Potential of Silicon to Improve Biological Control of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda on Maize

Kennedy J. Zimba (), Quentin D. Read, Muhammad Haseeb, Robert L. Meagher and Jesusa C. Legaspi
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Kennedy J. Zimba: Department of Plant Sciences, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia
Quentin D. Read: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southeast Area, 840 Oval Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Muhammad Haseeb: Center for Biological Control, College of Agriculture and Food Science, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
Robert L. Meagher: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE), Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
Jesusa C. Legaspi: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE), Tallahassee, FL 32308, USA

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: Silicon (Si) accumulation in plants confers a mechanical barrier to insect herbivory and may alter plant chemistry to increase the attraction of natural enemies to host insect herbivores on Si−treated plants. The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda , is a major insect pest of grain crops, including maize ( Zea mays L.). This study examined whether Si supplementation alters maize volatile compounds that mediate host location in Euthyrhynchus floridanus , a generalist predator of FAW. A four-arm olfactometer was used to test the olfactory preference of nymphs and adults of E. floridanus to the odor of maize leaf materials from plants that were; Si−treated and infested, Si−treated without infestation, Si−deprived and infested, and Si−deprived without infestation. The probabilities of individual insects choosing between the four treatments were estimated using a multinomial generalized linear mixed model. There were no statistical differences in the olfactory preference of E. floridanus between Si−treated and Si−deprived maize leaf materials. However, the median estimate showed that nymphs were almost twice likely to be attracted to Si−supplemented leaf material, indicating a potential positive effect of Si. However, a more robust follow-up study is needed to further assess the impact of Si on E. floridanus .

Keywords: silicon; biocontrol; fall armyworm; maize; Euthyrhynchus floridanus; volatile compounds (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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