Abstract
Biological control is one of the best options for the sustainable management of the invasive maize pest Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa. However, there is limited knowledge of the efficacy of native natural enemies of S. frugiperda and their potential use in integrated pest management. The endoparasitoid wasp Coccygidium luteum is one of the natural enemies of S. frugiperda in Africa. This study assessed, under laboratory conditions, the effect of C. luteum on the leaf consumption rate of its host. Fifty first instar S. frugiperda larvae were exposed to C. luteum for oviposition and the maize leaf consumption rate of parasitized larvae was assessed and compared to 50 unparasitized larvae from the same cohort. Coccygidium luteum completed a generation, from egg to adult emergence, in 16.7 days. The leaf consumption rate of parasitized S. frugiperda larvae declined gradually compared to unparasitized larvae and the overall consumption reduction by parasitized S. frugiperda larvae was 89%. Our findings show that C. luteum could reduce damage caused by S. frugiperda to maize farms but, prior to its use in biological control programmes, further studies are needed to assess potential parasitism rates in field conditions and develop a cost-effective mass production system.
Highlights
Maize is a major staple food for millions of sub-Saharan Africans, and in Ghana it is ranked the first most important cereal crop [1]
The larvae were held in aerated plastic dishes (650 mL volume) containing a piece of tissue paper and were provided with fresh maize leaves collected in the maize farm, transported to the biological control laboratory of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate in Accra, Ghana
From the 50 parasitized S. frugiperda larvae, 45 individuals of C. luteum completed their growth from egg to adult emergence and were used to assess the generation time of the parasitoid
Summary
Maize is a major staple food for millions of sub-Saharan Africans, and in Ghana it is ranked the first most important cereal crop [1]. The sustainable production of maize in Ghana has recently become constrained by the significant damage caused by the invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), native to the Americas [2,3]. Since its first outbreak in West Africa in 2016, S. frugiperda had spread far and wide to all the sub-Saharan. The rapid spread of S. frugiperda has been facilitated by its high dispersal ability and the wide range of host plants, including grasses and cereals [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Environmental suitability modeling suggests that the pest is going to become resident
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
