Response of hybrid and landrace maize to foliar and root herbivore insects

Abstract

Mexico is the center of maize Zea mays L. domestication with a large diversity of landrace genotypes that are of great economic, cultural and social importance. Landrace maize genotypes are mainly cultivated by smallholder farmers for local and specialized markets of culinary dishes, However, all maize genotypes are subject to insect herbivory among which the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith and the White grub larvae (Phyllophaga vetula Horn cause serious yield losses, by feeding on leaves and roots, respectively. Here we investigated the response of landrace and hybrid maize genotypes to herbivory from foliar (S. frugiperda) and root feeding (P. vetula) insects with five maize landrace and five hybrid maize genotypes. The main results showed that landrace maize genotypes suffered from a higher level of herbivory by S. frugiperda than hybrid maize genotypes. For root herbivory, no clear differences between landrace and hybrid maize were observed and overall, only one out of the five maize genotypes for each type of maize were negatively affected from the presence of P. vetula. In conclusion, maize genotypes respond differently to root and foliar herbivory, which should be considered when developing pest management strategies in maize agroecosystems.