High-Throughput Sequencing in Spodoptera frugiperda feeding with corn1

To investigate the fitness of S. frugiperda fed with maize and rice, newly hatched larvae were reared on corn and rice leaves, respectively. The leaves were washed with distilled water, then dried at room temperature before being fed to the larvae. To prevent cannibalism, once the larvae reached their third instar they were transferred to small dishes with an 8.5 cm diameter and a height of 4 cm. The dishes were cleaned daily to remove feces and leaf residues, and fresh leaves were added. The development time of larvae was recorded daily and there were 3 replications for each day. Larval and pupal weights were also recorded. A total of 45 larvae were used for three replicates in each treatment.