Morphology and biology of Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae) immature instar for a biological control perspective

Morphology and biology of Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae) immature instar for a biological control perspective | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Morphology and biology of Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae) immature instar for a biological control perspective SALIFOU KABRE, DAO MADJELIA CANGRE EBOU, TRAORE FOUSSENI, ANTOINE WAONGO, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4182138/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 02 Aug, 2024 Read the published version in International Journal of Tropical Insect Science → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Noorda blitealis is a phytophagous insect that causes major losses to Moringa growers worldwide. This study was conducted to determine the bio-ecology of its larvae. A mass rearing was carried out in Central Agricultural Entomology Laboratory located in Kamboinsin, Ouagadougou from July to December 2021. Parameters such as eggs incubation period, number of larval instars and their duration, body length and color, number of Moringa folioles attacked and survival rate were collected. Results showed that Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) passed into 5 larval instars before pupating. First instar larva averaged 2.4 ± 0.8 mm in length and were light green. At the 5th instar, these larvae reach 10.8 ± 0.4 mm and their bodies take on a reddish appearance. The average egg incubation was 3.00 ± 0.35 days. Larvae and chrysalis duration phases were respectively, 10.61 ± 2.28 days and 9.78 ± 0.42 days. The larval survival rate reaches 100% for 3rd to 5th instar. A statistically significant difference was found between leaf attacked rates and larval instars (p = 0.001). Larvae in their 6th and 7th days attacked the greatest number of folioles. These data could be used to develop effective biological control methods against this insect pest. Moringa insect pest Noorda blitealis crop protection biology Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Leaf insect pests are a major constraint of Moringa oleifera (Capparales: Moringaceae) production (Halilou et al. 2022 ; Kabré et al. 2020 ; Ke et al. 2016 ; Ratnadass et al. 2011 ). According to Ke et al. ( 2016 ), more than 40 main pest species were found on Moringa and each species can caused damage to different parts of the plant. Among these insect pests, those belonging to Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera orders are the most important on Moringa plant (Ikpeze & Ngenegbo, 2022 ; Joshi & Baliah, 2019 ; Kabré et al. 2020 ). Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is one of these insects. The larvae of this insect pest are considered as the major insect pest of Moringa oleifera (Mridha & Barakah 2017 ; Outani et al. 2023 ; Ratnadass et al. 2011 ) worlwide. N. blitealis larvae are phyllophagous caterpillar that can become miner. They can also destroy the apical bud and make a gallery in the plant central cylinder, which then dries (Kant et al. 2017 ). In case of heavy infestations, the larvae can cause defoliation ranging from 70–100% on Moringa plants (Bedane et al. 2013 ; Satti et al. 2013 ). In addition, these larvae create silken webs around the leaves, which asphyxiate and eventually died (Dao et al. 2015 ). The damage is enormous and this is a barrier to Moringa cultivation (Ke et al. 2016 ). Moringa growers use methods that range from bioinsecticides (Kabre et al. 2023 ) to synthetic chemical insecticides (Halilou et al. 2022 ; Ratnadass et al. 2011 ) to control the pest, but the results are below their expectations. In Burkina Faso particularly, the extent of leaf damage has forced some growers who earned additional income from this crop to abandon it. However, Moringa is a plant that is being popularized by institution to fight malnutrition among children and women (PNDES-II 2021) and poverty in rural areas by selling different parts of the tree. In view of the socio-economic importance of Moringa for the population (Fadeyi et al. 2023 ; Tefera 2022 ), it is important to implement management strategies against Noorda blitealis . Despite of the impact of the Noorda blitealis larvae on Moringa oleifera plant, work on development parameters remains fairly restrictive. This work is being undertaken to determine the bio-ecology aspects of this insect in particular its larvae. Specifically, the study aims to determine the (i) morphological characteristics of Noorda blitealis immature instars; (ii) duration of immature instars (iii) type of damage caused by each larval instars of N. blitealis on Moringa leaf; (iii) larvae instar that causes the most leaf damage in Moringa oleifera leaf and ; (iv) larvae survival rate. Material and methods Experimental site The experiment was conducted in Central Agricultural Entomology Laboratory (12°27’21,66 N ; 1°32’59,46 W) located in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from July to December 2021. During experimentation, the mean laboratory temperature was 26 ± 1°C, the relative humidity was 62 ± 5% and photoperiod was 12 hours. Origin of larvae Larvae used for the rearing were collected from Moringa oleifera planted at the research station of the Environment and Forestry Department (12°22’49,90 N ; 1°30’15,40 W). The trees were less than a year old. The collected larvae were transported to the laboratory in 900 ml laboratory glass containers containing sand and fresh Moringa leaves for rearing. Rearing of Noorda blitealis larvae and adults Rearing was realised into 900 ml glass containers. Fresh Moringa leaves were served as food for the larvae. The cut ends of these leaves were wrapped in hydrophilic cotton impregnated with water and covered with pieces of polyethylene. This was done to prevent water loss from the leaf and keep them turgid. Each glass jar was covered by with a piece of muslin cloth fastened with rubber band. One-third part of jar was filled with moist sand, which provides optimal condition for pupation. The grown-up larvae pupated in the jar. The emerged moths (Fig. 1 ) were released in rearing cages measuring 60cm x 60cm x 60cm. Fresh Moringa plants were used for eggs laying. Data collection Morphological characteristics of larval instars Larvae length and body color were determined. For this purpose, newly emerged larvae were taken and followed through to pupation. These larvae were placed individually in 90 mm diameter Petri dishes and fed daily with fresh Moringa leaves. Food in each petri dish was changed daily by bringing fresh Moringa leaves from the field. The larvae length was recorded on graph paper after immobilization in the cold. Body color was determined visually with the naked eye A total of 15 larvae were used for this experiment. Immature instars duration In parallel with the determination of the larvae morphological characteristics, the following development parameters were determined : Egg incubation : for this determination, leaves containing eggs were removed and placed in 90 mm petri dishes and covered with muslin cloth fastened with rubber band. Observations were made daily. A total of 30 eggs were collected and observed until the larvae emerged. Each larval instar duration by observing moulting daily using an optika binocular magnifier coupled to a monitor. A larva was considered to have changed instar when the head capsule or exuviae were rejected. Larvae instar duration ( 1rst instar to 5th instar ) by summing the durations corresponding to the different larval instars pupal instar by recording thee time elapsed between imaginal moulting until apparition of the imago. Type of damage The type of damage caused by each larval instar of Noorda blitealis was assessed using the same larvae as those on which the measurements were made. Direct observation was used to assess the type of damage caused by each larval instar. Damage and larval age This parameter was determined according to the protocol described by Dao et al. ( 2015 ). The protocol involved depositing a newly emerged larva on a potted Moringa plant in a rearing cage measuring 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm. The number of folioles on the plant was counted and marked at the start of the test. Daily observations were made until larvae pupated. During these observations, the attacked folioles were pulled off. A foliole was considered attacked when it showed visible signs of attack. The seedling was replaced when all its leaves had been consumed by the larva. A total of 15 replicates were used for this determination. Larval survival rate Newly emerged larvae were placed individually in 90 mm-diameter petri dishes. They were fed daily on fresh Moringa leaves. The larvae were observed daily in the event of death. The Optika binocular magnifier coupled to a monitor was used to observe larvae and count the number of cephalic capsules present in the petri dish. The number of cephalic capsules has been used to determine the corresponding larval instar. Data analysis A 5% ANOVA test was used to compare the number of folioles attacked daily by larvae. In the case of statistically significant differences, a Student t test was used to separate the means. Analyses were performed using R sofware. Results Morphological characters of the larvae Based on the number of cephalic capsules rejected, 5 larval instars were determined. Each larval instar differs from the others by the length and the color of its body (Fig. 1 ). The average length of 1st instar was 2.4 ± 0.8 mm. The 2nd instar larva averaged 4.8 ± 1.2 mm in length, reaching an average of 7.7 ± 0.6 mm in the 3rd instar. At the last instar, larvae averaged 10.8 ± 0.4 mm. Body color changes from light green in 1st instar to red in 5th instar. Duration of immature instars The incubation period of the eggs was recorded as 3.00 ± 0.35 days and the incubation period varied from 3 to 4 days. Observations on the different durations are given in the table. 2. N. blitealis larval development duration on Moringa averaged 10.61 ± 2.28 days. The 5th instar was the longest, with an average of 3.12 ± 0.64 days, while the 4th instar was the shortest, with an average duration of 1.62 ± 0.51 days. The average duration of the chrysalis instar was 9.78 ± 0.42 days. The average time from egg laying to adult emergence was 23.14 ± 1.21 days (Table 1 ) Table 1 Duration of egg, larvae and pupal instars of N. blitealis Instars Numbers Duration ± sd* (day) Minimum -Maximum. (day) Egg 15 3.00 ± 0.35 3–4 1st instar 15 2.00 ± 0.35 2–3 2nd instar 15 1.87 ± 0.35 1–2 3rd instar 15 2.00 ± 0.53 1–3 4th instar 15 1.62 ± 0.51 1–2 5th instar 15 3.12 ± 0.64 3–4 Larval to chrysalis (1st to 5th instar) 15 10.61 ± 2.28 8–14 Chrysalis 15 9.78 ± 0.42 9–10 Overall 15 23.39 ± 3,05 19–27 *sd : standard deviation Type of damage Observations showed that the type of damage caused to M. oleifera leaves varied with the larval stage. Larvae of 1st and 2nd instar feed on the underside of Moringa leaves. The other instars (3rd, 4th and 5th ) gnaw on leaf blades, causing perforations (Fig. 2 ). Moringa leaf damage according to their age Results showed that the number of folioles attacked varied with larvae age (p = 0.001). In fact, the multiple Student separation test showed that larvae at 6 and 7 days after emergence attacked more folioles than younger or older larvae (Table 2 ). Table 2 Mean of folioles attacked by N. blitealis larva instars Days Mean of folioles consumed* 1rst day Less than one folioles 2nd day 1.4 ± 0.51 e 3rd day 2.8 ± 0.63 d 4th day 4.8 ± 1.03 bc 5th day 5.9 ± 1.85 ab 6th day 6.3 ± 1.56 a 7th day 6.2 ± 2.25 a 8th day 3.9 ± 1.3 cd 9th day 1.0 ± 0.66 e 10th day 0.5 ± 0.52 e Total 28,6 ± 10,31 11th day Pupation 12th day Pupation P-value 0,001 *numbers with the same letters are not statistically different Noorda blitealis larval survival rate Results on larval survival rates showed that N. blitealis larvae had a survival rate of over 90% in the laboratory. First larvae instar showed a survival rate of 86.67%, while larvae of other stages showed survival rates of 100% (Fig. 3 ). Discussion The results of this study provide data on Noorda blitealis larvae, an insect that causes major problem to Moringa cultivation. In effect, the results show that these larvae, like all holometabolous insects, develop through successive molt. Thus, 5 larval instars were observed on the basis of the number of cephalic capsules rejected. This result confirms those of Ratnadass et al. ( 2011 ) who based their analysis on the observation of larval behavior, and those of Sharjana & Mikunthan ( 2019 ) who based their analysis on the morphometry of the head capsule. During the experiment, the length of the larvae increased rapidly. These larvae grew from less than 5 mm at eggs eclosion to 8.9 ± 1.3 mm at 5th instar. This rapid development is associated with a variation in larval coloration. The rapid growth could be explained by the presence of Moringa leaves, which they consumed. This variation in the color could be a homocromy mechanism that allows the larvae to be camouflaged from their predators, adapting their coloring to the leaves of the host plant (Vukusic & Chittka, 2012). According to Mustata & Mustata (2012), homochromy and mimicry are evolutionary mechanisms that ensure the survival of species in their battle for existence. Other authors explain this variation in color for thermoregulatory needs (Umbers et al. 2013 ) and is often controlled by biotic and abiotic factors (Tanaka & Nishide 2012 ; Verlinden et al. 2009 ). The life span of larvae from 1st instar to pupation was 10.61 ± 2.28 days. This result corroborates those of Subramoniam and Chitra (2019) who had obtained durations varying between 9 and 12 days under laboratory conditions almost similar to those of our study. Compared with the larval development duration of other pests of the order Lepidoptera that are important in agricultural terms, this period may seem shorter, but the fact remains that these larvae are major pests of plants in the Moringaceae family. Observations have shown that larvae of all stages consume Moringa leaves by the type of damage varies according to the larval instar considered. Larvae aged between 4 and 7 days are the most voracious on leaves, compared with larvae from other days. Several hypotheses could explain this situation. The first is based on the fact that the buccal pieces of young larvae are not sufficiently developed to cut and crush leaves. The second is that, according to coevolutionary theory, the nutrition of individuals depends on the enzymes they have at their disposal to ensure their proper digestion (Strebler 1980). In this way, the nutrients contained in Moringa leaves are digested by the larval stages, which are able to synthesize the enzymes necessary for their digestion. In addition, this could be explained by the fact that larvae from days 4 to 7 need to store sufficient food as an energy source. In this study, larval survival rates ranged from 86.67% for 1st instar larvae to 100% for larvae of other instars. Umbers et al. ( 2013 ) obtained larval survival rates of 98.33% in Spodoptera frugiperda larvae reared at 25 ± 1ºC, 70 ± 10% relative humidity and a 14 hours photophase. This high survival rate could be explained by the fact that the larvae were reared individually in Petri dishes, thus preventing competition of foods. For their survival and normal development, insects consume specific diets (Behmer 2009 ) which must contain. Proteins and carbohydrates. These two nutrients provide them with the essential amino acids and energy they need (Wang et al. 2018). In this way, N. blitealis larvae find all the nutrients they need for survival and growth in Moringa oleifera leaves. The mortality observed in first-day larvae could be explained by the fact that, at this age, larvae are unable to metabolize correctly the toxins or non-nutritive compounds contained in Moringa leaves. Conclusion he presents study reports on the biological and morphological aspects of Noorda blitealis larvae on Moringa oleifera trees. The results show that all larval stages feed on Moringa plants, causing significant losses and loss of income for growers. Knowledge of the larvae's biological and morphological characteristics could help develop biological control methods capable of limiting its impact on Moringa plantations. Declarations Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the technicians who monitored larval rearing and to anyone who contributed to improving the manuscript. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. References Bedane M. 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T he Insects, 793–823. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139035460.032 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 02 Aug, 2024 Read the published version in International Journal of Tropical Insect Science → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 03 May, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 03 May, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 28 Mar, 2024 First submitted to journal 28 Mar, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4182138","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":298384599,"identity":"3105793a-1f57-47ba-8b46-8ea4d44bdb87","order_by":0,"name":"SALIFOU KABRE","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABBElEQVRIie2PsWrDMBCGTwTcJdDVm19BwSAKNc6DdJEQOFN2DxmUJVkS8gCFvkHXzhcE6WLqVeAM1hskm8fKLlkKdpqtEH2DED//x90BeDz/kpHCHIBC6P68SdxLljisEIXFRbGb7Ce5psBFIXWgu2xQidb7JWKu48fXra35uEzf19pNWSQvfQothEIsNAuPnzHlT5X8aBM4ZHPVp4BQ+rzSCZgsCPm4kgydQpTuVaKdVbh3SmSyh4YHX5KVdlgBIzqFUTcFeIApM1emUGPbW2bx5HgYhWIjOWsTPnBLtJP6hPnz5K1akXPTpFNWzmx9WiT9i/1GdE3+13rL9Jayx+Px3AffBY9wqklN/BIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"SALIFOU","middleName":"","lastName":"KABRE","suffix":""},{"id":298384600,"identity":"f15aeb27-4cf3-4063-a877-50ed73addcc7","order_by":1,"name":"DAO MADJELIA CANGRE EBOU","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"DAO","middleName":"MADJELIA CANGRE","lastName":"EBOU","suffix":""},{"id":298384601,"identity":"e685d340-4b60-403a-8bf3-d9242c5ff9f2","order_by":2,"name":"TRAORE FOUSSENI","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"TRAORE","middleName":"","lastName":"FOUSSENI","suffix":""},{"id":298384602,"identity":"fd10b398-e02d-411b-8171-ca9f9cdc8095","order_by":3,"name":"ANTOINE WAONGO","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"ANTOINE","middleName":"","lastName":"WAONGO","suffix":""},{"id":298384603,"identity":"7c165526-a59e-4853-8466-97b25071e2dc","order_by":4,"name":"OLIVIER GNANKINE","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo: Universite Joseph Ki-Zerbo","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"OLIVIER","middleName":"","lastName":"GNANKINE","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-03-28 12:08:35","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4182138/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4182138/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-024-01310-9","type":"published","date":"2024-08-02T15:57:49+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":56168899,"identity":"70038ba6-46c1-45f9-8849-003fbefa7d8d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-05-09 11:14:24","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":115979,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCharacterization of the different N. blitealis larval instars\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4182138/v1/200a0b2514be985ff41999bc.jpg"},{"id":56169181,"identity":"c2934719-ace2-4a85-b93d-db42e2a7ee87","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-05-09 11:22:24","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":35197,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eType of damage caused by larval instars of \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e on \u003cem\u003eMoringa \u003c/em\u003eleaf (A\u0026nbsp;: 1\u003csup\u003erst\u003c/sup\u003e instar ; B\u0026nbsp;: 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e instar ; C\u0026nbsp;: 3\u003csup\u003erd\u003c/sup\u003e instar ; D\u0026nbsp;and F : 4\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e instar ; E\u0026nbsp;: : 5\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e instar ; G\u0026nbsp;: magnification)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4182138/v1/4c29d5265f8ad7f6704cd4e6.jpg"},{"id":56169881,"identity":"683ffa6c-74dd-4f93-af0a-0100780cc2b2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-05-09 11:30:24","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":22405,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLarval survival rate of Noorda blitealis\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4182138/v1/9a1de53854d0d48011aa8708.jpg"},{"id":61793651,"identity":"11d0ac3d-1f71-4632-8f1f-dd209e86a7b6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-05 16:14:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":649095,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4182138/v1/1c6448a9-3bac-4433-8fde-f5c0fb86e306.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Morphology and biology of Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae) immature instar for a biological control perspective","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eLeaf insect pests are a major constraint of \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e (Capparales: Moringaceae) production (Halilou et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Kabr\u0026eacute; et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Ke et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Ratnadass et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). According to Ke et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), more than 40 main pest species were found on \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e and each species can caused damage to different parts of the plant. Among these insect pests, those belonging to Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera orders are the most important on Moringa plant (Ikpeze \u0026amp; Ngenegbo, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Joshi \u0026amp; Baliah, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Kabr\u0026eacute; et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is one of these insects. The larvae of this insect pest are considered as the major insect pest of \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e (Mridha \u0026amp; Barakah \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Outani et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Ratnadass et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) worlwide.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larvae are phyllophagous caterpillar that can become miner. They can also destroy the apical bud and make a gallery in the plant central cylinder, which then dries (Kant et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). In case of heavy infestations, the larvae can cause defoliation ranging from 70\u0026ndash;100% on \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e plants (Bedane et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Satti et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, these larvae create silken webs around the leaves, which asphyxiate and eventually died (Dao et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). The damage is enormous and this is a barrier to \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e cultivation (Ke et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e growers use methods that range from bioinsecticides (Kabre et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) to synthetic chemical insecticides (Halilou et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Ratnadass et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) to control the pest, but the results are below their expectations. In Burkina Faso particularly, the extent of leaf damage has forced some growers who earned additional income from this crop to abandon it. However, \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e is a plant that is being popularized by institution to fight malnutrition among children and women (PNDES-II 2021) and poverty in rural areas by selling different parts of the tree. In view of the socio-economic importance of \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e for the population (Fadeyi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Tefera \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), it is important to implement management strategies against \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite of the impact of the \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larvae on \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e plant, work on development parameters remains fairly restrictive. This work is being undertaken to determine the bio-ecology aspects of this insect in particular its larvae. Specifically, the study aims to determine the (i) morphological characteristics of \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e immature instars; (ii) duration of immature instars (iii) type of damage caused by each larval instars of \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e on \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaf; (iii) larvae instar that causes the most leaf damage in \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e leaf and ; (iv) larvae survival rate.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eExperimental site\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted in Central Agricultural Entomology Laboratory (12\u0026deg;27\u0026rsquo;21,66 N ; 1\u0026deg;32\u0026rsquo;59,46 W) located in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from July to December 2021. During experimentation, the mean laboratory temperature was 26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026deg;C, the relative humidity was 62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5% and photoperiod was 12 hours.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eOrigin of larvae\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarvae used for the rearing were collected from \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e planted at the research station of the Environment and Forestry Department (12\u0026deg;22\u0026rsquo;49,90 N ; 1\u0026deg;30\u0026rsquo;15,40 W). The trees were less than a year old. The collected larvae were transported to the laboratory in 900 ml laboratory glass containers containing sand and fresh Moringa leaves for rearing.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eRearing of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003elarvae and adults\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRearing was realised into 900 ml glass containers. Fresh \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves were served as food for the larvae. The cut ends of these leaves were wrapped in hydrophilic cotton impregnated with water and covered with pieces of polyethylene. This was done to prevent water loss from the leaf and keep them turgid. Each glass jar was covered by with a piece of muslin cloth fastened with rubber band. One-third part of jar was filled with moist sand, which provides optimal condition for pupation. The grown-up larvae pupated in the jar. The emerged moths (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) were released in rearing cages measuring 60cm x 60cm x 60cm. Fresh \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e plants were used for eggs laying.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMorphological characteristics of larval instars\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarvae length and body color were determined. For this purpose, newly emerged larvae were taken and followed through to pupation. These larvae were placed individually in 90 mm diameter Petri dishes and fed daily with fresh \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves. Food in each petri dish was changed daily by bringing fresh \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves from the field. The larvae length was recorded on graph paper after immobilization in the cold. Body color was determined visually with the naked eye A total of 15 larvae were used for this experiment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eImmature instars duration\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn parallel with the determination of the larvae morphological characteristics, the following development parameters were determined :\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eEgg incubation\u003c/b\u003e: for this determination, leaves containing eggs were removed and placed in 90 mm petri dishes and covered with muslin cloth fastened with rubber band. Observations were made daily. A total of 30 eggs were collected and observed until the larvae emerged.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eEach larval instar duration\u003c/b\u003e by observing moulting daily using an optika binocular magnifier coupled to a monitor. A larva was considered to have changed instar when the head capsule or exuviae were rejected.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eLarvae instar duration (\u003c/b\u003e1rst instar to 5th instar\u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e by summing the durations corresponding to the different larval instars\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003epupal instar\u003c/b\u003e by recording thee time elapsed between imaginal moulting until apparition of the imago.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eType of damage\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe type of damage caused by each larval instar of \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e was assessed using the same larvae as those on which the measurements were made. Direct observation was used to assess the type of damage caused by each larval instar.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDamage and larval age\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis parameter was determined according to the protocol described by Dao et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). The protocol involved depositing a newly emerged larva on a potted \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e plant in a rearing cage measuring 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm. The number of folioles on the plant was counted and marked at the start of the test. Daily observations were made until larvae pupated. During these observations, the attacked folioles were pulled off. A foliole was considered attacked when it showed visible signs of attack. The seedling was replaced when all its leaves had been consumed by the larva. A total of 15 replicates were used for this determination.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLarval survival rate\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNewly emerged larvae were placed individually in 90 mm-diameter petri dishes. They were fed daily on fresh \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves. The larvae were observed daily in the event of death. The Optika binocular magnifier coupled to a monitor was used to observe larvae and count the number of cephalic capsules present in the petri dish. The number of cephalic capsules has been used to determine the corresponding larval instar.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA 5% ANOVA test was used to compare the number of folioles attacked daily by larvae. In the case of statistically significant differences, a Student t test was used to separate the means. Analyses were performed using R sofware.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eMorphological characters of the larvae\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBased on the number of cephalic capsules rejected, 5 larval instars were determined. Each larval instar differs from the others by the length and the color of its body (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The average length of 1st instar was 2.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.8 mm. The 2nd instar larva averaged 4.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.2 mm in length, reaching an average of 7.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.6 mm in the 3rd instar. At the last instar, larvae averaged 10.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.4 mm. Body color changes from light green in 1st instar to red in 5th instar.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eDuration of immature instars\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe incubation period of the eggs was recorded as 3.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35 days and the incubation period varied from 3 to 4 days. Observations on the different durations are given in the table. 2. \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larval development duration on \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e averaged 10.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.28 days. The 5th instar was the longest, with an average of 3.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.64 days, while the 4th instar was the shortest, with an average duration of 1.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51 days. The average duration of the chrysalis instar was 9.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42 days. The average time from egg laying to adult emergence was 23.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.21 days (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDuration of egg, larvae and pupal instars of \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInstars\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNumbers\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDuration\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;sd* (day)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMinimum -Maximum. (day)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEgg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u0026ndash;4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1st instar\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u0026ndash;3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2nd instar\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3rd instar\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.53\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4th instar\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5th instar\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u0026ndash;4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLarval to chrysalis (1st to 5th instar)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u0026ndash;14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChrysalis\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverall\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3,05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19\u0026ndash;27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e*sd : standard deviation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eType of damage\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eObservations showed that the type of damage caused to \u003cem\u003eM. oleifera\u003c/em\u003e leaves varied with the larval stage. Larvae of 1st and 2nd instar feed on the underside of \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves. The other instars (3rd, 4th and 5th ) gnaw on leaf blades, causing perforations (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMoringa\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eleaf damage according to their age\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eResults showed that the number of folioles attacked varied with larvae age (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001). In fact, the multiple Student separation test showed that larvae at 6 and 7 days after emergence attacked more folioles than younger or older larvae (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean of folioles attacked by \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larva instars\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDays\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean of folioles consumed*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1rst day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLess than one folioles\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2nd day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51 e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3rd day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.63 d\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.03 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.85 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.56 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.25 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.3 cd\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.66 e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.52 e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28,6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10,31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePupation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12th day\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePupation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0,001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e*numbers with the same letters are not statistically different\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003elarval survival rate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eResults on larval survival rates showed that \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larvae had a survival rate of over 90% in the laboratory. First larvae instar showed a survival rate of 86.67%, while larvae of other stages showed survival rates of 100% (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results of this study provide data on \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larvae, an insect that causes major problem to \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e cultivation. In effect, the results show that these larvae, like all holometabolous insects, develop through successive molt.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThus, 5 larval instars were observed on the basis of the number of cephalic capsules rejected. This result confirms those of Ratnadass et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) who based their analysis on the observation of larval behavior, and those of Sharjana \u0026amp; Mikunthan (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) who based their analysis on the morphometry of the head capsule.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring the experiment, the length of the larvae increased rapidly. These larvae grew from less than 5 mm at eggs eclosion to 8.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.3 mm at 5th instar. This rapid development is associated with a variation in larval coloration. The rapid growth could be explained by the presence of Moringa leaves, which they consumed. This variation in the color could be a homocromy mechanism that allows the larvae to be camouflaged from their predators, adapting their coloring to the leaves of the host plant (Vukusic \u0026amp; Chittka, 2012). According to Mustata \u0026amp; Mustata (2012), homochromy and mimicry are evolutionary mechanisms that ensure the survival of species in their battle for existence. Other authors explain this variation in color for thermoregulatory needs (Umbers et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) and is often controlled by biotic and abiotic factors (Tanaka \u0026amp; Nishide \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Verlinden et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe life span of larvae from 1st instar to pupation was 10.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.28 days. This result corroborates those of Subramoniam and Chitra (2019) who had obtained durations varying between 9 and 12 days under laboratory conditions almost similar to those of our study. Compared with the larval development duration of other pests of the order Lepidoptera that are important in agricultural terms, this period may seem shorter, but the fact remains that these larvae are major pests of plants in the Moringaceae family. Observations have shown that larvae of all stages consume Moringa leaves by the type of damage varies according to the larval instar considered. Larvae aged between 4 and 7 days are the most voracious on leaves, compared with larvae from other days. Several hypotheses could explain this situation. The first is based on the fact that the buccal pieces of young larvae are not sufficiently developed to cut and crush leaves. The second is that, according to coevolutionary theory, the nutrition of individuals depends on the enzymes they have at their disposal to ensure their proper digestion (Strebler 1980). In this way, the nutrients contained in \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves are digested by the larval stages, which are able to synthesize the enzymes necessary for their digestion. In addition, this could be explained by the fact that larvae from days 4 to 7 need to store sufficient food as an energy source.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, larval survival rates ranged from 86.67% for 1st instar larvae to 100% for larvae of other instars. Umbers et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) obtained larval survival rates of 98.33% in \u003cem\u003eSpodoptera frugiperda\u003c/em\u003e larvae reared at 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026ordm;C, 70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10% relative humidity and a 14 hours photophase. This high survival rate could be explained by the fact that the larvae were reared individually in Petri dishes, thus preventing competition of foods. For their survival and normal development, insects consume specific diets (Behmer \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) which must contain. Proteins and carbohydrates. These two nutrients provide them with the essential amino acids and energy they need (Wang et al. 2018). In this way, \u003cem\u003eN. blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larvae find all the nutrients they need for survival and growth in \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e leaves.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mortality observed in first-day larvae could be explained by the fact that, at this age, larvae are unable to metabolize correctly the toxins or non-nutritive compounds contained in \u003cem\u003eMoringa\u003c/em\u003e leaves.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003ehe presents study reports on the biological and morphological aspects of \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e larvae on \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e trees. The results show that all larval stages feed on Moringa plants, causing significant losses and loss of income for growers. Knowledge of the larvae's biological and morphological characteristics could help develop biological control methods capable of limiting its impact on Moringa plantations.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors are grateful to the technicians who monitored larval rearing and to anyone who contributed to improving the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBedane M. T., Singh,S. K., Selvaraj T., \u0026amp; Mulugeta N. (2013). Distribution and Damage Status of Moringa Moth (\u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e Walker) on \u003cem\u003eMoringa stenopetala\u003c/em\u003e Baker (Cufod.) in Southern Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 9(4), 963\u0026ndash;985. https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7471.1000166\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBehmer S. T. (2009). Insect herbivore nutrient regulation. Annual Review of Entomology, 54, 165\u0026ndash;187. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.54.110807.090537\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDao M. C. E., Traore M., Pare S., Ouedraogo B. D., \u0026amp; Ouedraogo, S. (2015). Ravageurs des planches mara\u0026icirc;ch\u0026egrave;res de \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e dans la r\u0026eacute;gion du centre ( Burkina Faso ). Journal of Animals and Plant Sciences, 25(2), 3857\u0026ndash;3870.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFadeyi O. J., Fabunmi T. O., Soretire A. A., Olowe V. I. O., \u0026amp; Raphael A. O. (2023). 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International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, 38(3), 616\u0026ndash;625. http://www.ijias.issr-journals.org/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKant R., Joshi R. C., \u0026amp; Faleono, I. (2017). Survey of insect pests on \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e in Samoa. Acta Horticulturae, 1158 (November 2018), 195\u0026ndash;200. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1158.23\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKe R., Hao R., Qian L., Tian Y., \u0026amp; Gui F. (2016). review of \u003cem\u003eMoringa oleifera\u003c/em\u003e insect pests and controls methods. Journal of Yunnan Agricultural University, 31(4), 745\u0026ndash;750.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMridha M. A. U., \u0026amp; Barakah F. N. (2017). Diseases and pests of Moringa: A mini review. Acta Horticulturae, 1158, 117\u0026ndash;124. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1158.14\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOutani B. A., Adamou H., Adamou B., Mahamane A., \u0026amp; Delmas P. (2023). 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Visual signals: color and light production. \u003cem\u003eT\u003c/em\u003ehe Insects, 793\u0026ndash;823. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139035460.032\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jtis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Tropical Insect Science](http://link.springer.com/journal/42690)","snPcode":"42690","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jtis/default2.aspx","title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Moringa, insect pest, Noorda blitealis, crop protection, biology","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4182138/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4182138/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e is a phytophagous insect that causes major losses to Moringa growers worldwide. This study was conducted to determine the bio-ecology of its larvae. A mass rearing was carried out in Central Agricultural Entomology Laboratory located in Kamboinsin, Ouagadougou from July to December 2021. Parameters such as eggs incubation period, number of larval instars and their duration, body length and color, number of Moringa folioles attacked and survival rate were collected. Results showed that \u003cem\u003eNoorda blitealis\u003c/em\u003e (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) passed into 5 larval instars before pupating. First instar larva averaged 2.4 ± 0.8 mm in length and were light green. At the 5th instar, these larvae reach 10.8 ± 0.4 mm and their bodies take on a reddish appearance. The average egg incubation was 3.00 ± 0.35 days. Larvae and chrysalis duration phases were respectively, 10.61 ± 2.28 days and 9.78 ± 0.42 days. The larval survival rate reaches 100% for 3rd to 5th instar. A statistically significant difference was found between leaf attacked rates and larval instars (p = 0.001). Larvae in their 6th and 7th days attacked the greatest number of folioles. These data could be used to develop effective biological control methods against this insect pest.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Morphology and biology of Noorda blitealis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae) immature instar for a biological control perspective","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-05-09 11:14:14","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4182138/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2024-05-04T00:51:38+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-05-03T12:28:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-03-28T13:13:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","date":"2024-03-28T08:08:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jtis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Tropical Insect Science](http://link.springer.com/journal/42690)","snPcode":"42690","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jtis/default2.aspx","title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1eab5460-fba7-49ea-8c46-bf7f742e7ed3","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 9th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-08-05T16:04:54+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4182138","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-024-01310-9","journal":{"identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isVorOnly":false,"title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science"},"publishedOn":"2024-08-02 15:57:49","publishedOnDateReadable":"August 2nd, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-05-09 11:14:14","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s42690-024-01310-9","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-024-01310-9","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4182138","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4182138","identity":"rs-4182138","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}