Study of the biological parameters of the fall armyworm on maize, millet and sorghum

Study of the biological parameters of the fall armyworm on maize, millet and sorghum | 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 Study of the biological parameters of the fall armyworm on maize, millet and sorghum Simsin Fatoumata GANOU, Fernand SANKARA This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7595161/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Spodoptera frugiperda is a voracious, polyphagous invasive pest first reported in Burkina Faso in 2017, and it is infamous for causing significant damage to cultivated crops, including cereals. Understanding its biological parameters is crucial for effective pest management. This study aimed to assess the biological characteristics of S. frugiperda on maize, millet, and sorghum. The research was conducted under laboratory conditions at Nazi BONI University at Nasso site, Burkina Faso, between August 2022 and August 2023. A completely randomized block design was used, consisting of 75 boxes, 25 per crop, each containing a single larva from eggs laid on maize, millet, and sorghum. The larvae were reared under no-choice conditions on their respective host plants until chrysalis formation. Fresh leaves were provided every 48 hours. Visual observations and measurements were taken to asses’ biological parameters such as larva mass, size, leaf consumption, and the duration of each larval stage. The results showed that maize is the most favorable host for S. frugiperda development. Larvae reared on maize had a shorter development time compared to those on sorghum and millet. Development times ranged from 19.80 to 32.09 days on maize, 22.05 to 40.37 days on sorghum, and 25.7 to 46 days on millet. Larvae that fed on maize leaves had the highest average mass (365±43mg), followed by those on sorghum (241±7mg) and millet (206.8±4.6mg). These findings suggest that S. frugiperda development is significantly influenced by diet, with maize being the most suitable host for its growth. Spodoptera frugiperda biological parameters host plants Burkina Faso Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 14 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 17 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 17 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Sep, 2025 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. 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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-7595161","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":575505870,"identity":"bfe8dccb-8ae8-4b90-96fc-793816f2045d","order_by":0,"name":"Simsin Fatoumata GANOU","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC9gYUbgUDgwGUxgl4DjAjc89AtZwhWgtjGzFa2M8ffMybY8cg734WyJh3WN6cvfkAw8E9eLTwJDMb825LZjA8k5cMZBw23NlzLIHhwDPcWuwZktmkebcxMxg25JgBGYcZN9zIMWD+cACPLfyPQVrqGQz73wC1zDlsD9LCcACfFgmwLYcZ5CVAtjQcTiRCy2Njw7nbjvMYSLwxNpxzLD15w5ljCQfwauFPfPjg7bZqOfn+HMMHb2qsbTccbz74AJ8WuFYDiKJmMEmEBiCQbwBTdUQpHgWjYBSMgpEFAAqSUnseykynAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Nazi Boni University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Simsin","middleName":"Fatoumata","lastName":"GANOU","suffix":""},{"id":575505872,"identity":"935fcbc5-0c2c-4c55-a2b0-e6a5eae3e101","order_by":1,"name":"Fernand SANKARA","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nazi Boni University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fernand","middleName":"","lastName":"SANKARA","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-11 23:08:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7595161/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7595161/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":100560533,"identity":"7c4aa20c-ae07-4f27-9b82-bcdc07fd1e2a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-19 08:43:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":787696,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SimsinFatoumataGANOU.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7595161/v1_covered_272dce74-ff59-405c-aa62-de51cde5dd7e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Study of the biological parameters of the fall armyworm on maize, millet and sorghum","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"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":"Spodoptera frugiperda, biological parameters, host plants, Burkina Faso","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7595161/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7595161/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Spodoptera frugiperda is a voracious, polyphagous invasive pest first reported in Burkina Faso in 2017, and it is infamous for causing significant damage to cultivated crops, including cereals. 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