Monocot diet sources drive diversity of gut bacterial communities in Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae

Microbiome research is currently gaining tremendous interest on the impact of diets and environment to influence life traits of several hosts. Full understanding of the insect ecology and characterization of gut microbial community including their natural enemies is vital for development of novel insect pest management strategies. This study examined the gut bacterial communities of Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda reared in the laboratory with three monocot plant diets (Sugarcane [M1], maize [M2] and onion [M3]) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study revealed variations in the structure and community of the gut bacterial biota of FAW larvae reared with three monocot plants. Diet sources greatly altered the structure of the gut bacterial community.