The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, has invaded Africa and Asia, causing significant yield losses in maize and adversely impacting rural livelihoods in these regions. While the use of synthetic pesticides offers temporary relief, the rapid development of resistance by the pest necessitates alternative strategies. Developing cultivars that exhibit resistance to pests and diseases constitutes a crucial element of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In this context, unexplored maize germplasm holds substantial promise for the creation of resilient cultivars, thereby fostering sustainable management of the fall armyworm. This research aims to investigate Sri Lankan maize landraces to identify potential resistance traits conducive to the development of fall armyworm-resistant maize cultivars. Sixteen open-pollinated (OP) maize landraces were collected and their responses were compared to two elite commercial maize varieties, Ruwan and Bhadra, under various conditions including field, cage and laboratory environments. Among the maize landraces studied, SEU18 and SEU21 exhibited superior traits and had the lowest overall leaf injury rates in both field (5.61 ± 0.13) and cage studies (4.61 ± 0.13). Furthermore, these landraces demonstrated the ability to suppress larval and pupal development while significantly reducing the severity of corn cob damage (1.33 ± 0.25 and 1.76 ± 0.26, respectively). In addition, SEU18 showed a higher cob yield per plant (122.5 ± 0.74 g) compared to the commercial varieties. Hierarchical cluster analysis clearly categorized both SEU18 and SEU21 as separate entities within the germplasm tested. Our results strongly suggest that local maize landraces have significant potential for developing resistant cultivars to fall armyworm. This underscores the importance of germplasm improvement programs when pursuing sustainable and environmentally responsible pest management strategies.
Key words: Fall armyworm, host plant resistance, landrace, maize
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