Differential biocontrol efficacy of the parasitoid wasp Campoletis sonorensis on the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda feeding on landrace and hybrid maize

Maize is an important cereal crop worldwide. In Mexico, both hybrid and native genotypes are grown. Insect herbivory, mainly by the larvae of Spodoptera frugierda L, impose significant yield losses. Developing pest control strategies using natural enemies in an agroecological approach offers an environmentally sound alternative to minimise the input of pesticides in maize agroecosystems. Campoletis sonorensis is a native parasitoid that has shown significant control efficiency on S. frugiperda in the field, but many aspects of its ecology are largely unknown. In a controlled greenhouse experiment, we investigated the biocontrol efficacy of C. sonorensis in S. frugiperda feeding on four maize genotypes (two landraces and two hybrids). Our main results showed that maize genotype significantly affected C. sonorensis parasitism of S. frugiperda and consequently damage from herbivory. C. sonorensis diminished herbivore damage in all studied maize genotypes, and this effect was strongest in the maize hybrid PUMA. Our results show that the biocontrol efficacy of C. sonorensis against S. frugiperda is affected by the maize genotype, which should be further examined under field conditions.