Grapevine defoliation by Spodoptera frugiperda Smith, 1797 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Brazil

Abstract

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Smith, 1797 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous pest that causes losses in several crops. The knowledge of host plants is essential for establishing management and control strategies. The present study reported the first occurrence of S. frugiperda in Brazilian grapevines. It is recommended that further studies should be carried out in the laboratory to understand the biological aspects of the damage to different structures (leaves and grapes). This information will be essential to assess the potential of S. frugiperda damage to vines. Key words: lepidopterans; Vitis vinifera; fruit pests; Fall armyworm

The grapevine, Vitis vinifera (Vitaceae), is a major plantation species worldwide. Currently, global grapevine production is approximately 77.8 million t over 7.4 million ha (OIV, 2020), and Europe and Asia are responsible for approximately 50% of this production (OIV, 2020). In Brazil, production is ~1.5 million t in an area of 0.757 million ha (BRAZILIAN YEARBOOK, 2020). However, biotic factors, such as pathogens (BOIS et al., 2017) and arthropod pests (REINEKE &THIERY, 2016) are predominant in limiting grapevine production.

A diverse range of arthropod pest species can damage grapevines by affecting the root system, stem, leaves, and fruit (FORMOLO et al., 2011; REINEKE & THIERY, 2016; WEIBINGER et al., 2019; RODRIGUEZ-GONZALEZ et al., 2020). Among the arthropod pests of aerial plant parts, the lepidopterans are a major cause of damage to leaves and grapes (ZENKER et al., 2010; BORTOLI et al., 2012; VENTURA et al., 2015). Thus, to establish efficient control strategies, knowledge of the lepidopteran species that damage cultivated plants is essential.

Spodoptera frugiperda Smith, 1797 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is recognized as a major global agricultural pest, as it is highly polyphagous (CASMUZ et al., 2010; MONTEZANO et al., 2018) and can damage approximately 353 host species (MONTEZANO et al., 2018). In Brazil, S. frugiperda has been recognized as an important cause of damage, mainly in corn crops, since the 1950s (LEIDERMAN & SAUER, 1953). However, studies indicated that it has been present in Brazilian fields since approximately 1920 (LEIDERMAN & SAUER, 1953).

Although, fall armyworms feed preferentially on Poaceae (CASMUZ et al., 2010; MONTEZANO et al., 2018), they can also feed on other species including soybeans, beans, and cotton (MONTEZANO et al., 2018). However, to date, Spodoptera eridania Stoll, 1872 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is the only species belonging to the Spodoptera complex reported to damage the fruit and leaves of grapevines in Brazil (BORTOLI et al., 2012). The present study is the first to record the occurrence of S. frugiperda damaging grapevines in Brazil.

The study was carried out in a commercial seedling nursery (Figure 1) at Petrolina (9°23ʹ39ʺ South, 40°30ʹ35ʺ West), Bahia, Brazil. The infested seedlings (Figure 2) belonged to the “early” Isabel variety (ISACL 1) and were grafted on the material, IAC 572 Jales (Vitaceae) [resulting from the crossing of 101-14 MGT (Vitis riparia × Vitis rupestris) × Vitis caribaea], to confer resistance to phylloxera and nematodes. Visual inspection was performed to consider leaf injuries (Figure 3) associated with S. frugiperda larvae feeding. The larvae (n = 20 individuals) were collected on December 5, 2020, placed in flasks with 70% alcohol, and sent to the Entomology Laboratory of the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG) for identification by the first author.

To date, this is the first record of S. frugiperda feeding on grapevines in Brazilian fields. Although, not quantified in the field, leaf injury was 1020%, which damaged the plants. The pest infestation required intervention by the producer, including three sequential insecticide applications, with a mixture of two insecticides, i.e., Chlorantraniliprole (150 mL.ha^-1) and lambda-Cyhalothrin (30 mL.ha^-1). After the applications, no re-infestation was observed. It is important to point out that the seedling production area in the study is located close to a disposal area for plant residues from other vinifera varieties. This observation allows us to infer that the occurrence and spread of the pest has a greater amplitude, suggesting that this pest may have greater importance in a short period of time.

Previous reports of the occurrence of this species in vines were restricted to other countries such as Chile, Venezuela, and the United States (CASMUZ et al., 2010; MONTEZANO et al., 2018). Interestingly; although, the fall armyworm has been mentioned as damaging grapevines in these countries, there are no descriptions to clearly evidence this, suggesting that these previous mentions may have been field observations rather than scientific reports.

Among Spodoptera species, S. eridania larvae have been observed to damage grapevine fruit and leaves in Brazil (BORTOLI et al., 2012); although, only in vitro. In addition, BORTOLI et al. (2012) observed that leaf consumption improved the performance of S. eridania, reduced the life cycle (compared to that of S. eridania that fed on strawberry plants), and did not compromise female fertility. These findings suggest that grapevine leaves have an adequate nutritional composition for S. eridania and indicate the potential of this species to cause damage to the crop. Further studies are needed to investigate the development of S. frugiperda on grapevine fruit and leaves, because its biological performance is strongly influenced by the host quality (SILVA et al., 2017). Knowledge of the plant-insect relationship is important as it will the aid the inference of the harmful potential of the species.

Finally, our findings indicate the importance of monitoring the occurrence and population fluctuations of S. frugiperda in grapevine fields. Additionally, complementary studies are needed to understand the behavior of this pest better when feeding on the vegetative and reproductive structures of a grapevine. Future research should evaluate the consumption capacity, food preference (varieties), and damage capacity (leaves and fruit) of S. frugiperda on grapevines.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for financial support. The authors declare there to be no conflict of interest in carrying out or publishing this work.

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