Biocontrol performance and mass production potential of the larval endoparasitoid Campoletis chlorideae against Spodoptera frugiperda

Spodoptera frugiperda is an invasive pest that causes severe economic losses in outbreak regions. The use of natural enemies of S. frugiperda , particularly native parasitoids, has been suggested as a promising control strategy due to high rates of pesticide resistance. Campoletis chlorideae is a solitary larval endoparasitoid with a broad host range that includes S. frugiperda ; however, its parasitism rate, developmental stages, and population dynamics during S. frugiperda infection remain unclear. Here, we performed a systematical analysis to evaluate the biological control performance of C. chlorideae on the fall armyworm through age-stage, two-sex life tables. Due to their reproductive ability and short-life cycle, fall armyworms have the potential to be developed as a mass production host of C. chlorideae , we investigated the mass production potential by group-rearing fall armyworms using a low cannibalism rate artificial diet. Our results revealed an adequate biological control performance of C. chlorideae on S. frugiperda with a lifetime fecundity of 301.5 eggs/female, net reproduction rate ( R 0 , adult females reproduced by a female) of 62.5, longevity of 28 days, and intrinsic rate of increase ( r ) of 1.2148. However, mass production factors require further optimization to improve efficiency and reduce the cost, as there was a lower net reproduction rate (6.02) due to the parasitization-induced cannibalism. This study provides instruction and guidance for the application and release of C. chlorideae for control of the fall armyworm.