Twenty-one taxa of the warm-season perennial grass, Paspalum spp., were evaluated for response to the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), an important pest of turfgrass. In studies using excised grass clippings conducted in a growth chamber and on whole plants in a greenhouse, the most resistant taxon was P. ionanthum Chase (PI 404,449) as measured by larval and pupal weights, days to develop to pupal stage, and survival. Paspalum notatum Flüeggé var. saurae Parodi (PI 422,024), P. notatum Flüeggé (PI 310,146), P. thunbergii Kunth ex Steud. (PI 286,486) and P. macrophyllum Kunth. (PI 282,807) showed moderate resistance, whereas the turf-type P. vaginatum Swartz taxa were highly susceptible. Identifying resistant Paspalum taxa can inform plant breeding programs in development of pest-resistant grasses, a foundational integrated pest management strategy.
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antibiosis
host plant resistance
Paspalum vaginatum
seashore paspalum
Spodoptera frugiperda