Transgenerational effect of Cordyceps fumosorosea (Wize) on demographic parameters and detoxifying enzymes of Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith)

Spodoptera frugiperda is a notorious pest that has been recorded attacking over 353 crop species worldwide. Excessive insecticide exposure can lead to resistance and has adverse impacts on the environment and beneficial organisms. Long-lasting pest control methods like entomopathogenic fungi may be used to prevent the negative impact of synthetic insecticides. In the current research, effectiveness of Cordyceps fumosorosea was analysed by applying a sub-lethal dose (LC 15 = 2.09 × 10 6 spores mL −1 ) and a lethal dose (LC 50 = 2.17 × 10 7 spores mL −1 ) on filial (F 0 ) and first filial (F 1 ) generations of S. frugiperda to estimate both lethal and sub-lethal effects. The LC 15 was used to keep a significant proportion of larvae alive to permit determination of sublethal effects on S. frugiperda. After treatment with the LC 15 and LC 50 , S. frugiperda progeny displayed shorter larval duration, lower fecundity, and shorter adult female and male longevities relative to untreated controls. Likewise, the adult pre-oviposition period, total pre-oviposition period, oviposition days ( O d ), net reproductive rates ( Ro ), and mean generation times ( T ) were reduced in fungal-infected groups. Furthermore, activities of key detoxifying enzymes, i.e. acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S -transferases (GST), and esterases (EST), were also evaluated. Substantial differences of AChE, GST, and EST (24.3, 18.34, and 10.09 µmol/min/mg protein), respectively, were observed at the LC 50 in contrast to the LC 15 and controls. The current study showed pathogenicity of C. fumosorosea , which negatively affected insect development and changed the activities of detoxifying enzymes, thereby increasing the effectiveness and eco-friendly management of S. frugiperda .