4.1. Plants

For laboratory experiments, three weeks-old maize plants of six different cultivars (Nyamula, Pioneer 30G19, Jowi, WH507, Rachar, SC Duma 43) obtained from a commercial seed supplier and local Kenyan farmers were used in this study (Hybrids: Luna Agrovet Mbita, Kenya and Landraces: several Kenyan farmers). Plants were grown in plastic pots filled with agricultural soil from the Mbita farm in a screen house (27 ± 2 °C, 65 ± 5% RH, 12L: 12D) at ICIPE-Thomas Odhiambo Campus (ITOC), Mbita Point (Nyanza Province, Kenya). After germination, 3.5 g of fertilizer (Diammonium Phosphate-DAP, Elgon Kenya) was applied in each pot. We used the leaves 6 and 7, counted according to the leaf over arching method (MAFRA’s Guide to Weed Control: Field Crops, 2020) for all the experiments [46], because younger leaves are preferred by S. frugiperda for feeding [47].