Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> Seed treatment is an approach for managing early sorghum ( <italic>Sorghum bicolor</italic> ) pests. However, multiple species with different feeding habits may occur during crop development. Natural enemies such as <italic>Podisus nigrispinus</italic> naturally inhabit sorghum fields and play an important role in suppressing lepidopteran larvae, which are usually not targeted by seed treatments. Because <italic>P. nigrispinus</italic> is zoophytophagous, seed treatments may influence its population. This study evaluated the effects of seed-applied insecticides on the development and reproduction of <italic>P. nigrispinus</italic> . Nymphs and adults were confined either on seedlings grown from treated seeds or on sorghum stems soaked in insecticide solution (positive control). Survival and reproductive parameters varied among treatments, although instar duration, female weight, and egg incubation time were not affected. Treatments with bifenthrin + pirimiphos-methyl and fipronil + pyraclostrobin + thiophanate-methyl reduced nymphal survival, the number of eggs per female, and the number of egg batches. Bifenthrin + pirimiphos-methyl also decreased the number of eggs per batch, whereas imidacloprid + thiodicarb reduced egg viability. Both treatments affected the number of females produced per female. In adults exposed to insecticide-soaked stems, only imidacloprid + thiodicarb caused negative effects. In the fall armyworm ( <italic>Spodoptera frugiperda</italic> ) bioassay, all treatments differed from the control. Overall, results indicate that seed treatments can cause lethal effects on <italic>P. nigrispinus</italic> nymphs and sublethal effects on adults, with the magnitude and nature of the impact depending on the specific insecticide combinations used. </p>