Secondary effect of SO2 pollution: enhanced growth of the army worm, Mythimna separata (Walker)

Effects of SO2 pollution on growth of the army worm, Mythimna separata, were investigated by rearing the larvae for 12 days on the wheat plants being exposed to SO2 levels ranged from 50 to 200 ppb in the field open-top fumigation devices. Larval period shortened while their mean relative growth rate (MRGR) increased as SO2 dose elevated. Similar experiment with the insect on the artificial diet excluded the possibility that SO2 pollution directly stimulated growth of the army worm.The patterns of change in amino acid hydrolysates in the host foliage suggested that contents of methionine, and perhaps, arginine in food material exposed to unpolluted air were at such levels that they could only support sub-optimum growth of the insect, and SO2 pollution increased concentrations of these limiting amino acids, resulting in better performance of the larvae.