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 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 Parasitoid Complex of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, in Ghana and Benin

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakpo Koku Agboyi ◽  
Georg Goergen ◽  
Patrick Beseh ◽  
Samuel Adjei Mensah ◽  
Victor Attuquaye Clottey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Egg Parasitoids ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Parasitoid Complex ◽  
Larval Parasitoid ◽  
Pupal Parasitoids ◽  
Parasitism Rates

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a moth originating from the American continent, has recently invaded most African countries, where it is seriously threatening food security as a pest of cereals. The current management methods rely heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides but there is a need for more sustainable control methods, including biological control. Surveys were conducted in two West African countries, Ghana and Benin, to determine the native parasitoid complex and assess parasitism rates of S. frugiperda. Samples of S. frugiperda eggs and larvae were collected in maize fields located in 56 and 90 localities of Ghana and Benin, respectively, from July 2018 to July 2019. Ten species were found parasitizing the pest, including two egg parasitoids, one egg–larval, five larval and two larval–pupal parasitoids. The two most abundant parasitoids in both countries were two Braconidae: the egg-larval parasitoid Chelonus bifoveolatus and the larval parasitoid Coccygidum luteum. Parasitism rates were determined in three Ghanaian regions and averages varied from 0% to 75% between sites and from 5% to 38% between regions. These data provide an important baseline for the development of various biological control options. The two egg parasitoids, Telenomus remus and Trichogramma sp. can be used in augmentative biological control and investigations should be conducted to assess how cultural practices can enhance the action of the main parasitoids, C. luteum and Ch. bifoveolatus, in the field. Understanding the parasitoid complex of S. frugiperda in Africa is also necessary before any development of classical biological controls involving the introduction of parasitoids from the Americas.

scholarly journals Predatory Ability of Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Orius sauteri (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) for Suppression of Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1063
Author(s):  
Ning Di ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Qingxuan Xu ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
James D. Harwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Functional Response ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Harmonia Axyridis ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
First Instar

The lepidopteran pest, Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith), spread rapidly after its first detection in China and has caused significant yield loss to maize production in the southwestern part of the country. Although natural enemies of S. frugiperda are present in the field, biological control using naturally distributed predators is ineffective because their underlying populations are too low. To enhance our understanding of the potential role of natural enemies in regulating this invasive pest, functional response experiments were conducted to quantify the response of two predators, Orius sauteri (Poppius) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), in terms of consumption of S. frugiperda. Experimental results revealed that the predatory effects of nymphs of O. sauteri and H. axyridis on the eggs and larvae of S. frugiperda fitted Holling’s Type II functional response model. Importantly, the theoretical maximum number of prey consumed per day (Na-max), the instantaneous attack rate (a′) and the handling time (Th) of O. sauteri nymphs on S. frugiperda eggs were 15.19, 0.7444 and 0.049 d, respectively; and the parameters on first instar larvae of S. frugiperda were 700.24, 0.5602 and 0.0008 d, respectively. These data contrast to those of H. axyridis, where the Na-max, a′ and Th of adults on eggs of S. frugiperda were 130.73, 1.1112 and 0.085 d, respectively, and on the first instar larvae of S. frugiperda were 1401.1, 0.8407 and 0.0006 d, respectively. These results revealed that H. axyridis is a highly voracious predator of the eggs and young larvae of S. frugiperda and O. sauteri could also be used as biocontrol agent of this pest. Our work provides a theoretical framework for the application of natural enemies to control S. frugiperda in the field. Further research is required to strategize conservation biological control approaches in the field to increase populations of these predators and enhance the suppression of S. frugiperda.

Virulence and Genetic Characterization of Six Baculovirus Strains Isolated From Different Populations of Spodoptera Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Zanella-Saenz ◽  
Elisabeth A. Herniou ◽  
Jorge E. Ibarra ◽  
Ma.Cristina Del Rincón-Castro ◽  
Ilse Alejandra Huerta-Arredondo
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Cell Cultures ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
The United States ◽  
Infection Mechanisms ◽  
Different Populations

Abstract Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797), is a polyphagous, voracious, and economically important agricultural pest. Biological control of FAW is a strategy that must be further explored. This study evaluated six baculovirus strains isolated from infected FAW larvae from Mexico, Argentina, Honduras, and the United States. Five alphabaculoviruses (SfNPV-An2, SfNPV-Arg, SfNPV-Fx, SfNPV-Ho and SfNPV-Sin) and one betabaculovirus (SfGV-RV), were tested against FAW larvae, showing a wide diversity of virulence levels among strains when their estimated LC50s were compared, being SfNPVArg, SfNPV-Ho and SfNPV-Fx more virulent than SfNPV-An 2 , SfNPV-Sin and SfGV-RV. To determine any virulence difference in vitro studies of these isolates, Sf9 cell cultures were used. Interestingly, only ODVs from four of the test SfNPV strains showed infectivity on Sf9 cell cultures, and some differences in virulence were observed. Genomic restriction analyses and partial sequences of lef-8, lef-9 , and polh/granulin genes showed little variability among alphabaculoviruses, both, among them and with previously reported sequences. However, sequences from SfGV-RV were closer to previously reported sequences from the SfGVVG008 strain than the SfGV-Arg and SfGV-VG014 strains. The great difference in the in vivo virulence was not correlated with great similarity among the isolates. The characterization of these six baculoviruses isolates offers the basis for exploring their potential as biological control agents against S. frugiperda, as well the initial studies on their specific infection mechanisms, evolution, and ecology.

Trichoderma atroviride, a maize root associated fungus, increases the parasitism rate of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda by its natural enemy Campoletis sonorensis

2018 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 196-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hexon Angel Contreras-Cornejo ◽  
Ek del-Val ◽  
Lourdes Macías-Rodríguez ◽  
Alejandro Alarcón ◽  
Carlos E. González-Esquivel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Natural Enemy ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Maize Root ◽  
Trichoderma Atroviride ◽  
Campoletis Sonorensis ◽  
Parasitism Rate

scholarly journals Spread and impact of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) in maize production areas of Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 292 ◽  
pp. 106804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo De Groote ◽  
Simon C. Kimenju ◽  
Bernard Munyua ◽  
Sebastian Palmas ◽  
Menale Kassie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Production Areas

scholarly journals A climate-adapted push-pull system effectively controls fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith), in maize in East Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 10-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A.O. Midega ◽  
Jimmy O. Pittchar ◽  
John A. Pickett ◽  
Girma W. Hailu ◽  
Zeyaur R. Khan
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Pull System

EFFECT OF HOST-LARVAL DIET ON THE HOST ACCEPTANCE AND HOST SUITABILITY OF THE EGG PARASITOID Telenomus remus NIXON (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) ON Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-165
Author(s):  
Adha Sari ◽  
Damayanti Buchori ◽  
Ihsan Nurkomar
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Artificial Diet ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Host Suitability ◽  
Host Acceptance ◽  
Larval Diet ◽  
Parasitism Rate ◽  
Natural Diet ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae ◽  
Telenomus Remus

Effect of host-larval diet on the host acceptance and host suitability of the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The life history of parasitoids is an important factor that can determine their ability to attack a host. The type of food consumed by the host can affect the ability of parasitoids such as host searching behavior, host suitability and host acceptance. In this research, we evaluate the effect of the S. frugiperda larvae diet on its suitability of the eggs produced by the adults for the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus. The research was studied on two types of egg masses of S. frugiperda that obtained from the moths that fed with natural or artificial diet during their larval stages. Parasitoid was reared from both types of hosts. An egg mass consisting of 50 S. frugiperda eggs from both types of hosts was exposed to one egg parasitoid female for 24 hours. S. frugiperda eggs then were reared until the parasitoid adult emerged. Each experiment was repeated 20 times. Host acceptance was observed through the host parasitism rate and its parasitization. Meanwhile, the host suitability was observed through the sex ratio of the emerging parasitoids. The results showed that S. frugiperda eggs reared using artificial diet had a higher parasitism rate (99.33%) than those of natural diet (82.53%). In contrast, the level of parasitization of S. frugiperda eggs reared using natural diet was higher (78.30%) than those of artificial diet (48.34%) because the number of emerging T. remus from S. frugiperda eggs reared using natural diet was also higher than those of artificial diet. However, the sex ratio (F:M) of emerging T. remus from S. frugiperda eggs reared using both of diet was female biased.

Dispersal and Seasonal Occurrence of Noctuidonema guyanense, an Ectoparasitic Nematode of Adult Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in the United States2

1991 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin M. Simmons ◽  
Charlie E. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
West Texas ◽  
Percent Parasitism ◽  
Important Regulator ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae ◽  
Eastern Half

Migrant Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) adult males were collected at 17 widely separated locations throughout the eastern half of the United States and were examined to determine if Noctuidonema guyanense Remillet and Silvain, an ectoparasitic nematode of adult Lepidoptera, were transported with the host. Nematodes were recovered from all locations where moths were captured. Nematode populations and parasitism of fall armyworm males were higher in the eastern states than in the Plains, Midwestern, and Central states (e.g., west Texas, Iowa, and Ohio). Percent parasitism and the number of nematodes per infested fall armyworm changed over time at each location. The initial immigrant fall armyworm males at a given location generally had few or no nematodes. These data suggest that moths with a moderate number of nematodes may be less able to disperse. Nematode populations peaked in mid-to-late August and then declined to a few or none by mid-October at locations north of the Gulf Coast area. Among other factors, temperature is apparently an important regulator of N. guyanense populations.

scholarly journals Redescription of Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron, 1886) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae), parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 989-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. F. Camargo ◽  
R. A. Brito ◽  
A. M. Penteado-Dias
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Campoletis Sonorensis ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae

Abstract The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) is a voracious pest of numerous crops of economic importance throughout the New World. In Brazil, its larvae are attacked by several species of parasitoid wasps, making them potential candidate as biological control agents against this pest. A survey of the parasitoid fauna on S. frugiperda in maize crops throughout Brazil reveals two species of Campoletis, which are morphologicaly very similar species. In this paper we combine these data with pictures from the type material of C. sonorensis and C. flavicincta, as well as their descriptions to provide a redescription to Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron, 1886) using for this both morphological characters and DNA Barcoding (Hebert et al., 2003) information, in an attempt to help with the correct identification of the taxa to improve biological control studies.

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