Evaluation of African Maize Cultivars for Resistance to Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae

Abstract

The fall armyworm (FAW) has recently invaded and become an important pest of maize in Africa causing yield losses reaching up to a third of maize annual production. The present study evaluated different aspects of resistance of six maize cultivars, cropped by farmers in Kenya, to FAW larvae feeding under laboratory and field conditions. We assessed the arrestment and feeding of FAW neonate larvae in no-choice and choice experiments, development of larvae-pupae, food assimilation under laboratory conditions and plant damage in a field experiment. We did not find complete resistance to FAW feeding in the evaluated maize cultivars, but we detected differences in acceptance and preference when FAW larvae were given a choice between certain cultivars. Moreover, the smallest pupal weight and the lowest growth index were found on ’SC Duma 43′ leaves, which suggests an effect of antibiosis of this maize hybrid against FAW larvae. In contrast, the highest growth index was recorded on ‘Rachar’ and the greatest pupal weight was found on ‘Nyamula’ and ‘Rachar’. The density of trichomes on the leaves of these maize cultivars seems not to be directly related to the preference of neonates for feeding. Plant damage scores were not statistically different between cultivars in the field neither under natural nor artificial infestation. However, plant damage scores in ‘Nyamula’ and ‘Jowi’ tended to be lower in the two last samplings of the season compared to the two initial samplings under artificial infestation. Our study provides insight into FAW larval preferences and performance on some African maize cultivars, showing that there are differences between cultivars in these variables; but high levels of resistance to larvae feeding were not found.

Population Growth of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Fed on Cereal and Pulse Host Plants Cultivated in Yunnan Province, China

“…The s xj curves showed an overlapping tendency due to variations in developmental rates among S. frugiperda individuals, which is comparable to prior reports from [ 6 , 9 , 20 , 22 , 33 , 43 ]. S. frugiperda had a higher survival rate on maize (84.21%) than it did on barley (65.16%).…”

“…Additionally, because of the subtropical climate of Yunnan Province, these crops are typically planted year-round, which could be sufficient to support the survival and spread of S. frugiperda . Differences in host plants significantly impact the population growth, development, and survival rates of phytophagous insect pests [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The population growth of any insect pest can be affected by the nutrition and characteristics of its host plant [ 21 , 23 , 24 ].…”

Potential Management Options for the Invasive Moth Spodoptera frugiperda in Europe

“…USDA-ARS has used tropical maize germplasm with a certain level of resistance developed by CIMMYT, as well as temperate maize germplasm, to develop and register inbred lines with S. frugiperda resistance (e.g., Mp704-Mp708, Mp713, Mp714, and Mp716) ( Prasanna et al 2021b ). Screening for S. frugiperda resistance in maize in Africa is ongoing (e.g., Kasoma et al 2021 ), so far with limited success ( Chiriboga Morales et al 2021 ). Efforts on conventional breeding for S. frugiperda resistance declined after the development of transgenic B.t.…”

Exploring integrated pest management strategies in the control of the fall armyworm in smallholder organic agriculture farms in Africa

“…Some results have shown variability in the extent of damage by fall armyworm on maize varieties in Mexico, the US and more recently in Kenya (Wiseman and Davis, 1979;Chiriboga et al, 2021). Countries like Nigeria have previously developed varieties of maize that are resistant to pests and diseases before the invasive fall armyworm became a problem (Iken and Amusa, 2004).…”