Assessing the susceptibility of some maize hybrids to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) infestation

Two field experiments were conducted at the Desert Research Center station in Kharga Oasis, located in the New Valley Governorate within the Egyptian western desert, during the successive growing seasons of 2022 and 2023. The objective of these experiments was to evaluate the influence of maize sowing date on the susceptibility of seven maize hybrids to Fall Armyworm (FAW) infestation. The study tested the three distinct sowing dates (mid-July, first of August, and mid-August) and utilized seven maize hybrids from HyTech Company, namely: HT-2066, HT-2088, HT-2031, HT-2036, HT-1100, HT-1101, and HT-2055. The findings revealed remarkable variations in the performance of the maize hybrids and the levels of infestation. The results demonstrated significant discrepancies in the performance of the maize hybrids and the percentage of infestation. Specifically, hybrid SC-2088 exhibited the highest mean value of percentage of infestation by fall armyworm among all maize hybrids, reaching 39.32%. Conversely, hybrid HT-2066 showed the lowest mean value of infestation rate, recorded at 22.13%. Furthermore, it was observed that all maize hybrids exhibited the highest percentage of infestation during the first sowing date 15 th July, which reached 42.52%. Conversely, planting in 15 th August resulted in the lowest value infestation rate of 17.05%.