Simulating an IPM program to manage fall armyworm populations using a high-level programming language

Computational modeling is an important tool to support different control strategies for insect pest management. One of the main polyphagous insect pest that attacks different crops is Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), fall armyworm. Although there are many developed models to study the dynamics of S. frugiperda, none of them simulates a complex Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that comprises different control strategies. In this context, we developed an agent-based model to investigate how an intercropping system composed of transgenic maize (Bt) (Bacillus thuringiensis) and refuge areas (non-Bt) impact the evolution of resistance in S. frugiperda. In addition, we included one of the most important parasitoid wasp of S. frugiperda larvae in the field, Campoletis flavicincta (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), to complement fall armyworm management in an IPM program. We assumed that the parasitoid naturally occurs on the landscape after host colonization and could search for S. frugiperda larvae (from first to second instars) to parasitize, according to its daily dispersal capacity. The initial frequency of resistance allele of S. frugiperda population is assumed as 1% and arranged the refuge randomly (seed mixture refuge). The ecological model developed in this study can greatly contribute to the understanding of the benefits of natural larval parasitism to the dynamics of resistance evolution to Bt toxins.