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Student Poster Display
Plant-Insect Ecosystems
Student
Student Competition
Nimra Altaf
PhD Scholar
West Florida Research and Education Center
Jay, Florida
Silvana V. Paula-Moraes
PhD Entomology AG- WFREC-JAY
University of Florida
Jay, Florida
Eduardo S. Soares
Adjunct Assistant Professor
University of Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Ashley Gamble
University of Florida
Milton, Florida
Bryan Unruh
West Florida Research and Education Center
Jay, Florida
Kevin Kenworthy
University of Florida
Jay, Florida
Turfgrass is an important crop in the U.S. economy, used on golf courses, lawns, athletic fields, and recreational sites. Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm – FAW) is a devastating pest that deteriorates turfgrass quality through larval feeding. Chemical control is the primary tool to manage this pest and there is a clear gap in research-driven knowledge for the development of host plant resistant cultivars in turfgrass systems. The objective of this study was to document the antibiosis resistance in 19 St. Augustinegrass and Bahiagrass breeding lines from the UF turfgrass breeding program against FAW. The antibiosis resistance was assessed in a completed randomized design experiment, with four replications of each breeding line, grown in evaluation units. The study was conducted in a greenhouse, at WFREC/UF, Jay, FL. Larval infestation was performed using neonates from a field-derived colony of FAW rice strain, which is the strain with host preference for grasses. After approximately 15 days, the units were assessed and the fitness index for each line was estimated based on the larval survival and weight, pupal weight, and development time of FAW. The results will be presented and discussed considering sources of antibiosis resistance in the breeding lines of St. Augustinegrass and Bahiagrass and the contribution of host plant resistance to IPM programs in turfgrass systems.