Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): A Laboratory Bioassay and Larval Preference Study for the Fungal Endophyte of Perennial Ryegrass

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Abstract
Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), reared on perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L., infected with an endophytic fungus show reduced larval weights and delayed development compared to larvae reared on uninfected perennial ryegrass. In preference tests, neonate larvae chose uninfected over infected grass and consumed more of the fungus-free leaves. The simple bioassay described here, using the fall armyworm, could provide a method of determining levels of resistance of endophyte-infected grasses.