The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), originated from America but is reported recently from Africa and the Asia-Pacific. FAW has caused huge international concern since its outbreak in Africa since 2016 and in Asia since mid-2018. The chapter mainly reviews its global distribution, life cycle, identification characters, strains, host plants, nature of damage, economic damage, and integrated pest management strategies available. The pest completes its life cycle on maize in 30 days (in warm summer months); in cooler temperatures, it may extend up to 60–90 days. For effective management of fall armyworm, different tools, viz., cultural control, agronomic management, breeding for resistance, natural enemies, and eco-friendly insecticides, should be used in an integrated approach. As the insect is recently introduced to Africa and the Asia-Pacific, possible management strategies and future cases of action are discussed.

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) invaded Africa in 2016, and has since spread to all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, causing devastating effects on mainly maize and sorghum. The rapid spread of this pest is aided by its high reproductive rate, high migration ability, wide host range and adaptability to different environments, among others. Since its introduction, many governments purchased and distributed pesticides for emergency control, with minimal regard to their efficacy. In this chapter, we review efforts towards managing this pest, highlight key challenges, and provide our thoughts on considerations for sustainable management of the pest.

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Managing a Transboundary Pest: The Fall Armyworm on Maize in Africa

Biology and lifetable of Spodoptera frugiperda in maize were studied under controlled conditions of 27±1°C, 70±10%RH, 14L:10D. Adult longevity, oviposition period, fecundity and fertility of 30 pairs were evaluated. The total larval period was 14.48 days (I instar- 2.55 days, II instar- 2.12 days, III instar-2.08 days, IV instar- 2.00 days, V instar- 2.04 days, VI instar- 3.69 days), with a pupal period of 8.24 days and adult longevity of 12.6 days and 11.1 days for female and male, respectively. The net reproductive rate (Ro) was 480.33 (n=36) with a generation time (T) of 31.24 days. The determined intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) and the finite rate of increase (λ) was 0.20 and 1.22 females/female/day, respectively. The population doubling time was found to be 3.51 days.

Lifetable study of fall army worm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) on maize

Spodoptera frugiperda, commonly known as Fall Armyworm (FAW), is amongst the most terrifying pests of maize in Latin America, which unexpectedly appeared in Nepal in 2019 and spread expeditiously. Estimates of maize crop losses due to this pest are vital in order to compare the effect of these losses with the convenient of controlling FAW and suggest pertinent controlling technology and methods. Nepal is predominantly an agrarian nation thus, maize is grown substantially. However, climatic conditions of Nepal favor the outbreaks of pests such as FAW in many maize grown areas. On the grounds that most of the people of hill and mountainous regions depend on maize for their staple food, pests have appeared to be a great threat to cereal production. It causes   considerable   injuries   to   maize   by   feeding   on   leaf whorls, ears and tassel which often leads to total yield loss.  Yet, agriculture is an economic activity, even among subsistence farmers in Nepal. Seeing high potential losses caused by FAW, different control methods have been proposed. This pest demands meticulous and stepwise plan for its management. This review emphasized on adoption of IPM methods of pests’ control, which is the integration of biological, cultural, physical, chemical, and technological approaches. Meanwhile, early warning systems, though poorly developed in Nepal, can be highlighted for further studies and for further research work.

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Integrated pest management of fall armyworm infestations in maize fields in Nepal: A review

Invasive alien species (IAS) is an exotic species that becomes established in natural or seminatural ecosystems or habitats. It is an agent of change and threatens native biological diversity. Invasive insects in India have been a major threat to household commodities, human health, agricultural produce and environment. India is highly diversified in its weather and climate, which supports the establishment of various introduced insects from other parts of the world. Furthermore, globalisation has facilitated numerous introductions of invasive insect pests. There have been 23 invasive alien insects reported from India to date. This chapter exclusively deals with the characteristics of insects that make them invasive, the common pathways of entry of the invasive insects, the steps through which the introduced insect has established itself in the foreign land and finally the ways to manage them.

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Invasive Insects in India

The fall army worm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a destructive invasive insect pest of cereal crops native to American continent. It is a polyphagous insect with host range of more than 353 plant species and maize is a preferred host. This pest is a strong flier and can fly up to 500 km before oviposition. Present study reports S. frugiperda as a first record from Nepal (Nawalpur district) observed in May 2019 along with its morphological and molecular diagnosis.

Premnidhi Sharma

Papers

First record of fall army worm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) from Nepal