Possible Effect of Protease Inhibitors from Wild Varieties of Groundnut on the Development and Reproduction of Tobacco Cut Worm, Spodoptera litura

Spodoptera litura is a serious polyphagous pest of cultivated plants. It's wide distribution, host range and high level of insecticide resistance makes the management of this insect very difficult. More over pesticides generally used for the management of insect pests also have side effects on nontarget organisms including human. So it is increasingly important to develop ecofriendly strategies to control the pest. One such approach is use of protease inhibitors (Pis) from plants. These Pis bind to insect gut proteases and inactivate them, resulting into amino acids starvation, growth retardation, reduced reproductive ability and eventually death of the insect.