Breeding maize for resistance to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Argentina: genetic and environmental effects
Carlos Daniel Giaveno, Alfonso Santiago Paravano, Maria Cecilia Curis, and Érika Portmann
Pests can strongly affect the maize yield in tropical regions. Objective of this work was to evaluate the performance for fall armyworm resistance in a set of maize populations tested under different environments and to determinate the possibility of introducing some of these populations into maize breeding programs. The trials were carried out in three naturally pest-infested environments. The populations were evaluated for plant (PH) and ear height (EH), grain yield (Y), and fall armyworm-resistance (FAR). Significant differences among the populations were observed for Y and FAR, besides a significant genotype x environment interaction. The genotype x environment interaction for FAR could be explained by the erratic performance across the environments presented by one of the tolerant populations. Our results attested that at least one of the tested populations could be included into the maize breeding program.