The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Noctuidae; Lepidoptera), is a serious threat to food security as it has the potential to feed on over 353 plant species. To control this insect pest, endophytic colonization of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in plants is being considered as a safer and more effective alternative. This study evaluated the efficacy of two EPFs, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, for endophytic colonization using foliar spray and seed treatment methods on maize plants, and their impact on the survival, development, and fecundity of S. frugiperda. Both EPF effectively colonized the maize plants with foliar spray and seed treatment methods, resulting in 72–80% and 50–60% colonization rates, respectively, 14 days after inoculation. The EPF negatively impacted the development and fecundity of S. frugiperda. Larvae feeding on EPF-inoculated leaves had slower development (21.21 d for M. anisopliae and 20.64 d for B. bassiana) than the control treatment (20.27 d). The fecundity rate was also significantly reduced to 260.0–290.1 eggs/female with both EPF applications compared with the control treatment (435.6 eggs/female). Age-stage-specific parameters showed lower fecundity, life expectancy, and survival of S. frugiperda when they fed on both EPF-inoculated leaves compared with untreated leaves. Furthermore, both EPFs had a significant effect on population parameters such as intrinsic (r = 0.127 d⁻¹ for B. bassiana, and r = 0.125 d⁻¹ for M. anisopliae) and finite rate (λ = 1.135 d⁻¹ for B. bassiana, and λ = 1.1333 d⁻¹ for M. anisopliae) of S. frugiperda compared with the control (r = 0.133 d⁻¹ and λ = 1.146 d⁻¹). These findings suggest that EPF can be effectively used for the endophytic colonization of maize plants to control S. frugiperda. Therefore, these EPFs should be integrated into pest management programs for this pest.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous insect pest of many important crops. To evaluate the influence of host plants on the biology and survival of the Pakistani population of S. frugiperda, we examined life table parameters of S. frugiperda raised on maize, sorghum, wheat, and rice. The development rate was significantly higher on the maize crop than on the other three host plants. Different larval diets affected development time and fecundity. S. frugiperda attained the fastest larval development (16 days) on maize and the slowest development (32.74 days) on rice. Adult females from maize-fed larvae laid 1088 eggs/female, those from sorghum-fed larvae laid 591.6 eggs/female, those from wheat-fed larvae laid 435.6 eggs/female, and those from rice-fed larvae laid 49.6 eggs/female. Age stage-specific parameters also indicated the higher fecundity, higher life expectancy, and higher survival of S. frugiperda on maize plants than on the other three hosts. Larval diets had a significant varying effect on the finite and intrinsic increase rates, reflecting that maize was the most suitable diet. The findings of the present study are useful for predicting population dynamics especially in areas cultivating Poaceae crops, except maize, to develop sustainable integrated pest management strategies for this pest.

Background: The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was recorded for the first time in Pakistan in 2019, and now it has spread in several regions, i.e., Punjab and Sindh, affecting maize production. Farmers are using widely synthetic pesticides to control the pest. Further, the resistance development in insects and the non-target effect of chemicals on the environment and humans pose serious threats of using insecticides. The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) is being considered an important tool in integrated pest management program. The main objective of this study was to check the impact of different conidial concentrations of Metarhizium anisopliae fungus on the nutritional physiology of S. frugiperda. Results: The dose-dependent effect of tested EPF was observed, and the highest concentration (1 × 10⁹ conidia/ml) considerably affected nutritional parameters. Reduced relative consumption rate (21.7%), relative growth rate (19.5%), the efficiency of conversion of ingested food (24.2%), and approximate digestibility (16.3%) were observed in treated larvae compared to the untreated by using a higher concentration of EPF. Pupal weight was also found lower (77.9 mg and 84.2 mg, respectively), when larvae were treated by 1 × 10⁹ and 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml concentrations of EPF. Further, 46.7% of larvae were found dead with this conidial concentration. Conclusions: This study suggests that the application of a higher concentration of M. anisopliae could be an effective option to control S. frugiperda. The EPF can enhance the integrated pest management programs and could be useful in reducing the environmental impact of synthetic insecticides.

| Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Homoptera: Liviidae) and citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) are imperative insect pests of citrus orchards due to their relation with bacterial diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of soil-applied insecticides against these insect pests. The results of present study showed that soil application of imidacloprid gave a significant control compared to other insecticides. The lowest population of both ACP adults (1.80/plant) and nymphs (10.4/plant) was observed after exposure to imidacloprid than the rest of the chemicals. Similarly, CLM larval population was also observed lower (1.13/plant) when imidacloprid was applied. The least affected chemical was spirotetramat, as the population of both pests was recorded higher on citrus plants after application of this insecticide compared to others. Our findings indicate that imidacloprid can be considered the best insecticide for managing CLM and ACP population in an integrated approach.