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

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.

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First report of Telenomus remus parasitizing Spodoptera frugiperda and its natural parasitism in South China

10.1101/697920 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Yong-Lin Liao ◽

Bin Yang ◽

Miao-Feng Xu ◽

Wei Lin ◽

De-Sen Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

South China ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

Parasitism Rates ◽

Telenomus Remus ◽

Natural Parasitism

AbstractThe 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 invaded China and has spread exceptionally fast 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 win the battle against it. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in South China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the natural 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.

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Parasitism capacity of Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) eggs

Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology ◽

10.1590/s1516-89132010000100017 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 133-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Regiane Cristina Oliveira de Freitas Bueno ◽

Tatiana Rodrigues Carneiro ◽

Adeney de Freitas Bueno ◽

Dirceu Pratissoli ◽

Odair Aparecido Fernandes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Type I ◽

Egg Viability ◽

Survival Curves ◽

Control Programs ◽

Parasitism Rates ◽

Female Longevity ◽

Lepidoptera Noctuidae ◽

Telenomus Remus

This work studied the parasitism capacity of Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) eggs at 15, 20, 25, 28, 31, and 35°C, aiming to use this natural enemy in biological control programs in crops where S. frugiperda was considered pest. The parasitism during the first 24 h was 60.90, 81.65, 121.05, 117.55 and 108.55 parasited eggs per female from egg masses of approximately 150 eggs, at 15, 20, 25, 28 and 31°C, respectively. Females of T. remus reached parasitism higher than 80% at 15, 20, 25, 28 and 31ºC at 5, 27, 8, 2, and 2 days, respectively. At 35ºC, there was no parasitism. The highest parasitism rates occurred at 20, 25, 28 and 31°C. T. remus female longevity varied from 15.7 to 7.7 days from 15 to 31°C. The highest tested temperature (35°C) was inappropriate for T. remus development. At that temperature, female longevity was greatly reduced (1.7±0.02) and egg viability was null. All T. remus survival curves were of type I, which showed an increase in mortality rate with time.

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

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection ◽

10.1007/s41348-021-00480-9 ◽

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.

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

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects10040092 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 92 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

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.

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Assessing the Potential of Inoculative Field Releases of Telenomus remus to Control Spodoptera frugiperda in Ghana

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12080665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 665

Author(s):

Lakpo Koku Agboyi ◽

Babatoundé Ferdinand Rodolphe Layodé ◽

Ken Okwae Fening ◽

Patrick Beseh ◽

Victor Attuquaye Clottey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rainy Season ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Egg Parasitoid ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Field Release ◽

Parasitism Rates ◽

Significant Difference ◽

No Release ◽

Telenomus Remus ◽

Release Control

In response to the threat caused by the fall armyworm to African maize farmers, we conducted a series of field release studies with the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus in Ghana. Three releases of ≈15,000 individuals each were conducted in maize plots of 0.5 ha each in the major and minor rainy seasons of 2020, and compared to no-release control plots as well as to farmer-managed plots with chemical pest control. No egg mass parasitism was observed directly before the first field release. Egg mass parasitism reached 33% in the T. remus release plot in the major rainy season, while 72–100% of egg masses were parasitized in the minor rainy season, during which pest densities were much lower. However, no significant difference in egg mass parasitism was found among the T. remus release plots, the no-release control plots and the farmer-managed plots. Similarly, no significant decrease in larval numbers or plant damage was found in the T. remus release fields compared to the no-release plots, while lower leaf and tassel damage was observed in farmer-managed plots. Larval parasitism due to other parasitoids reached 18–42% in the major rainy season but was significantly lower in the minor rainy season, with no significant differences among treatments. We did not observe significant differences in cob damage or yield among the three treatments. However, the lack of any significant differences between the release and no-release plots, which may be attributed to parasitoid dispersal during the five weeks of observation, would require further studies to confirm. Interestingly, a single application of Emamectin benzoate did not significantly affect the parasitism rates of T. remus and, thus, merits further investigation in the context of developing IPM strategies against FAW.

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Natural Enemies of Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Different Agro-Ecologies

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12060509 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 509

Author(s):

Albert Fomumbod Abang ◽

Samuel Nanga Nanga ◽

Apollin Fotso Kuate ◽

Christiant Kouebou ◽

Christopher Suh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Enemies ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Development Time ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Spodoptera Eridania ◽

Southern Armyworm ◽

Parasitism Rates ◽

Emergency Actions ◽

Indigenous Natural Enemies ◽

Telenomus Remus

Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) and southern armyworm (SAW) Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) have become major threats to crops in Africa since 2016. African governments adopted emergency actions around chemical insecticides, with limited efforts to assess the richness or roles of indigenous natural enemies. Field surveys and laboratory studies were conducted to identify and assess the performance of parasitoids associated with spodopterans in Cameroon. FAW was the most abundant spodopteran pest. Telenomus remus (Nixon), Trichogramma chilonis (Ishi), Charops sp. (Szépligeti), Coccygidium luteum (Cameron), Cotesia icipe (Fernandez & Fiaboe), and Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron) are the first records in the country on spodopterans. Telenomus remus, T. chilonis, C. icipe, and Charops sp. were obtained from both FAW and SAW; C. luteum and C. sesamiae from FAW. The distribution of spodopterans, their endoparasitoids, and parasitism rates varied with host, season and location. In the laboratory, T. remus showed significantly higher parasitism on FAW than SAW, and significant differences in the development parameters between the two host eggs, with shorter development time on FAW. It induced significant non-reproductive mortality on FAW but not on SAW. Developmental parameters showed that C. icipe has a shorter development time compared to other larval parasitoids. Implications for conservative and augmentative biocontrol are discussed.

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

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11020068 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 68 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

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.

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

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12121063 ◽

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.

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Occurrence of natural enemies of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Nigeria

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0254328 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0254328

Author(s):

Akindele Oluwole Ogunfunmilayo ◽

Shakiru Adewale Kazeem ◽

Joy Ejemen Idoko ◽

Raphael Abiodun Adebayo ◽

Elizabeth Yetunde Fayemi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Enemies ◽

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Parasitic Mite ◽

Maize Plants ◽

Staple Crop ◽

Lepidoptera Noctuidae ◽

Eggs And Larvae ◽

Telenomus Remus

Fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda), an exotic moth which recently invaded Africa, is a highly destructive pest of cereals especially maize a highly valued staple crop in Nigeria. The use of natural enemies such as predators or parasitoids for FAW control is more economically viable and environmentally safer than currently recommended synthetic insecticides. Natural enemies to combat the pest have not yet been reported in Nigeria. An exploration for the pests’ natural enemies was undertaken by collecting FAW eggs and larvae from maize fields. These were reared in the laboratory for emergence, identification and efficacy as natural enemies. This yielded Euplectrus laphygmae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae); Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and Trombidium sp. (Acari.: Trombidiidae). Cotesia or Apanteles spp. were inferred to occur since Stictopisthus sp. (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), a secondary parasitoid, that attacks cocoons of Microgasterinae (e.g. Cotesia, Apanteles etc.) also emerged. Species of yet-to-be identified predators were also observed in various niches of maize plants. A positive relationship was found between FAW instar and the number of E. laphygmae eggs/instar ranging, on average, from 1.5 on second instar to 5.5 on fourth instars hosts. Parasitism rate of T. remus on FAW eggs was 100%. Parasitic mite infestation resulted in increasing paleness, reduced feeding, growth and movement as well as death of FAW 1st instars. Thus, the occurrence of FAW natural enemies in Nigeria calls for advocacy campaign to incorporate their use into integrated pest management strategies that attract and allow natural enemies to thrive for FAW management.

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Chromosome level draft genomes of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), an alien invasive pest in China

10.1101/671560 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Huan Liu ◽

Tianming Lan ◽

Dongming Fang ◽

Furong Gui ◽

Hongli Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Gene Families ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Glutathione S Transferase ◽

Male Genome ◽

Genome Features ◽

Rice Strain

AbstractThe fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a severely destructive pest native to the Americas, but has now become an alien invasive pest in China, and causes significant economic loss. Therefore, in order to make effective management strategies, it is highly essential to understand genomic architecture and its genetic background. In this study, we assembled two chromosome scale genomes of the fall armyworm, representing one male and one female individual procured from Yunnan province of China. The genome sizes were identified as 542.42 Mb with N50 of 14.16 Mb, and 530.77 Mb with N50 of 14.89 Mb for the male and female FAW, respectively. We predicted about 22,201 genes in the male genome. We found the expansion of cytochrome P450 and glutathione s-transferase gene families, which are functionally related to the intensified detoxification and pesticides tolerance. Further population analyses of corn strain (C strain) and rice strain (R strain) revealed that the Chinese fall armyworm was most likely invaded from Africa. These strain information, genome features and possible invasion source described in this study will be extremely important for making effective strategies to manage the fall armyworms.

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