvae showed significant accumulation, with that of the Va2 and Sy1 treatment groups being 124.84% and 165.07% of that of the control, respectively. At the same time, the trypsin activity of the 4th-6th-instar larvae in different treatment groups significantly increased, while the activities of pepsin and α-amylase fluctuated but overall showed an increasing trend. The interference of vanillic acid, sinapic acid, and syringic acid on the digestion and absorption of the larvae limited the pupation rate but did not have a significant effect on the pupal weight. All three phenolic substances reduced the adult emergence rate, but unlike the sinapic acid and syringic acid treatments, vanillic acid also had a negative impact on adult longevity. These results can provide material reserves for the development of antifeedants for S. frugiperda, and can also provide optimal plans for its ecofriendly prevention and control.