Fall armyworm invasion in Africa: implications for maize production and breeding

The study was conducted from April to June, 2020 for comparative analysis of socioeconomic factors and profitability between Open Pollinated Improved (OPI) varieties and Hybrid varieties on maize production in Sindhupalchok district of Nepal. A structured questionnaire was administered to 80 randomly selected households i.e. 48 HHs cultivated OPI and 32 HHs cultivated hybrid maize varieties. Descriptive statistics, unpaired t-test, multiple linear regressions and indexing were used for data analysis using statistical tools- SPSS version 25 and MS-Excel. Linear regression model revealed that area under maize (5% level), education (5% level), age of household head (1% level), training (1% level), access to credit (5% level) and choice of seed (1 % level) significantly influenced maize production. In addition, unpaired t-test revealed that the productivity of hybrid maize varieties was significantly higher (1% level) than OPI varieties. Fall Armyworm infestation was found to more severe in OPI varieties (5% level) than hybrid. Furthermore, B: C ratio of hybrid varieties (1.59) indicated hybrid maize to be more profitable than OPI (1% level). However, the total cost of cultivation along with the cost of seed per hectare of OPI was found to be lower than hybrid varieties (1% level) thereby significantly increasing the area under maize production for OPI varieties (1% level). Indexing identified- lack of availability of quality seeds and fertilizers (I= 0.78) as the major problem associated with maize production. Ensuring access to quality seeds and fertilizer at subsidy, mechanization and efficient extension services focused on development of affordable hybrid maize varieties or high yielding OPI and its adoption among the farmers in order to increase maize productivity is recommended.

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An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Botanical Pesticides for Fall Armyworm Control in Maize Production

OALib ◽

10.4236/oalib.1106746 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 07 (09) ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Martin Kanjolo Siazemo ◽

Paul Simfukwe

Keyword(s):

Fall Armyworm ◽

Maize Production ◽

Botanical Pesticides

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Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Infestations in East Africa: Assessment of Damage and Parasitism

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects10070195 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 195 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Birhanu Sisay ◽

Josephine Simiyu ◽

Esayas Mendesil ◽

Paddy Likhayo ◽

Gashawbeza Ayalew ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

East Africa ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Egg Parasitoid ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Parasitism Rate ◽

Maize Production ◽

Larval Parasitoid ◽

Percent Parasitism

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, threatens maize production in Africa. A survey was conducted to determine the distribution of FAW and its natural enemies and damage severity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in 2017 and 2018. A total of 287 smallholder maize farms (holding smaller than 2 hectares of land) were randomly selected and surveyed. FAW is widely distributed in the three countries and the percent of infested maize fields ranged from 33% to 100% in Ethiopia, 93% to 100% in Tanzania and 100% in Kenya in 2017, whereas they ranged from 80% to 100% and 82.2% to 100% in Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively, in 2018. The percent of FAW infestation of plants in the surveyed fields ranged from 5% to 100%. In 2017, the leaf damage score of the average of the fields ranged from 1.8 to 7 (9 = highest level of damage), while 2018, it ranged from 1.9 to 6.8. In 2017, five different species of parasitoids were recovered from FAW eggs and larvae. Cotesia icipe (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the main parasitoid recorded in Ethiopia, with a percent parasitism rate of 37.6%. Chelonus curvimaculatus Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the only egg-larval parasitoid recorded in Kenya and had a 4.8% parasitism rate. In 2018, six species of egg and larval parasitoids were recovered with C. icipe being the dominant larval parasitoid, with percentage parasitism ranging from 16% to 42% in the three surveyed countries. In Kenya, Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) was the dominant egg parasitoid, causing up to 69.3% egg parasitism as compared to only 4% by C. curvimaculatus. Although FAW has rapidly spread throughout these three countries, we were encouraged to see a reasonable level of biological control in place. Augmentative biological control can be implemented to suppress FAW in East Africa.

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Modelling the Control of the Impact of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) Infestations on Maize Production

International Journal of Differential Equations ◽

10.1155/2021/8838089 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Salamida Daudi ◽

Livingstone Luboobi ◽

Moatlhodi Kgosimore ◽

Dmitry Kuznetsov

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Egg Production ◽

Bounded Solution ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Subsequent Increase ◽

Maize Production ◽

Severe Effect ◽

Exogenous Factors ◽

Maize Plants ◽

The Impact

In this paper, we propose and analyze a stage-structured mathematical model for modelling the control of the impact of Fall Armyworm infestations on maize production. Preliminary analysis of the model in the vegetative and reproductive stages revealed that the two systems had a unique and positively bounded solution for all time t ≥ 0 . Numerical analysis of the model in both stages under two different cases was also considered: Case 1: different number of the adult moths in the field assumed at t = 0 and Case 2: the existence of exogenous factors that lead to the immigration of adult moths in the field at time t > 0 . The results indicate that the destruction of maize biomass which is accompanied by a decrease in maize plants to an average of 160 and 142 in the vegetative and reproductive stages, respectively, was observed to be higher in Case 2 than in Case 1 due to subsequent increase in egg production and density of the caterpillars in first few (10) days after immigration. This severe effect on maize plants caused by the unprecedented number of the pests influenced the extension of the model in both stages to include controls such as pesticides and harvesting. The results further show that the pest was significantly suppressed, resulting in an increase in maize plants to an average of 467 and 443 in vegetative and reproductive stages, respectively.

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Outbreaks of the Fall Armyworm (Spodeptera frugiperda), and Maize Production Constraints in Zambia with Special Emphasis on Coping Strategies

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910771 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10771

Author(s):

Chapwa Kasoma ◽

Hussein Shimelis ◽

Mark D. Laing ◽

Admire Shayanowako ◽

Isack Mathew

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Management Practices ◽

Arable Land ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Preference Ranking ◽

Maize Production ◽

Production Constraints

The fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) is an invasive pest of maize, as well as other important cereals and vegetables, threatening food systems and biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the outbreaks of the FAW, farmers’ perceived production constraints, and coping strategies in maize production in Zambia. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in two FAW-affected maize production districts in Zambia in 2017 and 2018. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, preference ranking, and focused group discussions. Crop losses due to FAW, the high cost of fertilizers, and a limited availability of arable land were the major production constraints across the districts. There were significant differences (X2 = 12.415; p = 0.002) in the severity of FAW infestation between the two districts in 2017. Notable FAW coping strategies used by the respondent farmers included cultural and landscape management practices, chemical pesticides, and crushing of FAW larvae. There was a disparity between male and female respondents who perceived social, agronomic management, and crop protection-related factors that influenced the choice of a maize variety. Information presented here will serve as a basis for FAW-resistant cultivar development and deployment of the integrated pest management methods for Zambia.

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EFEITO DO AUMENTO DA DENSIDADE DE LARVAS DE Spodoptera frugiperda EM MILHO CONVENCIONAL EM CASA DE VEGETAÇÃO

Revista Brasileira de Milho e Sorgo ◽

10.18512/1980-6477/rbms.v16n3p337-350 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 337

Author(s):

LETÍCIA HELLWIG ◽

ANDERSON DIONEI GRUTZMACHER ◽

PATRÍCIA MARQUES DOS SANTOS ◽

CALISC DE OLIVEIRA TRECHA ◽

LAUREN BITTENCOURT MEDINA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Zea Mays L ◽

Insect Pest ◽

Control Level ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Level Control ◽

Maize Production ◽

Artificial Infestation ◽

Lepidoptera Noctuidae

RESUMO - A produção de milho tem sofrido grandes avanços, propiciando aumento de produtividade, no entanto, esta é diretamente afetada pelo ataque de insetos desde o plantio até a sua utilização. Neste contexto, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) é considerada o principal inseto-praga. Para a cultura do milho já existem níveis de controle definidos, entretanto, mesmo utilizando os já estabelecidos, ocorrem perdas na produção. Assim, o objetivo do estudo foi reavaliar o nível de dano de S. frugiperda em milho convencional BG7060, por meio de infestação artificial com diferentes densidades populacionais de lagartas (0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 e 20 lagartas planta-1) em plantas no estádio fenológico V4-V8 (folhas completamente expandidas) em condições de casa de vegetação. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que o aumento do número de lagartas de S. frugiperda por planta afeta todas as variáveis relacionadas à produtividade, exceto a altura de planta e comprimento da espiga, propiciando uma menor produtividade. Constatou-se que o nível de controle de S. frugiperda para o híbrido BG7060 no estádios V4-V8 é 29% de plantas atacadas em uma amostragem de 100 plantas, quando ocorre uma lagarta planta-1.Palavras-chave: nível de controle, monitoramento, manejo integrado de pragas, Zea mays L. LEVEL OF DAMAGE OF FALL ARMYWORM, Spodoptera frugiperda, IN CONVENTIONAL MAIZE IN GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS ABSTRACT - The maize production has advanced considerably providing an increase in productivity, however, this is directly affected by the insect attack in all phases. In this context, the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is considered the main insect-pest. There is a control levels set for the maize production, however, using the level of control already established, production losses occur. In this sense, the purposes of the study was re-evaluate the level of damage of the S. frugiperda in conventional maize, BG7060, through artificial infestation with different populational densities (0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 caterpillars plant-1), of plants at V4-V8 phenological stage (fully expanded leaves) in green house conditions. The results obtained highlighted that the increase in the number of caterpillars of S. frugiperda by plant affects all variables related to productivity, except the plant height and length of the ear, providing a smaller productivity. It was found that the control level of S. frugiperda for the BG7060 maize for V4-V8 stage is 29% of attacked plants in a sample of 100 plants, when there is one caterpillar per plant.Keywords: level control, monitoring, integrated pest management, Zea mays L.

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Seasonal Dynamics of the Alien Invasive Insect Pest Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Manica Province, Central Mozambique

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11080512 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 512

Author(s):

Albasini Caniço ◽

António Mexia ◽

Luisa Santos

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Seasonal Dynamics ◽

Insect Pest ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Dry Season ◽

Maize Production ◽

Invasive Insect ◽

Cropping Season ◽

Lepidoptera Noctuidae ◽

Methods Of Control

The alien invasive insect pest Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), commonly referred to as fall armyworm (FAW), is causing significant losses to maize production in Africa since its detection in 2016. Despite being the primary insect pest of the main food crop in the country, researchers have concentrated their efforts on methods of control, and there are no published studies on its seasonality which could assist farmers in delivering effective methods of control in periods of heavy infestations. The primary goal of this study was to assess the seasonal dynamics of FAW in maize fields. We conducted a field survey from May to August 2019 (dry season of the 2018/2019 cropping season) and in December 2019 and January 2020 (rainy season of the 2019/2020 cropping season) in 622 maize fields. In each field, 20 plants were selected in a “W” pattern and checked for the presence of FAW egg masses and/or larvae. Plants were also assessed for damage. Preliminary results show increased infestation, damages, and population density of FAW in the dry season. Our results suggest that early planting of maize in the primary cropping season may significantly reduce the infestation and damage by FAW when compared to the dry season.

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Population structure and genetic diversity of invasive Fall Armyworm after 2 years of introduction in India

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-87414-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

N. Nayyar ◽

R. G. Gracy ◽

T. R. Ashika ◽

G. Mohan ◽

R. S. Swathi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Haplotype Diversity ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Western Hemisphere ◽

Coi Gene ◽

Polymorphism Analysis ◽

Distribution Analysis ◽

Maize Production ◽

Multiple Introductions ◽

The World

AbstractFall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a polyphagous pest capable of feeding over 80 plant species and was indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. Within a span of 4 years, FAW has established itself throughout most of the regions in Africa and Asia causing significant losses in maize production. Owing to its revamped distribution range, it would be prudent to analyze the ensuing genetic changes and study the emerging phylogeographic patterns across the world. In this regard, we would like to provide a current snapshot of genetic diversity of FAW in India 2 years after the initial introduction and compare it with the worldwide diversity in order to trace the origins and evolutionary trajectories of FAW in India. We have investigated around 190 FAW samples from different regions in India for strain identity and polymorphism analysis on the basis of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene sequences. Apart from the ancestral rice and corn strain haplotype, our study demonstrates the presence of 14 more haplotypes unique to India at a haplotype diversity of 0.356. We were also able to record inter-strain hybrid haplotypes of rice and corn strains in India. Regional heterogeneity within Indian populations seems to be quite low representative of extensive migration of FAW within India. Distribution analysis of pairwise differences and rejection of neutrality tests suggest that the FAW population in India might be undergoing expansion. Our data is consistent with the findings suggesting a recent and common origin for invasive FAW populations in Asia and Africa, and does not indicate multiple introductions to India. This study reports the highest genetic diversity for Indian FAW populations to date and will be useful to track the subsequent evolution of FAW in India. The findings would have important ramifications for FAW behavior and composition throughout the world.

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Economic Implication of the Fall Armyworm in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Asian Research Journal of Agriculture ◽

10.9734/arja/2020/v13i130092 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Ajiboye Abiodun ◽

Adeola Abiola Oso ◽

Ojo Oluwatoyin John

Keyword(s):

Imperfect Information ◽

Information Dissemination ◽

Cropping System ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Economic Downturn ◽

Economic Implication ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Tobit Regression ◽

Gross Margin ◽

Maize Production

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the economic implication years after an outbreak of armyworm among the smallholding farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Methodology: A combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select 60 respondents in four communities of the State. Thematic information from the semi-structured questionnaire related to the socio-economic characteristics of respondents, their enterprise characteristics, farmers’ perception of significant constraints militating against maize production in the study area, as well as the efficacy of management strategies adopted by the respondents. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and Tobit regression. Results: The study revealed that maize farming was mostly on smallholdings owned by males within the active age of 35 years. These farmers practised mixed cropping system whereby maize is planted with other crops in a shifting cultivation pattern. Also, the respondents identified lack of inputs, lack of fund and credit facilities, climate change, disease and pest outbreak, inadequate storage and processing facilities, and imperfect information dissemination as significant constraints militating against self-sufficiency in maize production. The most debilitating of these constraints was the outbreak of the Fall armyworm, which ravaged maize farms. Information gathered revealed that higher percentages of the respondents combated this notorious pest with the use of synthetic chemicals alongside other management approaches. The result of the gross margin revealed that net return per hectare to maize production was N27, 510. The Tobit results revealed that only pests’ infestation in the previous year and age were significant with maize output loss. Conclusion: The Fall armyworm outbreak resulted in an economic downturn for maize farmers in Ekiti State.

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