scholarly journals Telenomus remus, a Candidate Parasitoid for the Biological Control of Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa, is already Present on the Continent

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Kenis ◽  
Hannalene du Plessis ◽  
Johnnie Van den Berg ◽  
Malick Ba ◽  
Georg Goergen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Augmentative Biological Control ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Telenomus Remus

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a moth originating from tropical and subtropical America, has recently become a serious pest of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Biological control offers an economically and environmentally safer alternative to synthetic insecticides that are being used for the management of this pest. Consequently, various biological control options are being considered, including the introduction of Telenomus remus, the main egg parasitoid of S. frugiperda in the Americas, where it is already used in augmentative biological control programmes. During surveys in South, West, and East Africa, parasitized egg masses of S. frugiperda were collected, and the emerged parasitoids were identified through morphological observations and molecular analyses as T. remus. The presence of T. remus in Africa in at least five countries provides a great opportunity to develop augmentative biological control methods and register the parasitoid against S. frugiperda. Surveys should be carried out throughout Africa to assess the present distribution of T. remus on the continent, and the parasitoid could be re-distributed in the regions where it is absent, following national and international regulations. Classical biological control should focus on the importation of larval parasitoids from the Americas.

scholarly journals Integrative taxonomy and phylogeography of Telenomus remus (Scelionidae), with the first record of natural parasitism of Spodoptera spp. in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana P. G. S. Wengrat ◽  
Aloisio Coelho Junior ◽  
Jose R. P. Parra ◽  
Tamara A. Takahashi ◽  
Luis A. Foerster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
First Record ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Agricultural Pests ◽  
Telenomus Remus ◽  
Natural Parasitism

AbstractThe egg parasitoid Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) has been investigated for classical and applied biological control of noctuid pests, especially Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) species. Although T. remus was introduced into Brazil over three decades ago for classical biological control of S. frugiperda, this wasp has not been recorded as established in corn or soybean crops. We used an integrative approach to identify T. remus, combining a taxonomic key based on the male genitalia with DNA barcoding, using a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene fragment. This is the first report of natural parasitism of T. remus on S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs at two locations in Brazil. We also confirmed that the T. remus lineage in Brazil derives from a strain in Venezuela (originally from Papua New Guinea and introduced into the Americas, Africa, and Asia). The occurrence of T. remus parasitizing S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs in field conditions, not associated with inundative releases, suggests that the species has managed to establish itself in the field in Brazil. This opens possibilities for future biological control programs, since T. remus shows good potential for mass rearing and egg parasitism of important agricultural pests such as Spodoptera species.

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

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Experiences and Perspectives on Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Njuguna ◽  
Phophi Nethononda ◽  
Karim Maredia ◽  
Ruth Mbabazi ◽  
Paul Kachapulula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae

Abstract It has been over five years since the first report of an outbreak of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Africa. The highly invasive pest, native to the Americas, has since spread across the African continent attacking many crops and causing significant yield loss to Africa’s staple crop, maize. From the onset of the outbreak, there have been massive and varied responses from farmers, governments and nongovernmental organizations. This mini-review provides various perspectives on S. frugiperda control in sub-Saharan Africa, building on previously published evidence, and experiences of the authors. It also highlights new technologies and lessons learned so far from the S. frugiperda outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, based on which suggestions on possible integrated management approaches are proffered.

scholarly journals Eiphosoma laphygmae, a classical solution for the biocontrol of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabea Allen ◽  
Marc Kenis ◽  
Lindsey Norgrove
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
North East ◽  
Parasitism Rates

AbstractThe fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, an American Lepidoptera, is invasive in Africa and Asia and currently one of the most damaging cereal pests in the tropics. The ichneumonid parasitoid, Eiphosoma laphygmae, is a potential classical biological control agent. We assessed existing knowledge on biology, identified natural distributions, collated reported parasitism rates from field studies and determined which other parasitoids co-occurred. We discussed the suitability of E. laphygmae for classical biological control as well as identified limitations and knowledge gaps. We conducted a systematic literature review and had 185 hits, retaining 52 papers. Reports on the natural distribution of E. laphygmae were restricted to the American tropics, ranging from North-East Mexico to Sao Paulo State, Brazil. There were only two single and unconfirmed records of it on other hosts, suggesting that the parasitoid may be specific to S. frugiperda, but this needs confirmation. In fields where E. laphygmae occurred naturally, it was the second most important contributor to fall armyworm mortality, after the braconid Chelonus insularis. On average, E. laphygmae parasitized 4.5% of fall armyworm in field studies. The highest parasitism rates were from Costa Rica (13%) and Minas Gerais, Brazil (14.5%). However, these parasitism rates are probably largely underestimated because of likely biases in sampling and parasitism rate calculations. Eiphosoma laphygmae appeared to establish better in more diverse, weedy systems. As African farming systems often have high diversity, this may favour the establishment and parasitism of E. laphygmae if eventually introduced as a classical biological control agent.

scholarly journals Effects of distance from semi-natural habitat on fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, J. E. Smith) and its potential natural enemies in Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Matthew W. Jordon ◽  
Talya D. Hackett ◽  
Fred Aboagye-Antwi ◽  
Vincent Y. Eziah ◽  
Owen T. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Leaf Damage ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Insect crop pests are a major threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Configuration of semi-natural habitat within agricultural landscapes has the potential to enhance biological pest control, helping to maintain yields whilst minimising the negative effects of pesticide use. Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, J. E. Smith) is an increasingly important pest of maize in sub-Saharan Africa, with reports of yield loss between 12 and 45%. We investigated the patterns of fall armyworm leaf damage in maize crops in Ghana, and used pitfall traps and dummy caterpillars to assess the spatial distribution of potential fall armyworm predators. Crop damage from fall armyworm at our study sites increased significantly with distance from the field edge, by up to 4% per m. We found evidence that Araneae activity, richness and diversity correspondingly decreased with distance from semi-natural habitat, although Hymenoptera richness and diversity increased. Our preliminary findings suggest that modifying field configuration to increase the proximity of maize to semi-natural habitat may reduce fall armyworm damage and increase natural enemy activity within crops. Further research is required to determine the level of fall armyworm suppression achievable through natural enemies, and how effectively this could safeguard yields.

scholarly journals First report of Telenomus remus parasitizing Spodoptera frugiperda and its field parasitism in southern China

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Lin Liao ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Miao-Feng Xu ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
De-Sen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Telenomus Remus

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest that feeds on many economically important cereal crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. Native to the Americas, it has become a serious invasive pest in Africa and Asia. Recently, this pest was found in China and has spread quickly across the country. As S. frugiperda will most likely become a major pest in China, Integrated Pest Management strategies, including biological control methods, should be developed to manage its populations. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in southern China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the parasitism rates of T. remus on S. frugiperda could reach 30% and 50% for egg masses and per egg mass, respectively. Further application of T. remus against S. frugiperda in biological control programs are discussed.

scholarly journals Transcriptional differences between the two host strains of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Orsucci ◽  
Yves Moné ◽  
Philippe Audiot ◽  
Sylvie Gimenez ◽  
Sandra Nhim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diet Preference ◽  
Rice Strain ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae

AbstractSpodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm (FAW), is an important agricultural pest in the Americas and an emerging pest in sub-Saharan Africa, India, East-Asia and Australia, causing damage to major crops such as corn, sorghum and soybean. While FAW larvae are considered polyphagous, differences in diet preference have been described between two genetic variants: the corn strain (sf-C) and the rice strain (sf-R). These two strains are sometimes considered as distinct species, raising the hypothesis that ost plant specialization might have driven their divergence. To test this hypothesis, we irst performed controlled reciprocal transplant (RT) experiments to address the impact of plant diet on several traits linked to the fitness of the sf-C and sf-R strains. The phenotypical data suggest that sf-C is specialized to corn. We then used RNA-Se to identify constitutive transcriptional differences between strains, regardless of diet, in laboratory as well as in natural populations. We found that variations in mitochon rial transcription levels are among the most substantial and consistent differences between the two strains. Since mitochondrial genotypes also vary between the strains, we believe the mitochondria may have a significant role in driving strain divergence.

scholarly journals The use of Telenomus remus (Nixon, 1937) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) in the management of Spodoptera spp.: potential, challenges and major benefits

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yelitza Coromoto Colmenarez ◽  
Dirk Babendreier ◽  
Francisco Ramón Ferrer Wurst ◽  
Carlos Luis Vásquez-Freytez ◽  
Adeney de Freitas Bueno
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Rearing Techniques ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae ◽  
Telenomus Remus

AbstractSpodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also known as fall armyworm (FAW) is a polyphagous pest which can cause significant losses and is considered a global threat to different crops and a risk to food security. Currently, in maize, the pest is predominantly controlled by pesticides or transgenic events. However, the use of biological control agents is considered the most sustainable and preferred method of control, providing high effectiveness. Among the various natural enemies reported for FAW, the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus has gained most interest, and has been mass released against FAW in the Americas for many years. In addition to FAW, other armyworms of the genus Spodoptera often cause high crop damage and may be controlled using T. remus. Among other important aspects, this paper presents a review on T. remus mass rearing techniques, estimated costs of mass production, and release strategies. Due to the recent invasion of FAW in Africa, Asia, and Australia T. remus provides good opportunities for the establishment of an augmentative biological control program, reinforcing sustainable production of major crops such as maize in affected countries.

scholarly journals Forecasting the global extent of invasion of the cereal pest Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regan Early ◽  
Pablo González-Moreno ◽  
Sean T. Murphy ◽  
Roger Day
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Potential Range ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Transportation Routes

AbstractFall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a crop pest native to the Americas, which has invaded and spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa within two years. Recent estimates of 20-50% maize yield loss in Africa suggest severe damage to livelihoods. Fall armyworm is still infilling its potential range in Africa, and could spread to other continents. In order to understand fall armyworm’s year-round, global, potential distribution, we used evidence of the effects of temperature and precipitation on fall armyworm life-history, combined with data on native and African distributions to construct Species Distribution Models (SDMs). Fall armyworm has only invaded areas that have a climate similar to the native distribution, validating the use of climatic SDMs. The strongest climatic limits on fall armyworm’s year-round distribution are the coldest annual temperature and the amount of rain in the wet season. Much of sub-Saharan Africa can host year-round fall armyworm populations, but the likelihoods of colonising North Africa and seasonal migrations into Europe are hard to predict. South and Southeast Asia and Australia have climate that would permit fall armyworm to invade. Current trade and transportation routes reveal Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand face high threat of fall armyworm invasions originating from Africa.

scholarly journals A deadly encounter: Alien invasive Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa and indigenous natural enemy, Cotesia icipe (Hymenoptera, Braconidae)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253122
Author(s):  
Samira Abuelgasim Mohamed ◽  
Mark Wamalwa ◽  
Francis Obala ◽  
Henri E. Z. Tonnang ◽  
Tadele Tefera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Egg Load ◽  
Farming Communities ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Western Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

The invasion and wide spread of Spodoptera frugiperda represent real impediments to food security and the livelihood of the millions of maize and sorghum farming communities in the sub-Saharan and Sahel regions of Africa. Current management efforts for the pest are focused on the use of synthetic pesticides, which are often economically unviable and are extremely hazardous to the environment. The use of biological control offers a more economically and environmentally safer alternative. In this study, the performance of the recently described parasitoid, Cotesia icipe, against the pest was elucidated. We assessed the host stage acceptability by and suitability for C. icipe, as well as its ovigenic status. Furthermore, the habitat suitability for the parasitoid in the present and future climatic conditions was established using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm and the Genetic Algorithm for Rule‐set Prediction (GARP). Cotesia icipe differentially accepted the immature stages of the pest. The female acceptance of 1st and 2nd instar larvae for oviposition was significantly higher with more than 60% parasitism. No oviposition on the egg, 5th and 6th larval instars, and pupal stages was observed. Percentage of cocoons formed, and the number of emerged wasps also varied among the larval stages. At initial parasitism, parasitoid progenies, time to cocoon formation and overall developmental time were significantly affected by the larval stage. Egg-load varied significantly with wasp age, with six-day-old wasps having the highest number of mature eggs. Ovigeny index of C. icipe was 0.53. Based on the models, there is collinearity in the ecological niche of the parasitoid and the pest under current and future climate scenarios. Eastern, Central and parts of coastal areas of western Africa are highly suitable for the establishment of the parasitoid. The geographic distribution of the parasitoid would remain similar under future climatic conditions. In light of the findings of this study, we discuss the prospects for augmentative and classical biological control of S. frugiperda with C. icipe in Africa.

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