The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an invasive pest of maize. It is a highly polyphagous pest, with an expanding host range of nearly 353 plant species across more than 76 families. In this study results showed that sweet potato attracted the highest number of larvae it was the highest preference (it attracted 6.33 ± 0.88 and 5.6 ± 0.88 larvae of 2^nd and 3^rd instars, respectively). Meanwhile, among the Solanaceae family, pepper exhibited the highest preference by 2^nd instar larvae (4.33 ± 0.33 larvae), followed by eggplant (3.0 ± 0.33) and tomato (2.66 ± 0.57). However, the 3^rd instar larvae showed a relatively higher preference for eggplant (4.6 ± 0.32), while tomato was the least preferred (2.3 ± 0.66 larvae). The larval period was shortest on maize (20.83 ± 2.3 days) and sweet potato (21.0 ± 3.40 days). In contrast, the longest larval durations were recorded on tomato (26.16 ± 2.13 days), okra (26.33 ± 1.36 days), and eggplant (26.2 ± 2.58 days). Female longevity ranged from 11.83 ± 1.32 days (on tomato) to 13.53 ± 2.7 days (on pepper). The mean life cycle duration (egg to adult) was shortest on maize (33.5 days) and longest on eggplant (35.7 days), tomato (35.17 days), and okra (35.16 days). The mean generation time (T) was shortest on sweet potato (37.41 days) and longest on eggplant (43.76 days), suggesting that sweet potato supports more rapid generational turnover. The doubling time (DT) was shortest on sweet potato (4.49 days) and longest on okra (6.12 days). The chemical composition of leaves clear differences among plant species in their nutrient and biochemical contents. Maize (Zeamays) recorded the highest nitrogen content (3.92%) and total protein (24.52%), indicating its superior nutritional value compared to the other host plants. Sweet potato exhibited relatively high phosphorus (2.98%) and potassium (3.98%) In contrast, okra showed the lowest values for most chemical components, particularly nitrogen (1.57%) and total protein (11.33%), which explains why growth rate of S. frugiperda was fastest on maize and sweet potato moderate on pepper and eggplant but shorter on okra.