Resumen de Maize tolerance to Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) leaf damage and insecticide application
Antonia Hernández Trejo, José Alberto López Santillán, Benigno Estrada Drouaillet, Zoila Reséndiz Ramírez, Sóstenes E. Varela Fuentes, Juana M. Coronado Blanco, Malvar Rosa A.
Objective: To evaluate the tolerance of Tamaulipas native maize populations to the leaf damage caused by Spodoptera frugiperda.
Design/Methodology/Approach: During the two agricultural cycles of 2019, the leaf damage by S. frugiperda and the grain yield decrease in 10 populations of native maize were evaluated In Güémez, Tamaulipas.Results: Leaf damage by S. frugiperda was minimal when synthetic insecticide (emamectin benzoate) was applied in the autumn-winter agricultural cycle; meanwhile, it was greater in the spring-summer cycle, but its levels remained lower than the rest of the S. frugiperda management strategies. Leaf damage was higher during the spring-summer cycle because the environmental temperature was higher than in the autumn-winter cycle.
Study limitations/Implications: Spodoptera frugiperda is an important pest of maize. It is mainly controlled using synthetic insecticides, which cause environmental and human health risks. The use of tolerant cultivars is a strategy that reduces these risks.
Findings/Conclusions: The TML2S3 and VHA maize populations were tolerant to S. frugiperda leaf damage in both agricultural cycles; it is considered as the base germplasm for a program aimed at enhancing this characteristic.
